Chapter 6, pgs. 230-269 Summary and Analysis

The Chinese in America were basically males. Takaki tells the story of Lung On and Ing Hay. They came to America in the1880s. They eventually opened their own business and became successful. Both received letters from their families after seventeen years in America, demanding they return home.

The only Chinese who could bring their wives to the United States were merchants. After the big earthquake in 1906, more Chinese women were allowed into the country, but the flow was stopped. Since all official documents were destroyed in the fire, many Chinese forged documents claiming they were citizens so they could bring their families to America. The purchase of counterfeit birth certificates was a big business. The people using them were called paper sons and they would come to America claiming to have been born there. Many would...