What is the direct influence of Ellis Island on American history?

Edited by Huang Daqiang and Lin Zhongfen

Recently, Dr. professor moriarty, an archaeologist at the University of San Diego in the United States, discovered a "stone anchor" used by China people to sail two to three thousand years ago in the shallow sea of Vader Peninsula in pallas, California, and near the headland in Medino, California. Among the unearthed cultural relics excavated in Mexico, there are dozens of China ancient copper coins tied to the Buddha statue, and the unearthed cultural relics excavated in Peru are engraved with "Tai Sui" in Chinese. Therefore, not long ago, Dr. moriarty wrote to Jia Lanpo, a famous archaeologist in China, saying that "due to a series of new discoveries, evidence that China had crossed the Pacific Ocean before Columbus began to be provided."

Through the exchange and research between Chinese and American archaeologists, combined with other historical relics and historical quotations, it is concluded that China people arrived in America one thousand years earlier than Columbus.

At that time, compatriots who went to the United States to make a living were treated cruelly by sailing companies from the moment they set foot on the springboard of sailing. Sailing companies put passengers in a "unified warehouse" for overload and profit, regardless of their lives, just like transporting goods. At that time, it took more than 80 days from Hong Kong to San Francisco (that is, San Francisco on the west coast of the United States) by boat. In case of a typhoon, it may even take half a year to reach the other side. During this long and painful voyage, many people died of illness on board due to poor sanitary conditions. Even strong people have survived the disease, but sometimes the upper and lower partitions in the ship will break due to excessive pressure, crushing the people sitting below, becoming disabled and even dying on the spot. According to records, a sailboat named "Liberta" set sail from Hongkong with 500 China workers on board, but when it arrived in San Francisco, 100 China workers died during the voyage.

Before 1882, the American government enacted the Chinese Exclusion Act. After a long journey, compatriots lucky enough to come to the United States were questioned and treated harshly when they entered the country. To some extent, although it was not as serious as it was later, the personal safety of compatriots was not guaranteed at all after the ship landed. Because China workers have long been known for their hard work and low wages, local residents have the illusion that their poor brothers in China are their rivals for a living. The bourgeoisie splits the unity of the working class, sow discord, and thus produces a hostile mentality of crowding out. Every time the sailboat docked, China workers were stoned by local people along the way, even dying, but the perpetrators were at large, and the police turned a blind eye and stopped them without interference. 1876, a lawyer named Frederick Beebe, who defended China people, gave his testimony on the above situation before the China Immigration Committee of the US Congress.

1892 "Chinese Exclusion Act" stipulates that Chinese workers are prohibited from entering the country within 10, but the American government does not take me, a law-abiding overseas Chinese who pay taxes every year and sweat hard for the prosperity of the United States, as the object of moral obligation. Instead, it extended the time limit for prohibiting China workers from entering the country and added a clause prohibiting all China people from becoming naturalized.

In addition, California Rep. Thomas J. geary added a regulation to bind Chinese, requiring Chinese in the United States to re-register with the government and apply for a certificate of legal residence in the United States again, which aroused the opposition of my overseas Chinese group in the United States, the China Club, representing the interests of overseas Chinese, and called on Chinese to passively resist this capricious and reneging harsh regulation, so that although the bill was published, In the end, the American government authorities did not hesitate to take high-handed measures, claiming to expel my unregistered overseas Chinese. After several times of fighting alone, my overseas Chinese still could not get the protection that the Qing government of the motherland deserved at that time. Finally, I had to submit to humiliation and was forced to re-register.

The imprisoned compatriots are not only physically and mentally tortured, but also economically squeezed by the immigration station. Because China immigrants managed to raise a sum of travel expenses, Wan Li traveled all the way across the ocean and came to the United States to find relatives and friends, hoping to find a way out of life. As soon as he landed, he was sent to the "underworld" and interrogated by unbearable difficulties. In order to pass the "immigration station", he paid bribes to the "immigration station", "terrorists" and "judges" at the expense of the only one left, or tried to borrow money from relatives and friends in the United States to obtain more favorable approval and entry. Their throats are as bitter as eating Rhizoma Coptidis, and they hate it in their hearts. 19 17 On September 5, the editorial of the American Chronicle said: "Since the Chinese Exclusion Law came into effect, corruption and bribery of immigration officials have emerged." The newspaper added: "Bribery incidents are often difficult to prove. Juries rarely convict accused officials based on the testimony of China people, but the testimony of China people is the only evidence. " Therefore, although the authorities of Angel Island "Immigration Station" are constantly accused of corruption, it is not easy to confirm the conviction. It is precisely because of this that officials of the US Immigration Bureau brazenly and savagely extracted my detained compatriots, and the pain of my banned compatriots is even more unspeakable.

