Chinese in California, 1850-1925 These 8,000 items document the
immigrant experience of Chinese who settled in California during
the 19th and early 20th centuries. Materials include
photographs, letters, diaries, speeches, business records, legal
documents, pamphlets, sheet music, cartoons, and artwork. Access
is provided through nine galleries, each containing an
introductory essay and 70 to 575 items. Four galleries present
materials on San Francisco's Chinatown, including architectural
space, business and politics, community life, and appeal to
outsiders. Additional galleries deal with Chinese involvement in
U.S. expansion westward; communities outside San Francisco;
agricultural, fishing and related industries; the anti-Chinese
movement and Chinese exclusion; and sentiments concerning the
Chinese. Visitors may search by keyword, name, subject, title,
group, and theme. The site will be useful for studying ethnic
history, labor history, and the history of the West as well as
Chinese-American history.