Zhang Zhenjiang: What kind of Chinese story is behind the name of San Francisco?

China News Service, Beijing, Nov. 11 (Xinhua) -- What kind of Chinese stories are behind the name of San Francisco?

——Interview with Professor Zhang Zhenjiang, School of International Relations/Institute of Overseas Chinese Studies, Jinan University

China News Service reporter Wu Kan Jin Xu

After the world-renowned China-US summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping attended a welcome banquet jointly hosted by US friendship groups in San Francisco on the evening of the 15th local time and delivered a speech. Xi Jinping pointed out: "San Francisco has witnessed a century-old history of exchanges between the people of China and the United States. 158 years ago, a large number of Chinese workers came to the United States to build the Pacific Railroad connecting the east and west coasts, and built the oldest Chinatown in the Western Hemisphere in San Francisco. ”

On November 2023, 11 local time, the dragon and lion dance performance at the Chinatown Night Market in San Francisco, USA, attracted tourists. The 10th APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting was held in San Francisco, and the local Chinatown hosted a number of events, including a night market, to attract attendees, tourists and citizens. Photo by Liu Guanguan

What is the Chinese story behind the Chinese translation of "San Francisco"? In the era of lack of modern machinery, how did the Chinese railroad workers complete the construction of the Pacific Railway? How did San Francisco's Chinatown grow from hardship? Zhang Zhenjiang, director of the Key Research Base of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Ministry of Education of Jinan University and professor of the School of International Relations/Institute of Overseas Chinese and Chinese Studies, was interviewed by China News Service.

The transcript of the interview is summarized below:

China News Service: Why does San Francisco translate as "San Francisco"? What did the first group of Chinese immigrants in San Francisco do and what contributions did they make?

Zhang Zhenjiang: In the mid-19th century, Chinese immigrants came to the United States on a large scale with the "Gold Rush" in California. Their main base was a city called San Francisco, which Chinese immigrants used to call "Golden Mountain". From this Chinese translation, we can see the initial impression of the city and the expectations of Chinese immigrants for a better life. Later, gold deposits were also discovered in Melbourne, Australia, and in order to distinguish it from the "new gold mountain" Melbourne, the Chinese changed the name of San Francisco to "San Francisco", a Chinese translation that is still used today.

In January 2017, the installation art "Years of Peace" with the theme of Chinese surnames was unveiled in San Francisco's City Hall Square to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Photo by Liu Dan

These Chinese immigrants are also known as "Jinshanke". In addition to "gold panning", they engaged in other manual labor, not only participated in the construction of the first railroad between the east and west of the United States, the Pacific Railroad, but also participated in mining mines, reclamation and planting, and the construction of various public infrastructure, contributing to local economic development and modernization. In the process, they have endured many hardships, and many have died in other places.

Speaking of the contribution of Chinese workers, from a personal perspective, they work diligently, sending their hard-earned savings back to China, so that their parents, wives and children can live a better life, and also use it to support the construction of their hometown. From a historical perspective, after the end of the American Civil War, economic development entered the fast lane, requiring a large number of laborers, and Chinese laborers worked diligently, endured hardships and stood hard work, and made indelible contributions to the industrialization and development of the western region of the United States.

In 2012, in San Francisco's Chinatown, a mural reflecting the history of Chinese immigration to the United States was erected outside the subway construction site. Photo by Chen Gang

China News Service: On May 1869, 5, the first Pacific Railroad across the east and west of the United States was completed. In the era of lack of modern machinery, how did Huagong complete this great project?

Zhang Zhenjiang: Construction of the Pacific Railway began in 1863. The western section of the project, which was undertaken by the Central Pacific Railroad, had complex terrain and was difficult to construct. The Sierra Nevada, in particular, is steep, with thin oxygen and biting cold slowing progress. So the Central Pacific Railroad decided to hire Chinese laborers to build the railway. In 1865, a large number of Chinese workers came to the United States and became the main force in the construction of railroads.

A total of about 1,1 to 5,<> Chinese workers were involved in the construction of the Pacific Railroad and undertook the construction of the most difficult section. In the era of lack of modern machinery, Chinese workers only relied on ropes to hang on the cliffs, using hammers and steel drills and other tools to dig roads inch by inch, showing the quality of hardship and hard work and the spirit of craftsmen. Thousands of Chinese laborers lost their lives to rock blasting, tunnel collapses, snowstorms, and other accidents, and paid with their lives to pave the Pacific Railroad.

In August 2015, the North American premiere of the large-scale humanities documentary "Dream of Jinshan - Looking for the Memory of Road Spikes" was held in Los Angeles. Photo by Mao Jianjun

The story of the Chinese railway workers was once lost in history. In recent years, their deeds have become more and more visible to the world. In May 2014, the U.S. Department of Labor inscribed Chinese railroad workers in the Memorial Hall of Honor, and Chinese railroad workers became the first group of Asian-American groups to enter the memorial. In May 5, the San Francisco City Council passed a proposal to designate May 2019 as San Francisco's "Chinese Railroad Day" to recognize the contributions of Chinese railroad workers.

On May 2019, 5, the "Golden Spike Festival" was held in Salt Lake City, USA, to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Pacific Railroad's connection, commemorating this historic moment in the place where the railroad was connected 150 years ago. The organizers paid tribute to the Chinese railway workers in many links. The picture shows an actor dressed as a Chinese railway worker performing on stage. Photo by Liu Guanguan

China News Service: As one of the oldest Chinatowns in North America, how did San Francisco's Chinatown develop from hardship? What changes have you undergone?

Zhang Zhenjiang: San Francisco's Chinatown is the oldest Chinatown in the Western Hemisphere, and in the early days, Chinese workers lived in a difficult and difficult life, and everyone gathered together to warm up and help each other, and Chinatown was established. Chinatown is not only a place for Chinese to live, but also to provide a variety of life services for local residents, with the opening of Chinese restaurants, barber shops, tailor shops, etc., the "three knives" (kitchen knife, razor and scissors) have also become a tool for Chinese people to make a living.

In 1906, an earthquake struck San Francisco, devaluing the entire city, including Chinatown. The government and developers had planned to permanently relocate Chinese residents out of Chinatown and redevelop the area. However, after the Chinese argued, Chinatown was able to be rebuilt on the same site. In fact, Chinese immigrants were in a very difficult situation after the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed by the U.S. Congress in 1882, and it was not officially repealed until 1943.

For some time after the repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act, the status of the Chinese people was still not significantly improved. In 1964, the U.S. Civil Rights Act was signed into law, prohibiting any discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Since then, the status of various ethnic minorities, including the Chinese, has gradually improved, and Chinese immigrants and their descendants have begun to move to major cities in the United States and actively integrate into mainstream society.

In January 2022, the Lunar New Year Parade was held in Chinatown in San Francisco, USA. Photo by Liu Guanguan

With the social integration of Chinese immigrants and the changing composition of new immigrants, San Francisco's Chinatown has become less attractive and the population size of Chinatown has shrunk. However, this does not mean that Chinatown is in decline, but only a change, which is related to the improvement of the economic and social status and education level of the Chinese on the one hand, and the urban development plan on the other hand.

San Francisco's Chinatown is a miniature landscape of the development of the local Chinese community, and it has also witnessed the development of the city of San Francisco. After a long period of baptism, San Francisco's Chinatown still retains a strong Chinese style and ethnic identity, where Chinese architecture, Chinese goods, Chinese food and other food converge, and Eastern and Western cultures blend here. Chinatown also regularly hosts a variety of Chinese cultural events, becoming a window for Western society to understand Chinese culture.

A restaurant in Chinatown, San Francisco, USA. Photo by Liu Guanguan

China News Service: In 2011, Li Mengxian was elected as the first Chinese-American mayor in San Francisco's history. How integrated is the Chinese community in San Francisco into mainstream society today?

Zhang Zhenjiang: With the improvement of their own strength and social status, the participation of Chinese in San Francisco in local affairs has increased, and their enthusiasm for participating in politics has increased. In 2011, Lee became San Francisco's first Chinese-American mayor and is committed to defending the rights of minorities and immigrants, with a focus on the socially disadvantaged. During his tenure, he promoted the reform of San Francisco's pension system, affordable housing construction, and more; Launched a tax break program to attract a large number of tech companies to relocate to San Francisco. Li Mengxian, whose parents were immigrants from Taishan, Guangdong, returned to his hometown three times to pay respects to his ancestors before being elected mayor, and during his tenure as mayor, he also actively promoted friendly exchanges between San Francisco and other parts of China.

In January 2012, the Chinese New Year celebration was held in Chinatown in San Francisco, USA. Then-Chinese Mayor Lee Mengxian (center) attended. Photo by Chen Gang

Nowadays, the visibility and voice of the local Chinese have been greatly improved. This is not only reflected in the aspect of participating in and discussing politics, but also in various fields, the Chinese have made outstanding achievements. After hard work, the older generation of overseas Chinese have taken root in a foreign country. Chinese families attach great importance to the education of their children, and the second and third generations of Chinese have a high level of education, breaking through the traditional industry dominated by the "three knives" of their ancestors, and becoming the "three teachers" (engineers, doctors, accountants) and "three families" (scientists, entrepreneurs, inventors). They blend the best values of the East and the West, and more actively integrate into the local mainstream society, and display their talents and ambitions.

China News Service: What are the advantages of overseas Chinese in communicating between China and the world? How can we facilitate people-to-people exchanges between China and the United States?

Zhang Zhenjiang: In the process of communicating between China and the world, as a special group, overseas Chinese and Chinese people show the characteristics of "Chinese roots", "locality" and "transnationality". "Chinese roots" refers to the fact that no matter where they are, they always have the characteristics of Chinese culture in their blood, such as respecting their ancestors and loving their hometown, helping each other as a group, being diligent and thrifty, and respecting teachers and education. "Locality" refers to their ability to follow the local customs, and to have the attitude of being good at learning, actively integrating, putting down roots and contributing to the local community. "Transnationalness" refers to their ability and expertise to make use of "Chinese roots" and "locality" to connect not only China with the country where they live, but also with the whole world, and become practitioners and beneficiaries of exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations.

On November 2023, 11 local time, the Chinatown Night Market in San Francisco, USA, was crowded. The 10th APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting was held in San Francisco, and the local Chinatown hosted a number of events, including a night market, to attract attendees, tourists and citizens. Photo by Liu Guanguan

Overseas Chinese and Chinese nationals have extensive business networks, funds and contacts, and can continue to serve as a bridge for smooth and friendly exchanges between China and the United States in the future. While actively integrating into the mainstream local society, overseas Chinese and ethnic Chinese can also give full play to the advantages of integrating China and foreign countries and being familiar with the culture and society of the countries in which they live, so as to become a window for the American people to understand China and enhance people-to-people exchanges between the two countries. (ENDS)

Interviewee Profile:

Zhang Zhenjiang is a professor and doctoral supervisor at the School of International Studies/Institute of Overseas Chinese Studies at Jinan University, director of the Key Research Base of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Ministry of Education, and president and editor-in-chief of the journal Southeast Asian Studies. Graduated from Xinjiang Yili Normal University, Ph.D. in the History of International Relations from Nanjing University, and postdoctoral fellow in the History of Sino-Foreign Relations at Sun Yat-sen University, he was selected into the "New Century Excellent Talent Support Program" of the Ministry of Education, and served as a member of the Steering Committee for the Teaching of Political Science in Colleges and Universities of the Ministry of Education, Vice President of the China Association of Southeast Asian Studies, and Vice President of the Chinese Overseas Chinese Historical Society. He is currently engaged in research on the history and theory of international relations, Asia-Pacific international relations, Southeast Asian regional cooperation, transnational migration, and overseas Chinese.