The only reason why the Immigration Bureau locked them up is to wait for the interrogators to conduct strict and repeated interrogations, so as to decide whether to allow everyone to enter the country or eventually expel them according to the results of the interrogation. Therefore, every compatriot who goes to prison for trial is faced with endless and severe interrogation. If you don't answer fluently or incorrectly during the trial, you are in danger of being sentenced to deportation. The physical and mental suffering of overseas Chinese can be seen from the poems written by my compatriots in blood and tears during the trial and engraved on the wooden walls of the barracks. One of the poems wrote: "Why go to jail? Just because the country is weak and the family is poor, Chunxuan leans against the door and has no news, and his wife and children are lonely and sigh. Even if he is approved to go to the port, when will he return with a full load? Since ancient times, I have been away from home and changed my face. I have never fought for a few people. " There are many other remnants of poems carved on wooden walls with knives, which were later preserved as precious cultural relics by historians. Today, they have become the historical testimony of American compatriots who were tortured at the immigration station on Angel Island. Regrettably, there are still a large number of poems written on the wall with pen and ink at that time, which have been lost due to repeated washing or painting with gray pigments.

197 1 year, American woman writer Marley Bamford wrote a book called Angel Island: Alice Island in the American West. In the book, she described the tragic scene of seeing several China women waiting to be deported. She said, "I saw these poor people come here from far away, but they were driven back at the gate of the United States, which really made the audience sad." I still deeply remember a very unpleasant scene. I showed a group of women around the island and got a special visit. As we approached these barracks, we heard many strange and chaotic voices coming out. It turns out that women in China have been crying and protesting for their three companions who were sentenced to deportation. At this moment, three driven women walked in front of me, went to the ship "Mongolia" which sailed today, and sent them back to China. These poor people can't stop crying ……"

The three women Mary Bamford met by chance in China were just three of thousands of compatriots who were deported back to China. Also, after a long period of physical and mental torture in the detention center, I suddenly learned that I was sentenced to be repatriated to China. I was so angry that I couldn't figure it out at the moment and committed suicide with a grudge. According to Yu Zhen, who came to California with her mother in 1930, "she still remembers that when she was waiting in line for dinner, she heard other women tell a tragic story about a woman who hanged herself in the bathroom."

From the result, the rebellion was a victory, but from the process, it was the spontaneous action of the compatriots present. As long as the mistreatment of Chinese in Angel Island Immigration Station is not corrected, the resistance of my imprisoned compatriots will not stop. 1930, the workers in San Francisco organized the "China Unemployment Union" one after another, and then held a massive demonstration and petition with unemployed westerners, with more than100000 participants. After winning the U.S. government's forced unemployment benefit of $30 per person per month, the U.S. government found various excuses to persecute the leaders of our trade union, charged them with "political prisoners", escorted them to the concentration camp of Angel Island Immigration Station, and later deported them. In this way, the spirit of resistance and struggle experience of Chinese in San Francisco against unreasonable treatment were brought into the Angel Island Immigration Station. I have already seen the mistreatment of imprisoned China people at the Angel Island Immigration Station. The most unbearable thing is that three meals a day are all coarse and smelly meals. He cruelly deducted them from the meals regardless of the lives of my banned compatriots. Even going to the courtyard open space surrounded by barbed wire up to four meters next to the house every day to breathe some fresh air is subject to various restrictions. My imprisoned compatriots were very dissatisfied with this before, but they had to resist passively, and sometimes they vented their resentment by shouting and cursing. They wrote to the consul of the Kuomintang government in the United States at that time to make representations, but to no avail.

