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The Chinatown War: Chinese Los Angeles and the Massacre of 1871
In October 1871, a simmering, small-scale turf war involving three Chinese gangs exploded into a riot that engulfed the small but growing town of Los Angeles. A large mob of white Angelenos, spurred by racial resentment, rampaged through the city and lynched some 18 people before order was restored.
In The Chinatown War , Scott Zesch offers a compelling account of this little-known event, which ranks among the worst hate crimes in American history. The story begins in the 1850s, when the first wave of Chinese immigrants arrived in Los Angeles in the wake of the 1849 California gold rush. Upon arrival, these immigrants usually took up low-wage jobs, settled in the slum neighborhood of the Calle de los Negros, and joined one of a number of Chinese community associations. Though such associations provided job placement and other services to their members, they were also involved in extortion and illicit businesses, including prostitution. In 1870 the largest of these, the See-Yup Company, imploded in an acrimonious division. The violent succession battle that ensued, as well as the highly publicized torture of Chinese prostitute Sing-Ye, eventually provided the spark for the racially motivated riot that ripped through L.A. Zesch vividly evokes the figures and events in the See-Yup
dispute, deftly situates the riot within its historical and political context, and illuminates the workings of the early Chinese-American community in Los Angeles, while simultaneously exploring issues that continue to trouble Americans today.
Engaging and deeply researched, The Chinatown War above all delivers a riveting story of a dominant American city and the darker side of its early days that offers powerful insights for our own time.
In The Chinatown War , Scott Zesch offers a compelling account of this little-known event, which ranks among the worst hate crimes in American history. The story begins in the 1850s, when the first wave of Chinese immigrants arrived in Los Angeles in the wake of the 1849 California gold rush. Upon arrival, these immigrants usually took up low-wage jobs, settled in the slum neighborhood of the Calle de los Negros, and joined one of a number of Chinese community associations. Though such associations provided job placement and other services to their members, they were also involved in extortion and illicit businesses, including prostitution. In 1870 the largest of these, the See-Yup Company, imploded in an acrimonious division. The violent succession battle that ensued, as well as the highly publicized torture of Chinese prostitute Sing-Ye, eventually provided the spark for the racially motivated riot that ripped through L.A. Zesch vividly evokes the figures and events in the See-Yup
dispute, deftly situates the riot within its historical and political context, and illuminates the workings of the early Chinese-American community in Los Angeles, while simultaneously exploring issues that continue to trouble Americans today.
Engaging and deeply researched, The Chinatown War above all delivers a riveting story of a dominant American city and the darker side of its early days that offers powerful insights for our own time.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
September 19, 2018
The Chinatown War is an outstanding examination of a little remembered event in Los Angeles history. One terrible night in 1871, racial tension boiled over in what was later labeled “the Chinese Massacre” and what the people of Los Angeles at the time called “Black Tuesday” or “the night of horrors”.
Scholars can't even agree on how many people were murdered that night in October 1871. Scott Zesch, the author of The Chinatown War, believes it was around 18.
"Most Angelenos do not even know what happened that night, for the city's fathers decided to put the incident behind them shortly after it occurred, and the victims were not people of consequence. They were ordinary immigrants whose American dream ended in a nightmare." prologue
Public opinion was driven by resentment and distrust of Chinese immigrants. While often portrayed as a working class complaint over jobs, the hatred towards the Chinese was a thinly veiled racism against a people who were hated largely because their ways and culture were different.
"Contrary to popular belief, the earliest Chinese immigrants to America did not come to build the transcontinental railroad in the 1860s. Instead, it was the California Gold Rush of 1849 that brought the first large wave of Chinese to the West Coast." pg 6
I learned so much from this book.
For example, Chinese immigrants in Los Angeles were often members of social groups called huiguan - commonly called “companies” in the newspapers of the time, although that translation is not exactly correct. Huiguin were social groups formed to help Chinese immigrants in their new lives in America. Members would sign up for the huiguan based on the location they immigrated from in China.
Also, though it is now one of the most populous cities in the U.S., in 1871 Los Angeles only had a population of around 6,000 people. Unfortunately, this massacre is one of the events that brought Los Angeles to the attention of the rest of the world.
