Pacific Crossing: California Gold, Chinese Migration, and the Making of Hong Kong

by Elizabeth Sinn

During the nineteenth century tens of thousands of Chinese men and women crossed the Pacific to work, trade, and settle in California. Drawn initially by the gold rush, they took with them skills and goods and a view of the world which, though still Chinese, was transformed by their long journeys back and forth. They in turn transformed Hong Kong, their main point of embarkation, from a struggling infant colony into a prosperous international port and the cultural center of a far-ranging Chinese diaspora. Making use of extensive research in archives around the world, Pacific Crossing charts the rise of Chinese Gold Mountain firms engaged in all kinds of transpacific trade, especially the lucrative export of prepared opium and other luxury goods. Challenging the traditional view that the migration was primarily a "coolie trade," Elizabeth Sinn uncovers leadership and agency among the many Chinese who made the crossing. In presenting Hong Kong as an "in-between place" of repeated journeys and continuous movement, Sinn also offers a fresh view of the British colony and a new paradigm for migration studies. Elizabeth Sinn is the author of Power and A Chinese Merchant Elite in Colonial Hong Kong. "During the second half of the nineteenth century, Hong Kong provided a transpacific outreach for enterprising Cantonese to leapfrog the region, the first Great Leap in the Chinese people's passage to the new world. Elizabeth Sinn’s scholarly study tells the story of how the colony became the pivot in modern Chinese migrations. Her book traces the myriad ways that made Hong Kong not only a major trading center but also the indispensable second home for diasporic Chinese. This is an excellent work of history that tells a compelling story." — Wang Gungwu, Chairman, East Asian Institute, National University of Singapore "The definitive statement about Hong Kong’s roots as the catalyst for the rise of a transpacific world. Sinn forces us to rethink how migration connected China and North America, examining the movement of not only people but goods in shaping how 'Gold Mountain' fueled the rise of Hong Kong, and how migrating Chinese and the companies they created built a corridor across the Pacific." — Henry Yu, author of Thinking Migration, Contact, and Exoticism in Modern America "Elizabeth Sinn's intricately researched study wastes no time getting to the main point. Hong Kong had room for all its people to make a living. As a British colony it 'provided enough flexibility and openness for people of different backgrounds to exert their entrepreneurial vitality and not be ashamed of growing rich.' When news of the California gold rush 'an ocean away' reached Hong Kong, it was 'a call for action.' For the discerning reader, Dr Sinn's book is, likewise, a call for Read it!" — Philip A. Kuhn, author of Chinese Among Emigration in Modern Times

Genres: History, China

458 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 1, 2012

Reviews

[Cpen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Instead of a book covering the history of Chinese migration, it actually analysed how did Hong Kong benefit from the movement of population and the business opportunities it brought, which eventually transformed a fishing village in the coast of South China Sea into an international hub of trade. The author attempted to propose a new concept on immigration study known as 'in-between place', which provide a new perspective on studying the flow of people. Hong Kong, as she said, is one of the 'in-between places' alongside with Calcutta, Philadelphia etc. They provide a temporary base for immigrant to reside and invest during their journey from 'sending place' to 'receiving place'.

[Brendan Shusterman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow this was such a fascinating read. You could make about thirty movies with the material in this book—or an awesome Netflix binge show.

[John Jung · Rating 5 out of 5]

A unique perspective on Chinese in America... views from the 'other side' of the Pacific. Most books on Chinese in America examine their lives from western perspectives and rarely does an author give the view from the China side.

[Anh Le · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most thoroughly researched books on the topic. Extremely well-written and highly readable.