193 1 year, there was an "autonomous society" in China dormitory of Angel Island Immigration Station. The purpose of American immigration authorities is to use China people to control China people, so as to reduce direct friction with them. However, this dormitory "autonomy meeting" happened to be used by my imprisoned compatriots as a tool to collectively resist the abuse of power by the US immigration authorities.

For example, corruption and extortion by immigration officials are protected by officials and guards, but under the pressure of all parties, a federal grand jury has to expose the biggest corruption and bribery case in 19 17. Twenty-five immigration officials were dismissed, transferred or forced to resign, two lawyers had their licenses revoked and several senior officials were convicted. From here, we can see that where there is oppression, there is resistance, and the spirit of resistance of our compatriots is indomitable.

Fourth, the change of American attitude towards overseas Chinese.

Verb (abbreviation for verb) Today's Angel Island

After attending the unveiling ceremony of the monument, my American literary writer, Mr. Da Haochong, recalled that when he entered the country 40 years ago, he was locked in the wooden building of Angel Island and spent a bitter time. Looking back, some poems were published in local newspapers, which can also be proved by historical materials. This poem says:

There is no need to re-enter old stories into poetry. Immigration has long been harsh. At that time, there were already words on the wall of Mulou.

The above poems from all over Wan Li and overseas relatives are vivid and touching. After the historic sites spread to the motherland, they once caused the readers of the motherland to sing with their own flesh and blood. The following poems from readers express the cordial condolences and nostalgia of the people of the motherland for their overseas compatriots.

I have left my hometown since I was a child, so it is difficult to travel far. I am imprisoned in Angel Island, and I have the right to own a bloody wooden camp building. People still go to poetry, and the ambition of the country can be rewarded. Who dares to kill me again? Dai Li shrugged China!

Note "Mount Tai is also called Dai Zong"

There is a poem:

The grim news is endless, and I am on trial. I opened the sky with my hands and split the earth with a red heart. Patriotic overseas Chinese said that they were hardworking and heard, and their achievements went down in history, which impressed future generations.

There is a poem:

It is difficult to start a business, but it is difficult to keep it. That year left a bitter page of history for future generations to compare.

From 1970s to 1970s, a whole hundred years have passed, and the century-long history of China compatriots living in the United States is a history from being discriminated against to being valued. It is also the history of victory in the struggle.

(Contributed by Guangzhou Counselor's Office)

Before the closure of Angel Island Immigration Station in 1940, the United States suffered the most abuse because it entered China. Therefore, people who were imprisoned here at that time thought that the most shameful thing in life was to forget these painful experiences, and they were even more reluctant to talk about these past events with others. In the third and fourth generations, I didn't even know that their ancestors had shed bitter tears on Angel Island, and immigrants from other Asian countries had similar situations. Later, most of Angel Island was opened as a national park. Every weekend, tourists are like crucian carp, and the tourist ferry is crowded with tourists coming to Angel Island. Only the former site of the immigration station where immigrants used to be held has been classified as another area and has not yet been opened.

1970, when Alexander Weiss, who had just been sent to Angel Island as a garden manager, inspected a dilapidated barracks (that is, the former room 3 17), he found thousands of Chinese characters carved on the wall and told George Araki, a biology professor at San Francisco State College. Dr Araki's mother also entered the country through Angel Island, so Araki took his family and his photographer friend Joe to Angel Island and photographed all the handwriting on the wall. After the news of lettering on the wall of Angel Island Barracks reached the Asian Studies Department of various universities, Asians organized delegations to Angel Island to inspect the whole picture of the immigration station.

1In the autumn of 974, a legislative group composed of Asians began to draft a proposal to repair the barracks on Angel Island.

In order to preserve this historical site, after many efforts, the state court finally approved the allocation of 250,000 yuan in 1976 to rescue the remains of Angel Island Immigration Detention Center. Moreover, the "Angel Island Immigration Advisory Committee" was organized to collect and preserve relevant historical materials. More than 100 poems of China recorded by overseas Chinese historical researchers were included in the Collection of Poems of Angel Island and began to be compiled.

1At noon on April 28th, 979, the opening ceremony of the Asian Immigrants Monument on Angel Island was held ceremoniously.

U.S. President Carter sent lawyer Liu Deguang to new york to congratulate the delegates and read the Announcement of Asia-Pacific Heritage Week at the meeting.

