American Memory: Chinese in California, 1850-1925

The Chinese in California, 1850-1925 illustrates
nineteenth and early twentieth century Chinese immigration
to California through about 8,000 images and pages of
primary source materials. Included are photographs,
original art, cartoons and other illustrations; letters,
excerpts from diaries, business records, and legal
documents; as well as pamphlets, broadsides, speeches,
sheet music, and other printed matter. These documents
describe the experiences of Chinese immigrants in
California, including the nature of inter-ethnic tensions.
They also document the specific contributions of Chinese
immigrants to commerce and business, architecture and art,
agriculture and other industries, and cultural and social
life in California. Chinatown in San Francisco receives
special treatment as the oldest and largest community of
Chinese in the United States. Although necessarily
selective, such a large body of materials presents a full
spectrum of representation and opinion. The materials in
this online compilation are drawn from collections at The
Bancroft Library, University of California Berkeley; The
Ethnic Studies Library, University of California Berkeley;
and The California Historical Society, San Francisco.