Tonight’s Chinese New Year parade ushers in the Year of the Tiger. It’s been 162 years since the first Chinese immigrants – a woman and two men – arrived in San Francisco on the Brig Eagle.
Today one-in-five San Franciscans boasts Chinese heritage. The community has and continues to play a critical role in virtually every institution in town. While San Francisco’s old Chinatown is the colorful must-see for anyone visiting The City, it’s just one of at least three neighborhoods here that can justifiably be called “Chinatown.” While the Richmond and Sunset neighborhoods each have their “New” Chinatowns, Chinese Americans today live in every district in San Francisco. This sure wasn’t always the case.
In fact, San Francisco’s Chinese community endured discriminatory laws aimed exclusively at them. They suffered unprovoked violence and blatant bigotry from almost the moment those first three “Celestials” stepped ashore. But their storied skills, tenacity and work ethic have paid off. The community’s unwavering emphasis on higher education, business acumen and the arts have nurtured its identity while its members seamlessly integrated into San Francisco’s social and political framework. But it wasn’t easy. Here’s just a few examples why:
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1848—The first three Chinese arrive aboard the Eagle.
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1852—In perhaps the first labor action in San Francisco history Chinese construction workers strike for higher wages. [8 June]
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1862—An “Anti-Coolie Club” is formed in San Francisco. Their aim: to harass Chinese and prevent further Chinese immigration.
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1863—In an act of blatant hypocrisy California Governor Leland Stanford tells constituents he wants Chinese immigration halted, while his Big Four business partners begin recruiting thousands of mainland Chinese to toil on their portion of the transcontinental railroad.
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1868—A Chinese crab fisherman is attacked by a gang of toughs who slit his tongue and his ears; beat, burn and rob him.
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1869—The Golden Spike is driven, signifying the completion of the transcontinental railroad in Promontory Summit, Utah. Not one Chinese laborer is allowed to pose for the official photo, though hundreds had sacrificed their lives to build it.
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1870—San Francisco passes a law prohibiting the use of a pole in order to carry two baskets. Chinese are the only group who employ this transport method—so the ordinance applies exclusively to them.
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1871—The City cuts off Chinese school funding, effectively eliminating educational opportunities for well over a decade.
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1876—In yet another policy directed solely at the Chinese, jailers cut queues (Chinese pigtails) off inmates.
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1877—“Sandlot riots” led by anti-Chinese agitator Denis Kearney include burning Chinatown businesses.
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1878—U.S. District Court say Chinese not eligible for citizenship.
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1881—Angel Island becomes a holding prison for Chinese immigrants arriving in San Francisco.
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1882—Chinese Exclusion Act is passed, halting Chinese worker immigration for 10 years.
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1892—The Exclusion Act is renewed, extending Chinese immigration prohibitions for another decade.
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1895—Arnold Genthe begins photographing Chinatown.
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1900—Nine people die of the Bubonic plague in Chinatown.
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1903—Dr. Rupert Blue reports that Chinatown is now plague-free.
