China is a big country, but the Chinese laborers who built the railroads almost all came from a small part of Guangdong province -- Taishan (台山) county -- an area smaller than Delaware. Their variety of the Cantonese dialect dominated Chinatowns in America until the recent influx of immigrants from other parts of China.
Hey Brian, I found this comment really interesting, have you got any sources I could look over? I'm writing a story about a Chinese railroad worker and would love to know as much as possible.
This is why when making fun of chinese peoples language, the white man says : ping pong wing wong shi shang kong wong shi kong wang wong,etc... Because cantonese actually sounds like this as opposed to mandarin, mandarin doesnt sound like : " pong wing shong ding dong eing wong, etc
The Chinese were brought in because the Central Pacific wouldn't pay the wages asked for by experienced track gangs from the east. Generally speaking railroad construction was dangerous work no matter where done but cutting across the high Rocky Mountains was pretty dramatic and the heights worked at lead to a lot of injury and death. Charlie Crocker who headed the construction of the Central Pacific and probably had battery acid for blood in his notes did express an admiration for his Chinese track layers saying they did all he could hope for and their employment worked out well.
My Grandfather grew up in a small town called Caliente in Nevada during the 20s. At some point, he came into possession of a diary(now owned by my Uncle) which had been kept by that town's first sheriff. In it, he laments that he accepted a 10 dollar bribe to overlook that an "opium addled Chinaman" had fallen ill with typhoid, and was shot like a dog, rather than taken to a doctor. Terribly, terribly sad chapter in our history.
I'm reading the book by Stephen Ambrose "Nothing Like It In The World." The parts about the Chinese laborers riding a basket down to shove the powder and light the fuse then to be hauled up! Or how they insisted on specific food from an Importer in San Francisco. It could not have been done so quickly without their labor! Then the hideous way they were treated for their good faith and hard work.
After Mao Zedong's Communist Revolution, these Chinese workers were ignored by US history writers; however, most people forget my Assyrian father Nimrod whose grandfather was a Jewish merchant from Istanbul Turkey born in 1884 who immigrated to the US in 1888. He was friends with Howard Hughes Sr, who invented the self-cleaning oil drill, and it was my Assyrian father Nimrod who hired these Chinese workers to built the transcontinental railroad, and the most important commodity the railroads transported was oil from the oil fields to the East, where Jewish millionaires like the David Rockefeller cornered the market in oil. It's now Chevron, the best oil. That's why Liv Alexander and I always go to Chevron stations. And my father also was a friend of Howard Hughes Jr, whom my Assyrian father gave him the Air Mail service for two years, because my Assyrian father was a leading CIA man. During WW II, my Assyrian father did everything he could so five-star General Dwight Eisenhower was victorious against Germany and Japan -- Vic Alexander
Now the Chinese Belt and Road are building the world's Speed Rail Network worldover. They have been inspired by the American Chinese Railway workers over a century ago.
My parents also from Guangdong, never got any relatives that built the railroad but I did learn about in grade 8 history class in canada. But never got their names only recognition in race. Sorry if this comes off racist, but my parents worked hard as a plumber. Yes they complain about america being anti china all the time, but u don't see us looting on mass and don't demand reparations like that
CCP was ugly, but as other historical powers in Chinese history, they are now bent down to Chinese culture and serving a protector of Chinese culture. Only if you go to China to see all those museums and new archeology discoveries...
Exactly which Rail lines did the Chinese work on? There are several lines that criss cross the country. Also dont forget Canada. The Chinese built rail lines in CAN. I am sure in other countries as well.
Chinese up to that point had most experience in infrastructure development compared to rest of world outside Europe. Hundreds of years prior, the Chinese built the Great Wall, the Grand Canal, and a slew of impressive cities that awed even Euros of that time.
![The Building of a Transcontinental Railway in Canada: [extract] (1910)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/lyfDHIsdKxg/mqdefault.jpg)
China is a big country, but the Chinese laborers who built the railroads almost all came from a small part of Guangdong province -- Taishan (台山) county -- an area smaller than Delaware. Their variety of the Cantonese dialect dominated Chinatowns in America until the recent influx of immigrants from other parts of China.
Hey Brian, I found this comment really interesting, have you got any sources I could look over? I'm writing a story about a Chinese railroad worker and would love to know as much as possible.
This is why when making fun of chinese peoples language, the white man says : ping pong wing wong shi shang kong wong shi kong wang wong,etc...
Because cantonese actually sounds like this as opposed to mandarin, mandarin doesnt sound like : " pong wing shong ding dong eing wong, etc
@@dannyyy97 Now everyone knows what a racist sounds like.
