The Golden Mountain: At a time when U.S. law discriminated against the Chinese, one man built a bridge between two peoples. (American History Play).

With the discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill in 1848, people from around the world--including China--headed for California. The Chinese called the new land Gum San, or the Golden Mountain. They mined gold, worked on farms, and helped build the Transcontinental Railroad.

As more white workers moved to. California, though, jobs became scarce. In 1882, resentful whites persuaded the U.S. Congress to pass the Chinese Exclusion Act, which suspended immigration of Chinese laborers.

CHARACTERS

(++) Ng Poon Chew        Mansie, Chew's daughter
Uncle                    (*) Man 1
Grandmother              (*) Man 2
Cousin                   (*) Barber
Mrs. Carey, a Christian  (*) Investor
missionary               (*) National Guard
Theodore Roosevelt,      Narrators A-F
President of the U.S.
(1901-1909)
Chun Fah, Chew's wife

(++)His family name was Ng, but he became
 known in the U.S as Dr. Chew.

(*)Starred characters are fictitious.
AMERICAN HISTORY PLAN: THE GOLDEN MOUNTAIN

Use a word, name or phrase from the list below to correctly
complete or answer each sentence.

World List: Golden Mountain; Japanese; land of hope; a missionary;
Natinal Guard troops; Native Americans; rocky sthore; tidal wave;
an earthquake; transcontinental railroad; a volcanic eruption;
white workers; 1882; 1952; 1996.

21. Chinese immigrants called California Gum San, which
means __________.

22. What group in California was very hostile to Chinese immigrants?

23. Who rescued the boy Ng Poon Chew from a mob in San Jose?

24. What natural disaster destroyed San Francisco's Chinatown in 1906?

25. The U.S. imposed a ban on Chinese immigrant laborers in __________.

Answers

21. Golden Mountain
22. white workers
23. a missionary
24. earthquake
25. 1882

In addition, Chinese already settled in the U.S. were denied the right to naturalization, or citizenship.

SCENE 1

Narrator A: Kwangtung Province, China, in 1879. Thirteen-year-old Ng Poon Chew looks up from his studies.

Ng Poon Chew: Uncle! You've returned from the Golden Mountain!

Uncle: Hello, Chew! And hello, dear mother!

Grandmother: Son! You're back!

Uncle: I have something to show you.

Narrator A: He dumps 800 silver dollars on the table.

Chew: How did you do it, Uncle?

Uncle: Hard work.

Chew: What is it like across the ocean?

Uncle: Well, you know how it is here-the Manchus (rulers from Manchuria) make our lives difficult. The Golden Mountain is a place where you can become anything you want.

Chew: Then I want to go to America.

Grandmother: I thought you wanted to be a Taoist priest. Chew: I have a new dream--to make my own fortune. Uncle: It's not so easy. You'll have to take a low-paying job. And whites may beat you up. Many of them are angry that our people work so hard for such little pay.

Chew: But look at you, Uncle. Now you can live in comfort.

Uncle: True. The rewards are great--if you can get them.

Chew: I'll take my chances.

SCENE 2

Narrator B: Two years later, in 1881, Chew and a cousin are at the dock, ready to leave for America.

Grandmother: Grandson, I want you to remember an old proverb: "If you will, you can."

Chew: I'll remember, Grandmother.

Grandmother: Go make me proud.

Narrator B: The cousins board a steamship that travels across the Pacific Ocean to San Francisco.

Cousin: I'm going to San Jose to work in the fruit orchards. But you're smart--you can get a job as a houseboy. It pays better.

Narrator B: Chew works for a family in San Jose. One day when he is running an errand, a group of white men beat him up.

Man 1: Go back to where you came from, you dirty foreigner!

Narrator B: A white woman stops them.

Mrs. Carey: Leave that poor boy alone!

Man 2: Forget about him. He's not worth the trouble anyway.

Mrs. Carey (to Chew, in Chinese): We're not all like them.

Chew: You speak Chinese!

Mrs. Carey: A little. I'm a missionary for immigrants. Would you like to go to school?

Chew: Oh, yes, please!

SCENE 3

Narrator C: Mrs. Carey persuades the couple who employ Chew to send him to a Christian school part-time. He learns English quickly and decides to become a missionary, like Mrs. Carey. But first, Chew takes a drastic step...

Chew: I'm ready. Cut off my queue [a long pigtail that men in China were required to wear].

Barber: Are you sure? You will not be able to go back home without it--or they'll punish you.

Chew: This is my home now.

Barber: You're a brave man.

