Explorations in Sights and Sounds
Orginal Publication Date
1986
Journal Title
Explorations in Sights and Sounds
Volume
6
Issue
ess/vol6/iss1
First Page
48
Last Page
49
Abstract
Lydon's history of the Chinese in the Monterey Bay region is a monument to the Chinese who immigrated to North America everywhere. The title Chinese Gold refers to a metaphor Lydon uses throughout his account of how "through their particular form of alchemy (insight plus ingenuity plus energy), the Chinese turned what they found into gold" (p. 504). The Chinese were able to see the resources of the Monterey Bay region where others could not and developed them "to the lasting benefit of the Monterey Bay region." But there are very few Chinese Americans in the region today and there are no historical monuments erected to attest to the central role the Chinese played in its economic development. Lydon hopes that his history will stand as a monument to the Chinese who lived in the Monterey Bay region.
Rights
Copyright, ©EES, The National Association for Ethnic Studies, 1986