LAHM Lecture: "Journey to Gold Mountain: Chinese and the Gold Rush"

Among the 49ers seeking their fortune in gold were young villagers sailing from Canton to Gum San, or Gold Mountain, their name for America. In a program titled “Journey to Gold Mountain: Chinese and the Gold Rush,” author and historian Connie Young Yu will talk about the life and times of early Chinese in California and the racial discrimination they faced. Hosted by Los Altos History Museum (LAHM), the talk is slated for Thursday, Aug 12, from 6-7:30pm.

Connie Young Yu is a fourth-generation Californian and a long-time resident of Los Altos Hills. She has written extensively on Asian American history, and is the author of “Chinatown, San Jose, USA,” and co-author of “Voices of the Railroad: Stories by Descendants of Chinese Railroad Workers.” She is also a member of the CHCP Advisory Board.

”The anti-Asian hate we experience today is deeply rooted in this country, going back to the Gold Rush days of California,” she says. Thwarted by discriminatory laws and racial violence and driven from the mines, the Chinese moved on to other occupations, becoming cooks, laundrymen, levee builders, and workers on the railroad that would unite the country. Their experience is often overlooked in Gold Rush history.

The Museum’s current exhibition, “Gold Fever: Untold Stories of the California Gold Rush,” highlights the voices of gold seekers who emigrated from all parts of the world. The collection of documents and photos is on display through August 29. The exhibition is organized by Exhibit Envoy in partnership with the California Council for Humanities, in collaboration with the Oakland Museum of California.

“Journey to Gold Mountain: Chinese and the Gold Rush” is a free program offered in person at the Museum and on Zoom. Mask wearing is required inside the Museum.

REGISTER HERE:  losaltoshistory.org/GoldMountain.