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Immigrating to the United States of America
My husband had gone off to the United States for the California Gold Rush many years before this. He had planned to earn money for the both of us so I could meet with him later. It was the time for me, Mei Ling, to join him again after eight years. I was sad to leave my beloved friends and family back in China, but was also excited for the adventure that lay ahead. Arriving in the U.S. was a marvelous journey, as I was ready to begin a whole new chapter in my life in America. -
Living San Francisco, California
I had settled down in California for about three years then with my husband. Life in America was much different than that in China. I mostly associated with the vast numbers of Chinese people around me, as other whites were hostile to my kind. I talked and had good times with others in the new place that I had become accustom to. -
Opportunities in Oklahoma
My husband and I's failing business did no good for us in California. Sadly, we had to move to another new place again. We planned on traveling to the large open lands of Oklahoma. It provided great opportunites for us as we hoped to do better there. We wanted to restart our business and get our own plot of land to raise a family on. With those hopes and dreams, we had to move on. -
The Start of a New Life
We had received our own free land as others around us did too. It was a good plot of land, just as I had imagined. There were also chances to restart our business with much potential to do well. I could have not imagined it to have gone better, as I was ready to start a family. -
The New Life
The good business in our new home had allowed us to start a great new life. I was able to have a family of two children, as we were doing well. The business was prospering, though not many Chinese families were treated nicely nor fairly. Although it was a bit of a struggle at first, all of our hard work was well worth it in the end. -
The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882
The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 devestated my family. We had planned for our close family in China to meet my family here in the United States. Though unfortunately, this was unable to happen. This act prevented anymore Chinese people to immigrate to the U.S. Not only was it bad for others who wanted to come to America, it affected those who were already here. Many of the white citizens became more hostile and racist toward our people and our culture.