"One of the city's early historians, Charles Dwight Willard, characterized Los Angeles as 'undoubtedly the toughest town of the entire nation' during the 1850s and 1860s. He claimed that it had a larger percentage of miscreants than any other American city and, for its size, also had the highest number of fights, murders, and robberies." pg 23
Policing this rough and tumble western town wasn't easy. This was compounded by the fact that the police department was too small.
Los Angeles's early police department was too small, and was staffed by men too inexperienced or indifferent to their responsibilities, to be very effective in keeping order." pg 53
The riot itself is difficult to read about, even now that nearly 150 years have passed since that night. Innocent people were dragged from their homes, brutalized and murdered.
"One eyewitness reported that the 'stark, staring corpses hung ghastly in the moonlight,' while 'others, mutilated, torn and crushed, lay in our streets.'" pg 150
Not all of the citizens of Los Angeles participated in the massacre. Some tried to shame the mob into stopping or hid the terrified Chinese in their own homes to protect them.
"Baldwin quickly realized that the crowd's sentiment was very much against him. As he said later, 'I might as well have spoken to a cyclone.'" pg 145
A man named William H. Gray concealed several people in his home. In the years following the massacre, he received anonymous gifts in thanks for his actions that night.
Zesch examines the whole incident from the beginning to the trials following and how it affected (or didn't) Los Angeles afterwards. His research and scholarship really is astonishing. He gives context and history not only of the city but also of the Chinese immigrant community at that time.
Highly recommended for anyone who wants to learn about an event in Los Angeles history that should never be forgotten.
Scholars can't even agree on how many people were murdered that night in October 1871. Scott Zesch, the author of The Chinatown War, believes it was around 18.
"Most Angelenos do not even know what happened that night, for the city's fathers decided to put the incident behind them shortly after it occurred, and the victims were not people of consequence. They were ordinary immigrants whose American dream ended in a nightmare." prologue
Public opinion was driven by resentment and distrust of Chinese immigrants. While often portrayed as a working class complaint over jobs, the hatred towards the Chinese was a thinly veiled racism against a people who were hated largely because their ways and culture were different.
"Contrary to popular belief, the earliest Chinese immigrants to America did not come to build the transcontinental railroad in the 1860s. Instead, it was the California Gold Rush of 1849 that brought the first large wave of Chinese to the West Coast." pg 6
I learned so much from this book.
For example, Chinese immigrants in Los Angeles were often members of social groups called huiguan - commonly called “companies” in the newspapers of the time, although that translation is not exactly correct. Huiguin were social groups formed to help Chinese immigrants in their new lives in America. Members would sign up for the huiguan based on the location they immigrated from in China.
Also, though it is now one of the most populous cities in the U.S., in 1871 Los Angeles only had a population of around 6,000 people. Unfortunately, this massacre is one of the events that brought Los Angeles to the attention of the rest of the world.
"One of the city's early historians, Charles Dwight Willard, characterized Los Angeles as 'undoubtedly the toughest town of the entire nation' during the 1850s and 1860s. He claimed that it had a larger percentage of miscreants than any other American city and, for its size, also had the highest number of fights, murders, and robberies." pg 23
Policing this rough and tumble western town wasn't easy. This was compounded by the fact that the police department was too small.
Los Angeles's early police department was too small, and was staffed by men too inexperienced or indifferent to their responsibilities, to be very effective in keeping order." pg 53
The riot itself is difficult to read about, even now that nearly 150 years have passed since that night. Innocent people were dragged from their homes, brutalized and murdered.
"One eyewitness reported that the 'stark, staring corpses hung ghastly in the moonlight,' while 'others, mutilated, torn and crushed, lay in our streets.'" pg 150
Not all of the citizens of Los Angeles participated in the massacre. Some tried to shame the mob into stopping or hid the terrified Chinese in their own homes to protect them.
"Baldwin quickly realized that the crowd's sentiment was very much against him. As he said later, 'I might as well have spoken to a cyclone.'" pg 145
A man named William H. Gray concealed several people in his home. In the years following the massacre, he received anonymous gifts in thanks for his actions that night.