Chew: I know there are good people in America, but many don't understand the Chinese. I want to look American so that I can be a bridge between our two people. Some day, I'll become a citizen.

Narrator C: The church mission sends Chew to college to become a minister. After getting his degree, he marries Chun Fah. They move to Los Angeles to run a mission. But in 1898, a fire destroys their mission. Chew then decides he wants to start a newspaper. He talks to an investor.

Chew: A newspaper will make a big difference to our people. It will help them build better lives.

Investor: All right, count me in.

Narrator C: Chew gets the money he needs and learns how to set type. Finally...

Chew: Our first issue!

Chun Fah: I like how you printed it all in red for good luck, husband. I hope it will bring good luck to our people.

SCENE 4

Narrator D: In early 1900, Dr. Chew moves the paper to San Francisco.

Chew: It is so hard to find a house big enough for our growing family.

Chun Fah: There are houses outside Chinatown that would be perfect.

Chew: But no one there will rent to us because our skin isn't white.

Narrator D: In 1905, businessmen in China protest anti-Chinese sentiment in the U.S. by boycotting American goods. Dr. Chew goes on a speaking tour to explain the boycott. He addresses the U.S. House of Representatives and speaks with President Theodore Roosevelt.

Chew: Mr. President, laws against the Chinese are unfair. Since we cannot become citizens, we cannot vote. We'll never have the power to make sure that we're treated fairly.

Theodore Roosevelt: Chinese immigrants should have the same rights as others.

Chew: But we don't, and it hurts us. Look at all the anti-Chinese violence. Our homes have been burned down and our people murdered.

Roosevelt: I signed an executive order to try to stop this abuse. I also urged Congress to enact new laws to protect the Chinese. But unless Congress acts, my power is limited.

Narrator D: Little changes, but Chew admires Roosevelt for his efforts.

SCENE 5

Narrator E: On April 18, 1906, an earthquake rocks San Francisco. Fires spread across the city.

Chew: Oh, no, our newspaper! And our valuable documents! I've got to rescue them.

Narrator E: Chew hurries to the office.

National Guard: Stop! You can't go in.

Chew: But my papers-

National Guard: The building is about to collapse. Everyone must get out of here!

Narrator E: Most of Chinatown burns to the ground. The Chews flee to a refugee camp in Golden Gate Park. Later, after finding a new place to live, Chew speaks with his cousin.

Chew: Listen to what the local paper says: "Fire has reclaimed to civilization and cleanliness the Chinese ghetto, and no Chinatown will be permitted in the borders of the city."

Mansie (interrupting): Daddy, pick me up.

Cousin: They want us out of the city!

Chew: We've got to get our paper started again, and tell the Chinese landowners to rebuild before it's too late.

Chew: Look at this little face. I can't give up on her future. But we are ruined-all of the metal type at the newspaper was lost in the fire.

Cousin: I have an idea. If you can find a small press to print the paper, I'll write it by hand!

Chew: I admire your dedication, cousin. Remember: "The newspaper is the people's tongue."

Narrator E: Eight days after the earthquake, the first handwritten issue of the paper appears. San Francisco's Chinese residents heed Chew's advice and start to rebuild Chinatown.

SCENE 6

Narrator F: On March 12, 1931, a day before his 65th birthday, Chew meets with editors of the paper.

Cousin: You've been so busy lecturing. Why not come back here?

Chew: My health is failing. But the next generation will carry on. I'm so proud of my children. Edward is the first Chinese to be an officer in the U.S. Army. Effie is a teacher and Mansie will take over the paper.

Mansie: Still, Father, it's ridiculous that after all you've done for this country, you can't be a citizen.

Chew: There are many unfair laws, Mansie. It's up to your generation to keep working for change. As my grandmother said, "If you will, you can."

AFTERWORD

Dr. Chew died on his 65th birthday. His newspaper continued publication until 1951. In 1952, the U.S. lifted its ban against Chinese immigrants. And in 1965, the U.S. ended immigration quotas based on nationality.

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AMERICAN HISTORY

1. True or false? As part of the war on terror, U.S. troops are advising the Philippines, a country with long historic links to the U.S. (true)

2. What U.S. state attracted large numbers of Chinese immigrants after 1848? (California)

3. What travel record did journalist Nellie Bly set in 1889-90? (She went around the world in 72 days.)

4. What President did Ng Poon Chew speak to about restrictions on Chinese immigrants? (Theodore Roosevelt)

5. In 1906 what did businessmen in China do to protest U.S. anti-Chinese laws? (boycotted U.S. goods)

6. What influential position did Joseph Pulitzer have in the late 1800s? (He was publisher of The World, one of New York's leading newspapers.)