@@charliedeleeuw2305 type “Kai ping “ or Taishan”, you can see videos about that
Thank you for making this video.
❤️
The Chinese were brought in because the Central Pacific wouldn't pay the wages asked
for by experienced track gangs from the east.
Generally speaking railroad construction was dangerous work no matter where done
but cutting across the high Rocky Mountains was pretty dramatic and the heights
worked at lead to a lot of injury and death.
Charlie Crocker who headed the construction of the Central Pacific and probably had
battery acid for blood in his notes did express an admiration for his Chinese track
layers saying they did all he could hope for and their employment worked out well.
My Grandfather grew up in a small town called Caliente in Nevada during the 20s. At some point, he came into possession of a diary(now owned by my Uncle) which had been kept by that town's first sheriff. In it, he laments that he accepted a 10 dollar bribe to overlook that an "opium addled Chinaman" had fallen ill with typhoid, and was shot like a dog, rather than taken to a doctor. Terribly, terribly sad chapter in our history.
He kept a diary? Gayyyyyy
It makes me so sad
dang you guys do some great videos on here
I enjoy this vid 😊
I'm reading the book by Stephen Ambrose "Nothing Like It In The World." The parts about the Chinese laborers riding a basket down to shove the powder and light the fuse then to be hauled up!
Or how they insisted on specific food from an Importer in San Francisco. It could not have been done so quickly without their labor!
Then the hideous way they were treated for their good faith and hard work.
Beautifully said wow❤️🩹
*Interesting fact.*
RIP my great uncles RIP
What made construction of the Northern Pacific Railroad possible
Still the same speed 100yrs later.
If these rail lines are relatively straight, then why not just use same paths and upgrade to HSR?
After Mao Zedong's Communist Revolution, these Chinese workers were ignored by US history writers; however, most people forget my Assyrian father Nimrod whose grandfather was a Jewish merchant from Istanbul Turkey born in 1884 who immigrated to the US in 1888. He was friends with Howard Hughes Sr, who invented the self-cleaning oil drill, and it was my Assyrian father Nimrod who hired these Chinese workers to built the transcontinental railroad, and the most important commodity the railroads transported was oil from the oil fields to the East, where Jewish millionaires like the David Rockefeller cornered the market in oil. It's now Chevron, the best oil. That's why Liv Alexander and I always go to Chevron stations. And my father also was a friend of Howard Hughes Jr, whom my Assyrian father gave him the Air Mail service for two years, because my Assyrian father was a leading CIA man. During WW II, my Assyrian father did everything he could so five-star General Dwight Eisenhower was victorious against Germany and Japan -- Vic Alexander
I did not know Rockefeller is Jewish.
Now the Chinese Belt and Road are building the world's Speed Rail Network worldover. They have been inspired by the American Chinese Railway workers over a century ago.
Is this in your history books AMERICA?
Nope
Yes it is
My parents also from Guangdong, never got any relatives that built the railroad but I did learn about in grade 8 history class in canada. But never got their names only recognition in race. Sorry if this comes off racist, but my parents worked hard as a plumber. Yes they complain about america being anti china all the time, but u don't see us looting on mass and don't demand reparations like that
I came here after reading the children's book "Coolies" my son got at the Library. The Chinese people are nice. The CCP isn't.
that sounds like fake news.
True and they outperform Union workers protected by the UAW the Big 3 are the modern day railroads.
CCP was ugly, but as other historical powers in Chinese history, they are now bent down to Chinese culture and serving a protector of Chinese culture. Only if you go to China to see all those museums and new archeology discoveries...
Uni Pacons the connectivity how are Mam Ng si Eddy po before Rene form his name and style in business, salamat
Exactly which Rail lines did the Chinese work on? There are several lines that criss cross the country. Also dont forget Canada. The Chinese built rail lines in CAN. I am sure in other countries as well.
wow
Nuts
reparations i want 50 grand
Sorry hun...im still waiting on my Roman reparations
If we look at Chinese imforstructure right now it way out class our engineers here in the usa
Ok but why chinese in the first place???
They are great workers and don’t slack a Chinese auto worker nowadays are more reliable than a UAW worker.
Because the white workers were lazy and slow
Chinese up to that point had most experience in infrastructure development compared to rest of world outside Europe. Hundreds of years prior, the Chinese built the Great Wall, the Grand Canal, and a slew of impressive cities that awed even Euros of that time.
Slaves built the entire eastern railroads thru the mountains