More than 800 Asians (mostly from China) attended this historic ceremony.

This monument is made of 6,000 pounds of black granite. Granite stone tablet donated by American friendly Victoria Berger, inscribed with commemorative couplets:

Don't leave your hometown and wander in the wooden house. Start your first business in Kinmen.

The inscription was selected by Mr. Chen from 68 entries sponsored by Jinshan Times. It was written by the calligrapher Yu Bing and then engraved on the tablet by the hand of Seiko.

When the unveiling ceremony of the monument was held, Mr. Wang Huajin, 88, and Mrs. Zhao Panfu, 83, two old overseas Chinese who had been imprisoned or imprisoned in Angel Island, unveiled the monument. Today, the Angel Island Immigration Station has become an important historical site that needs to be protected. After processing and repairing, it is still in good condition for people to mourn.

Since 194 1 year1February, the US government was forced to declare war on Japan. At this time, China, the United States, the Soviet Union and Britain have become the main allies against the axis of Germany, Italy and Japan. By 1945, when the Japanese finally announced its unconditional surrender, China was already in the position of a victorious country in the world.

1949 After the founding of People's Republic of China (PRC), although it was unreasonably excluded from the United Nations for a period of time, its influence and prestige in the world increased day by day. People all over the world realize that without the participation of the people of China, no international affairs can be completely and thoroughly solved. All these add luster to all my overseas Chinese. The social status of overseas Chinese in the host country is completely different from before. Overseas Chinese used to feel inferior, but later they became proud. Since 1973, when China resumed its legal status in the United Nations, my overseas Chinese have received more direct care from the motherland, and the social status of my overseas Chinese and American compatriots has further improved with the improvement of the international prestige of the motherland. The treatment accepted has also gradually improved.

Since President Nixon visited China and signed the Shanghai Communique in 1972, my overseas Chinese in the United States have been more respected by American friendly people.

China's national habits have always attached importance to the Spring Festival, but there is no reaction in American society. From the Spring Festival of 1978, President Carter of the United States specially sent greetings to overseas Chinese in China. In his congratulatory message, he spoke highly of the efforts and contributions made by overseas Chinese for the social prosperity and scientific progress of the United States. This fully reflects the changes in the US government's China policy. In recent years, in American society, whenever the "Spring Festival" in China comes, you can also see many large cards or wooden frames specially placed in front of American shops, which read "Congratulations! Congratulations! " Chinese characters. The festive atmosphere in China has never existed in American society, nor in other countries with expatriates in the United States.

1979 After Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping of China visited the United States, the two countries formally resumed normal relations. Now our compatriots in the United States can be protected and respected by the legal system in accordance with equal and mutually beneficial diplomatic channels and procedures. Overseas Chinese in China can apply according to the rights stipulated in the immigration law promulgated by the United States. Once the applicant is approved by the two countries to leave and enter the country, he can go directly to the United States for residence or tourism with his certificate. The difficulties and abuse they suffered when they entered the country in the past are gone forever. The former site of Angel Island Immigration Station decades ago has now built a towering monument, which has become a place for people to remember and visit.

One day at lunch, because the food was thicker and stinkier than usual, the leaders of the "autonomous Committee" seized this opportunity and sent a signal. All the compatriots present, because they had made full preparations in advance, all started to throw bowls, plates, knives, forks, javelins and so on. As bullets and shells fired at the guards of the US Immigration Bureau, the guards were at a loss. It fully demonstrated the heroic spirit and strength of my compatriots in resisting abuse.

The US Immigration Director was forced to invite my compatriots to elect representatives and sit down for negotiations the next day. My representative was elected by all detained compatriots and immediately negotiated directly with the US Immigration Director. During the negotiation, the delegates ruled out all kinds of intimidation and inducements. Under the face-to-face argument, the US Immigration Director finally had to accept all four requirements put forward by my compatriots after they matured in advance:

First, don't eat stinky rice and horse meat; Second, increase the amount of food; Third, clean the tableware; Fourth, open the playground three times a day for three hours each time.

Once again, a major victory against abuse was achieved.