Zesch examines the whole incident from the beginning to the trials following and how it affected (or didn't) Los Angeles afterwards. His research and scholarship really is astonishing. He gives context and history not only of the city but also of the Chinese immigrant community at that time.
Highly recommended for anyone who wants to learn about an event in Los Angeles history that should never be forgotten.
February 5, 2016
I'm captivated by this book, portraying pioneer violence in a familiar maelstrom, in an unfamiliar time and place.
"The story of how the early Chinese immigrants adapted to life in the American West, though fragmentary, is too rich to be left unexplored." [pg. 226]
Highly recommended.
"The story of how the early Chinese immigrants adapted to life in the American West, though fragmentary, is too rich to be left unexplored." [pg. 226]
Highly recommended.
November 18, 2012
I enjoyed it. I'll never look at Alameda Street the same way again.
April 29, 2016
Scott Zesch examines an often overlooked moment in American history—the Chinese Massacre of 1871—but I found his detailed description of Chinese life in Los Angeles to be the most compelling aspect of this book. Only one chapter deals directly with the mass killing of Chinese immigrants, while the rest of the book focuses on describing the history of LA's Old China town, increasing anti-Chinese sentiments, and the events leading up to the massacre. Zesch does a wonderful job bringing to life the previous anonymous residents of Chinatown, which is no small feat considering the lack of specificity in the historical sources as well as Anglo-American inability to properly record Chinese names. Zesch's description of "huiguan" (a form of mutual aid associations) and the so-called "fighting tongs" are a welcomed addition to our understanding of Chinese-American society. The author also persuasively demonstrates how adept Chinese migrants were at using the American legal system to their advantage. This book's only weakness is the author's unwillingness to fully explore why some 500 Angelenos slaughtered 20 or more Chinese Americans. Such conclusions are left to future historians.
February 26, 2013
The prologue is a cliche wrapped in a cliche with nothing more than a cliche to save the day, but the book is one of my favorite reads in 2012.
March 10, 2018
What an eye-opening book! Anyone interested in American history should read it. What's more, it's a cautionary tale, relevant in today's anti-immigrant climate. Though members of a murderous, rioting mob would not likely elude punishment today, the bigotry and bloodlust, ignorance and fear that precipitated this shocking event are still prevalent today.
It's astounding that this horrendous event was swept under the rug right after it happened. No wonder I had never heard of it, even though I grew up just three miles from where the massacre took place and undoubtedly went to school with descendants of the victims.
I became aware of this book when I read News of the World by Paulette Jiles. In the bibliography, she mentioned another book by Scott Zesch, The Captured: A True Story of Abduction by Indians on the Texas Frontier, 1870-1879. That sounded especially interesting since my great grandmother was captured by Tennessee natives in 1875. While placing a library hold on it, I discovered The Chinatown War, whose subtitle astounded me. A massacre in L. A. and I've never heard of it? I'm so glad I happened upon it. It's a story every American should be aware of and every Los Angeles history buff should read, even if they've read other books on the massacre. Zesch's research is so extensive and thorough, I'm certain this is the definitive and most reliable book on the subject.
It's astounding that this horrendous event was swept under the rug right after it happened. No wonder I had never heard of it, even though I grew up just three miles from where the massacre took place and undoubtedly went to school with descendants of the victims.
I became aware of this book when I read News of the World by Paulette Jiles. In the bibliography, she mentioned another book by Scott Zesch, The Captured: A True Story of Abduction by Indians on the Texas Frontier, 1870-1879. That sounded especially interesting since my great grandmother was captured by Tennessee natives in 1875. While placing a library hold on it, I discovered The Chinatown War, whose subtitle astounded me. A massacre in L. A. and I've never heard of it? I'm so glad I happened upon it. It's a story every American should be aware of and every Los Angeles history buff should read, even if they've read other books on the massacre. Zesch's research is so extensive and thorough, I'm certain this is the definitive and most reliable book on the subject.
