Chinese Gold Mountain

Chinese Gold Mountain

CHINESE GOLD MOUNTAIN

Initially, the word Gold Mountain was initially applied to the state of California. Back then, ships full of immigrants docked in San Francisco. The passengers were initially bound to go to the gold fields. The passengers were made to remain in the Chinese settlement in San Francisco that was also growing. Following the discovery of gold in Fraser Canyon later in the nineteenth century, British Colombia also came to be referred as Gold Mountain. In 1850's, there was the spread of Chinese settlement and settlers in British Columbia, it was also referred as the Tang colonies.

During this time, the gold seekers first went to Victoria in Vancouver Island where they were obtaining supplies. San Francisco later becomes to be known as the old Gold mountain. The mid-19th century was an era of the gold rush and the Chinese named the city as Gold Mountain. This history dates back to the California gold rush of 1849. During this time, the Chinese people were sailing to California hoping to get rich from the gold. Outside Asia, San Francisco has the largest percentage of Chinese population. There was a creation of a diverse gathering of people in California by the Chinese immigrants. They were considered as Chinese who came from the southeast china and they were fleeing political corruption in seeking for a better economic opportunity and life (Louie and Louie).

The news about California spread through the globe in 1840's. There was gold in California and anyone who had that opportunity could seize it and make many fortunes for himself. Within weeks of the news circling, the globe, dreamers from every part of the world came streaming in every America's ports hoping to claim a huge share and become rich. China was not to be left behind with the gold fever that had caught everybody. Hong Kong received information about a mountain of gold across the oceans around 1849. This was followed with quick spread of the same information throughout the provinces of china. Three years later, several Chinese immigrants set out for California, a land that many referred as Gold Mountain due to the presence of gold. From time immemorial, the Chinese people had never found themselves as emigrants in a foreign land. For many centuries, the Chinese people had travelled the entire globe making new homes in far lands. They had several colonies that they established in several countries throughout the world. Their colonies ranged from merchants, bankers, miners and artists. This was not the case in America. Here, things turn out very different.

The immigrants from china had proved to everyone by then to be productive and very resourceful in contributing to a multitude businesses and industries wherever they landed. The very first group of Chinese immigrants settled in gold mountain of California where they were receiving their daily livelihood from the gold mines. There was construction of roads to allow easy accessibility to the extraction and processing of the minerals. Immediately they started facing discrimination in the mining fields. They were forced to work or work for other people. Around 1850, the United States right of naturalization for white immigrants was reversed, allowing some of the Chinese citizens to become naturalized citizens in American soil, but naturalization did not occur to the majority of the Chinese population in America. They started facing many difficulties in making ends meet since they not awarded this right. They were unable to own anything in America including land or claims from mining files. In late 1850's, a law of taxing all foreign miners in California was passed by the legislature. This law was stated in general terms, but it was seriously under implementation against the Chinese population and the Mexican.

The Chinese started facing different forms of discrimination in California. Despite the fact, the Chinese people were very hardworking, and they were contributing to the economy and the crucial labor that was direly needed in all the mining industries in California they were facing a lot of discrimination. Just like any other person who was regarded to be non-white, the Chinese people were never allowed to testify against the whites who were oppressing them in courts. As a result, many found themselves as victims of racism. From the time, the Chinese immigrants landed on America's soil they started working patiently for long hours and, but the wages were low.

They started earning hatred and resentment