The Chinese did not have several options when traveling (and escaping) to the United States. Their only option was to take a boat to their destination. They would end up on the shores of California and majority of those would stay there. The largely Chinese populated cities were San Francisco, Sacramento, Stockton, Marysville, and Los Angeles. The cost for a one way trip was around $40 to $50 dollars while a round trip would cost around $60 to $70 dollars. However, those who were unable to get the money could enter a “credit ticket agreement” (Tsai 8). Those would begin work but money would be taken away from their wages monthly in order to pay off their debt of an average of $120 dollars.

Their journey was difficult in many ways because in their homeland, there were restrictions on emigration. It was not allowed because their government was concerned about rebels. Even with this, many managed to escape to America but those who did not succeed would be executed.

Those who were able to escape China successfully would soon face another problem at Angel Island, which is similar to Ellis Island but the conditions were much worst. This island was set up in order to control the amount of Chinese immigrants entering the country. It was very useful to the Americans during the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882.

Another factor that made their journey difficult was the “coolie trade”. Because of the Opium War, this trade was made possible. The first recorded number of “coolies” shipped from China to Latin America for cheap labor work was 8,000. A number of these people had been kidnapped in their sleep and tied up. Some were sold by clan leaders and others were lied to, they were promised a job in America for $4 a month. The owners of the ships did not care too much of the Chinese on their ships. They were hardly fed and it was extremely crowded. Many committed suicide and many died of suffocation. Those who actually got to America never stayed in one place, there was a continuing journey. They faced many challenges in their stay.

What did the Chinese find when they reached the Gold Mountains?

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