China's Slow Boat Past to Bullet Train Future

The gold rush of 1849 brought many Chinese people across the Pacific Ocean to America. The Chinese immigrants never intended to stay. War and lack of jobs in China had forced them to leave home. They only planned to work off their debt for the passage to America; and save enough money for a secure life on their return to China. The Chinese called California, "Gold Mountain." Life wasn't much of an improvement for the Chinese in America. If gold wasn't discovered, frustrated mine owners would blame the Chinese. The Americans were suspicious of the Chinese because they looked, spoke, ate and worshiped differently. The Chinese diet consisted mostly of fish, dried oysters, mushrooms and seaweed. The Chinese were forced to live apart from the other workers, creating 'Chinatowns' - sometimes only allowed dirty jobs like laundry and required to pay extra taxes.

Most of the people who became wealthy during the gold rush; did so not from the mines but off the miner's. Skilled workers were paid $2 a day [ Chinese less ] but expected to furnish their own supplies. Shovels and other necessary equipment were sold at the rate of $100.00 each. The mark-up on basic needs as flour, sugar and eggs was astronomical.

There were 20,000 Chinese immigrants in the United States before the Civil War. In the book, Thinking Through the Past, I found excerpts from a published 1875 English-Chinese Phrase Book. It was Chinese translations to help 'travelers to gold mountain.' The following is taken from the book of most often used phrases:

He took it from me by violence.
The men are striking for wages.
He cheated me out of my wages.
He was choked to death with a lasso.
She is a good-for-nothing huzzy.
The passage is $50 from Hong Kong.
The United States have many immigrants.
The immigration will soon be stopped.

The First Transcontinental Railroad linking Eastern United States with California began in the 1860's. The railroad completion in 1869 depended greatly on the Chinese labor force. Workers had to lay every 400 pound rail by hand and hammer each spike in place. The Chinese were given the most dangerous tasks- like lighting the fuse on explosives used to blast through the mountains across North America.

Nearly, 300,000 Chinese had arrived on the West Coast since the California gold rush. In 1882, Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act- stopping all Chinese immigration.

Besides their strong work ethic; many Chinese brought their habit of smoking opium to America. [ An activity introduced to the Chinese by the British ] Americans had little interest in the use of opium which was legal.

In 1890, W.R. Hearst, began a series of articles about the 'Yellow Menace.' Americans already had a strong distrust of the Chinese and feared they would overrun America. In the Harper's Weekly magazine, an illustration depicted a rather sinister-looking Chinaman enticing white men and children with opium.

The People's Republic of China, has the largest population of any country in the world- at 1.31 billion people. The Communist Party of China has led under a single-party system since 1949.

China is both the world's largest consumer and producer of steel. Coal power plants are found to be the most polluting, causing acid rain which lowers the Ph level in rivers- contributing to forest damage and fish kills. This year, 2007, a coal plant will be built on average of one a week in China.

In recent weeks there have been many Chinese product recalls: from pet food, toothpaste, toys, car tires to seafood. Associated Press reports finding 'Not Made in China' products isn't easy. The import of Chinese goods into the United States totaled $288 billion last year while U.S. exports to China were $55 billion- contributing to the loss of three million U.S. manufacturing jobs.

In light of the United States regulators ordering a recall of Chinese made products; China has hung out to dry- Cao Wenzhuang, former State Food and Drug Administration Director in China. Cao was found guilty of accepting upwards of $832,000 in bribes for allowing medicine to be exported that hadn't been approved. Cao, who claims innocence, has received the death sentence.

When State and Federal laws in the United States restricted purchases of the decongestant pseudo ephedrine- a key ingredient in the manufacture of methamphetamine: bulk shipments of the drug originating mostly from China began arriving.

"A good system for guaranteeing quality control simply doesn't exist in China." says Wang Hai, China's crusader against fraudulent and dangerous practices.

Eighty percent of toys sold in America are produced in China. [ Santa Chong ] Chinese imports accounted for more than sixty percent of the recalls: announced by the Consumer Product Safety Commission this year- and all 24 of the toy recalls.

The next 'Made-in-China' export bound for the United States: automobiles. Chrysler Group signed a deal with China's biggest automaker, Chery, to launch a low cost production model of the first Chinese-made cars exported to North America. Analysts say the Chinese automakers lack the technology to meet U.S. safety and pollution standards. Chrysler CEO, Tom LaSorda, says "the deal will help Chery improve its skills". Chery Chairman, Yin Tongyas, calls LaSorda "my teacher in the automotive business". [ Chery: As American as Apple Pie and Baseball ]

Every five minutes in China a person dies of road traffic injuries.

Chinese fortunes cookies, which are popular in American Chinese restaurants -actually were invented in California. Confucius say: [ 551 BC- 479 BC Chinese philosopher and reformer ] "It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop."

Update: China executed ex-head of Food and Drug Agency, Zheng Xiaoyu, for his part of accepting bribes; following the series of deadly health scandals. "Zheng and Cao Wenzhuang have brought shame to our administration," said spokeswoman, Yan Jianyang.