June 1, 2022
History of a forgotten 1871 LA massacre of 18 Chinese immigrants. The author does a nice job with limited sources, contextualizing the crime by citing the rampant anti-Chinese racism in the contemporary newspapers and court records. That racism didn’t abate after the massacre and further discriminatory laws were passed, leading the author to speculate that nothing much was learned from this atrocity. A good case is made here for the necessity of countering hate speech and dehumanizing language wherever and whenever it appears, for not to do so enables hatred to build unopposed and sets the stage for bloodshed.
Reading this book in 2022 in light of the riot at the US Capitol in 2021, the passages about mob psychology and incitement seemed highly relevant.
Reading this book in 2022 in light of the riot at the US Capitol in 2021, the passages about mob psychology and incitement seemed highly relevant.
February 9, 2022
This is an excellent book. A more seasoned historian might have consolidated the sad catalog of mistreatments, particularly of prostitutes. But for a person who wants to write the screenplay or do the art direction on the film that shows the racist, libertarian id in full and evil swing in dusty 1870s Los Angeles, this is the book for you. It paints a picture of the worst of human nature that is always with us and, during the time of this event, was trained with rabid intensity on the Chinese community.
September 8, 2021
Incredibly well researched. Definitely painted a clearer picture life in Los Angeles during this period. It was a hard time, with many examples of hard people. But even during the the massacre and the court cases that followed, there were people willing to stand up for justice and the rule of law, for all men.
September 19, 2018
Incredibly Tragic
It's a story that seems to continuously be told. People don't think for themselves and a tragic incident becomes even more devastating. Very well written, concise and accurate.
It's a story that seems to continuously be told. People don't think for themselves and a tragic incident becomes even more devastating. Very well written, concise and accurate.
May 24, 2017
Incredibly informative but rather tedious at times.
November 4, 2012
This is another of those books that reveal events in our country's history that are relatively unknown to most Americans. In particular, this recounts the unnecessary murder of many Chinese people by a mob of Angelinos in 1871. At one point, Los Angeles was the most murderous city in the history of the world: 12.5 murder per 1,000.
The story takes the reader back to the time when conditions in China compelled young men (in particular) to leave their villages, journey to the United States, and work very hard to acquire enough money to return to China and live a very comfortable life. Most of these folks ended up in California, particularly in San Francisco, but also some in Los Angeles, which at that time was a small village with a small population.
These hard workers took on many demanding jobs, especially founding laundry facilities. Unfortunately, there were those native citizens who resented these Chinese, some for the possibility that they would take away jobs from other citizens, but the majority motivated purely by racial hatred.
The situation became more and more serious as time went along, until it exploded in several hours of murder and mayhem that cost the lives of Chinese folk, many, if not most, only guilty of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. There were those citizens, however, who did attempt to stop the violence, and some who rescued Chinese people and hid them in their homes.
A grand jury indicted several men for their actions on the night of the riot, and the District Attorney brought charges, and began trials. The reader will have to read the book to find out what happened ultimately, but this is a sad stain on our history, added to many other sad stains that resulted from hatred of many different groups of folks who were "different", either in looks, race or religion.
The story takes the reader back to the time when conditions in China compelled young men (in particular) to leave their villages, journey to the United States, and work very hard to acquire enough money to return to China and live a very comfortable life. Most of these folks ended up in California, particularly in San Francisco, but also some in Los Angeles, which at that time was a small village with a small population.
These hard workers took on many demanding jobs, especially founding laundry facilities. Unfortunately, there were those native citizens who resented these Chinese, some for the possibility that they would take away jobs from other citizens, but the majority motivated purely by racial hatred.
The situation became more and more serious as time went along, until it exploded in several hours of murder and mayhem that cost the lives of Chinese folk, many, if not most, only guilty of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. There were those citizens, however, who did attempt to stop the violence, and some who rescued Chinese people and hid them in their homes.
A grand jury indicted several men for their actions on the night of the riot, and the District Attorney brought charges, and began trials. The reader will have to read the book to find out what happened ultimately, but this is a sad stain on our history, added to many other sad stains that resulted from hatred of many different groups of folks who were "different", either in looks, race or religion.
October 1, 2012
fact filled. Had a difficult time keeping track of Chinese names
and this forced me to some studying.
and this forced me to some studying.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews