China Overseas Chinese Network, May 24. According to the US "World Daily" report, on May 22, Jack Ding, the first Chinese mayor of Sunoma in the United States, and the American Entrepreneurs Association jointly held a "Remembrance of Chinese Workers in California's Wine Country". Activity".

The Association donated 16,500 yuan (USD, the same below) to help Sunoma build a traditional Chinese pavilion "Penglai Pavilion" to commemorate the contribution of Chinese workers in building a wine country.

The organizer said that history shows that the Chinese are also the founders of California.

　　150 years ago, 25% of the population of Sonoma, a California wine country, was a Chinese laborer.

They dug cellars, planted vines, and worked tirelessly.

But after these laborers died, even their graves were not found, and their contributions were forgotten.

　　More than 100 people attended the event, including Ben He, president of the American Entrepreneurs Association, and Yvonne Yiu, the Chinese-American mayor of Monterey Park, who announced his candidacy for California comptroller.

　　Ding Junhui said that only 0.3 percent of the Chinese currently live in the city, but 150 years ago, in the early days of development, Chinese laborers accounted for 25 percent of Sunoma's population.

Due to racial discrimination and Chinese exclusion laws, they left silently, and the historical contributions of Chinese workers in Sunoma were gradually forgotten.

　　"They help white owners, help other merchants, beautify the city, and develop a famous wine industry. They win great honors from the owners and the locals. The Chinese work hard, but sacrifice too much. Not even their names can appear. On the payroll, the name is uniformly named John Chinaman. But Chinese workers are one of the founders of the city.”

　　Ding Junhui said that by combing through the underwriting data left by the insurance company Samborn-Perris, historians learned that there are two Chinese laundries and five Chinese residences in the city center, which is a small Chinatown.

Today, it is an honor for many Chinese and Asian-Pacific people to gather here, and I would like to take this opportunity to formally apologize to those Chinese laborers who were abused because of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882.

　　Ding Junhui read out the government announcement passed by the city council on the evening of the 18th and signed by him to commemorate the Asian Pacific American Traditional Culture Month. On behalf of the city of Sunoma, he formally apologized to the Chinese immigrants living and working in the city who were unfairly treated.

A formal apology to the early unfair treatment of Chinese immigrants living and working in Sunoma and the Sunoma Valley.

Sunoma became the first city in the North Bay and the fifth in California to formally apologize for the Chinese Exclusion Act.

　　The government announcement also decided to support the "Wine Country Chinese Heritage Project" proposed by the Sunoma Sister Cities Association-Penglai Committee, by building a traditional Chinese pavilion "Penglai Pavilion" in Sunoma's Depot Park to commemorate the Chinese people's support for the Soviet Union. Contribution of the Norma Valley wine industry.

　　He Huabin said that he would like to thank Mayor Ding Junhui for his promotion.

I have lived in the Bay Area for many years, but I never knew about the contributions made by Chinese ancestors in the wine country 150 years ago.

"The Chinese don't know this history, let alone other ethnic groups. We Chinese are the builders of California, which is very important." On behalf of the Entrepreneurs Association, he donated more than 16,000 yuan to the above-mentioned wine country Chinese heritage project, and thanked him. Ding Junhui's contribution.

He also encouraged Chinese to join the donation ranks.

　　Ding Junhui expressed his thanks to the American Entrepreneurs Association and the community for their donations.

Before the epidemic, the builders quoted that the cost of traditional pavilions was 500,000.

However, after the epidemic, due to the increase in labor and construction costs, the price is expected to increase by 25%, with a construction cost of 625,000, and no builders are willing to accept the construction.

140,000 has been raised so far.

Call on angel investors and more enthusiastic citizens to donate.

It is also hoped that qualified builders will take over the project.

In the future, there will be commemorative bricks around Penglai Pavilion, engraved with the names of citizens who have donated more than 1,000 yuan.

(Liu Xianjin)