According to the memories of the people who participated in this matter personally at that time, the original plan was to strive for negotiations through violent actions, and then openly negotiate to force the other party to accept my reasonable request. At the same time, in case the situation worsens, the organizers and commanders took the initiative to register and prepared four prison lists in advance, avoiding all involvement and winning the struggle completely.

The anti-abuse struggle at Angel Island Immigration Station has developed from spontaneous action by the masses to organized and planned conscious action. In the struggle, it fully demonstrated the incomparable wisdom and resolute and brave spirit of my compatriots.

In addition, my compatriots' resistance to the unreasonable treatment of the US immigration authorities is also manifested in various struggles in which the parties concerned or their relatives and friends use American laws to appeal to the US federal government, or in order to gain the sympathy of our friendly people and cooperate with the support of public opinion.

Some people were sentenced to write sad poems to bid farewell to their imprisoned companions when they waited for the boat to go home. One of the paintings is the handwriting of the original poem carved on the wall and preserved. At the end of the poem, they also earnestly reminded their companions not to think that everything in the western world is beautiful, but to see its dark "cage" essence from the prosperous appearance. These historical relics provide reliable textual research for the historical facts of the abuse of American compatriots in the past.

The original text of this poem is as follows:

"The wooden house was detained for dozens of days and was implicated in the ink case.

It's a pity that heroes have no place to play, and they only listen to the sound of whipping their ancestors.

From now on, from this building, all the villagers are very happy.

The sharpening road is western-style, made of jade and turned into a cage. "

Due to the development of the people's democratic revolution in China, especially War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression's cooperation with the world anti-fascist struggle, the immigration policy of the United States has changed, and the Angel Island Immigration Station was closed on 1940. 19 10 started business here, which lasted for 30 years.

Third, the heroic resistance of our compatriots on Angel Island.

Where there is oppression, there is resistance, which is an objective law. The random questioning of immigrants from China by the US immigration authorities forced our compatriots to prepare answers in advance or write down notes for memory. However, the US immigration authorities also stipulate that "anyone who holds this note will be accompanied by illegal documents" and must be deported to China immediately. Such strict regulations are really unbearable. One day, while my imprisoned compatriots were eating in the canteen, one of the women dropped a note from her. The woman immediately picked it up, but was seen by a female administrator at the American immigration station. She immediately grabbed the note from the woman in China and immediately reported it to the US Immigration Service. The China woman begged her to return the newspaper. But without the permission of the female administrator, I had to cry bitterly. Some male compatriots who did not leave the dining hall saw this situation and knew that the US government was trying to find various excuses to prevent Chinese from entering the country. If the note is reported, the woman will be deported, so they come forward to help negotiate with the female administrator and get the note back. All of them were unreasonably rejected, which aroused the public anger of the compatriots present and surrounded the female administrator. A man took the note back from her hand and immediately tore it up and swallowed it. Under the heroic resistance of my compatriots, the American immigration authorities, in order to save face and further arouse the anti-Chinese sentiment in society, finally boasted in the newspaper that "the Chinese riots were suppressed by the military and police."

According to the story that Mary Yang Li was imprisoned in Angel Island 15 months: "Her mother Huang has obtained the right of entry and residence in the United States. Later, on 1924 1 month 15, he returned to the United States for visiting relatives in the motherland and was detained at Angel Island Immigration Station. Immigration officials insisted that my mother had liver worms and wanted to deport her. Later, my family invited a lawyer to appeal to the federal court. It was not until June 1925 that I was imprisoned for 15 months that I got rid of my miserable life in Angel Island and restored my original right of entry and residence. "

The interrogation of immigrants at Angel Island Immigration Station is conducted by an interrogator, an interpreter and a green camp clerk. It usually takes more than two hours to interrogate each immigrant, and detailed notes should be written down every time. Interrogators aim to find fault and blackmail according to the records of many interrogations before and after, or as a reason for not being allowed to enter the country and being expelled from the country. Sometimes I will ask my father first to know all the details of my family history, and then let my son find flaws in their confession. Therefore, the content of their interrogation was rambling, severe, unusual, and even deliberately played tricks to spell out the crime of dishonesty in the trial. According to 1938 translator Li Aila, "When interrogating immigrants, interrogators will ask who lives on the left? Who lives on the right? Is there a cat next door to you? Is this cat black or white? Who is the teacher and how many students are there in the school? Where is the school? Is there a fish pond in front of the ancestral temple? When are you going to visit the grave? How many people go to the grave together? Who went to the grave with them? Check the son's answer with the father's answer sentence by sentence. " Later, the translator, Mr. Liera, resigned angrily because he couldn't stand the harsh trial.

Many compatriots who came from afar to visit relatives and friends were arbitrarily and unreasonably judged as "driving home" because they could not stand this harsh trial, or because their memories were vague and their spirits were too tired.

According to the materials provided by Charlie Yang, a translator from 1926 to 1930, "Detainees are not allowed to meet visitors for fear that they will get news from outside and help them cope with cross-examination. Sometimes a father can only see his son when he knows that he has been sent back to China. At that time, when the father and son met, they only cried their eyes out. "

The above-mentioned exclusion and discrimination of overseas Chinese did not end because of the humiliation of our overseas Chinese. On the contrary, the suffering of American compatriots is in the ascendant, and the blood and tears that are more tragic than in the past will stay in the Angel Island immigration station described below.

Second, the angel island of hell on earth

Angel Island is located about three miles north of San Francisco. At the beginning of this century, it was still a desert island. At that time, the American government was originally located in a red brick building on Montgomerie Street in San Francisco. The building was destroyed in the San Francisco earthquake in 1905, so it was temporarily used as a checkpoint in a wooden house near the San Francisco seaside cruise terminal. The above-mentioned places are connected with land, so immigrants are easy to be taken care of by relatives and friends on the shore, or get the convenience of other whites to come to guarantee, which is incompatible with the harsh restrictions on immigrants and the vicious Chinese exclusion policy at that time. Therefore, the American government at that time had deliberately chosen an isolated island as a concentration camp for Asian immigrants who were strictly imprisoned. Construction began in 1905 and was officially put into use in 19 10. At the same time, the old wooden house immigration station temporarily located near the cruise terminal was cancelled.

Known as "Alice Island in the West", during the 30 years from 19 10 to 1940, more than10 million immigrants from Asia were imprisoned here. Among them, there are more than 200,000 China compatriots. They were treated inhumanely on this isolated island. However, the degree of abuse is slightly different, with Filipinos being lighter and China being the worst, which is closely related to and influenced by the Chinese Exclusion Act repeatedly promulgated by the US government since 1882.

Since the establishment of the angels in america Island Immigration Station in 19 10, every time a ship docked in San Francisco, all the Asian immigrants on board were transferred to the designated ferry (that is, barge) and driven to this isolated island, and then locked in a wooden building, where men and women lived in separate rooms, with iron locks outside the door and strict imprisonment. The yard next to the house is also surrounded by unattainable barbed wire. All windows and corridors that can leave the house are blocked with barbed wire and are often guarded and monitored, which is no different from holding prisoners. In the imprisoned building, there are three or four wooden beds. The air in the room is cloudy, the light is dim and the sanitary conditions are extremely poor. Not only those who are imprisoned in it can't stand it, but also those who see it from the side can't stand it. Even the wife of American immigration officer Edward W. Cabel couldn't hide her conscience and said, "It's cruel to put people in such a place." The food that prisoners eat here often causes nausea.

My compatriots who entered the country were imprisoned here and lived an inhuman life, not for three days and five days, the shortest weeks or months, and some for three years.

19 1 1 In June, some celebrities from San Francisco visited the immigration station and published a report in Washington, DC, thinking that it needed to be improved. 1922, the director of immigration, W. W.' s husband, admitted: "Among the immigration stations I have ever seen, the environment of Angel Island is the worst."

For a long time, even before the American government's Chinese Exclusion Act was promulgated, the interrogation of immigrants by American government personnel has always been a written law. Students, teachers, businessmen, or spouses and children of workers who return to the United States again must be questioned and examined at the "immigration station" in the red brick building on MONKIMELLY Street in San Francisco. 1905 After the San Francisco earthquake, an immigration checkpoint was set up near the Pacific Mail Pier on the coast of San Francisco. This dilapidated wooden house is a hell palace that cruelly tortures immigrants from China.

1880, the U.S. government revised the original law, aiming at restricting the entry of immigrants from China, and even depriving some of the rights originally granted to Chinese workers.