Surviving on the Gold Mountain

Huping Ling is Associate Professor of History at Truman State University.

"Surviving on the Gold Mountain is a significant addition to our too-scant scholarly literature about Chinese American women. In addition to her historical skills, Huping Ling brings to it her irreplaceable experience as a recent student emigrant from the People's Republic of China. It is a contribution to both the history of immigration and the history of women." — Roger Daniels, University of Cincinnati"Surviving on the Gold Mountain presents an expansive story of America's past from the particulars of individual lives. This work testifies yet again to the immense possibilities of women's history and its transformative powers." — Gary Y. Okihiro, Cornell University, and author of Margins and Mainstreams: Asians in American History and Culture"Huping Ling has written the most comprehensive history of Chinese American women to date. Covering the entire period from the 1840s to the present, she examines the lives and experiences of different subgroups in various regions of the country, focusing particularly on immigration, work, family, and community. Her account is enlivened by the voices of Chinese American women and enriched by photographs, maps, and documents. A work of impressive scope and scholarship, Surviving on the Gold Mountain will be of value to both students and scholars in Ethnic and Asian American history." — Evelyn Nakano Glenn, University of California, Berkeley

• List of Tables List of Illustrations Acknowledgments Author's Note Introduction Part One Early Chinese Immigrant Women, 1840s–1943 1. Nineteenth Century Immigration: Chinese Women Came to the Gold Mountain Social Conditions for Women in Nineteenth Century ChinaMotives for ImmigrationRestrictions on the Entry of Chinese WomenImmigration and Settlement Patterns 2. Nineteenth and Early-Twentieth Century Chinese American Women at Work Slave GirlsMerchant WivesStudentsFarm Wives 3. Defining Home and Community Family LifeCommunity Involvement Part Two Postwar Chinese American Women, 1943–1965 4. Postwar Chinese American Women Repeal of Chinese Exclusion ActsMotives and Means of ImmigrationNew Employment OpportunitiesFamily LifeSocial Activities and Community Work Part Three Contemporary Chinese American Women, 1965–1990s 5. New Turning Point Educational and Occupational AchievementsParticipation in Mainstream PoliticsAttitude Change of the Younger Generation: More Appreciation of Chinese HeritageMotives and Means of Immigration Since the 1960sConditions for New Immigrants 6. Issues and Concerns Model Minority: Myth and RealityDebate Over Affirmative ActionInterracial MarriageOther Concerns 7. Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index