Reading Response 5: MOCA

During my visit to the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA), I saw many pieces of historical photographs, documents, and objects that told the stories of Chinese Americans. When you walk through the museum, it details the history of Chinese Americans from the mid-1800s during the California Gold Rush to the present day.

During the California Gold Rush, tens of thousands of Chinese immigrants came to the United States in hopes of finding gold. It was then that California got the name “gau gam saan,” which means “Old Gold Mountain,” since California was where gold was discovered. The name is also commonly used as a reference to San Francisco, California. After the gold rush, many Chinese immigrants worked to construct the transcontinental railroad. In the photo of the last spike ceremony shown in the museum, despite Chinese workers significantly contributing to the construction of the railroad, they were not featured in the famous photo. In another story highlighted by the museum, the Chinese miners developed a water management system that diverted streams and helped to flush out gold from second-hand mining deposits, which aided gold mining during the time. A lot of the efforts by these Chinese workers were overlooked, and Chinese workers were seen as threats to the job security of American whites. Seeing Chinese immigrants as a threat, the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed in 1882 to ban the entry of Chinese immigrants and stop existing immigrants from obtaining American citizenship.

The passing of the Chinese Exclusion Act caused anti-Chinese riots to escalate. Chinese Americans faced a lot of violence, and it became even more difficult for them to find jobs. The “Eight-Pound Livelihood” was a section in the museum that talked about how the Chinese Exclusion Act caused many Chinese Americans to open laundromats for a living. Since washing clothes was considered a low-capital job, hand washing clothes was the job that Chinese Americans could obtain without provoking protests. In order to make a living, Chinese Americans worked long hours and used eight-pound irons to press their customers’ clothes. The museum had an eight-pound iron on display for viewers to interact with. The iron was so heavy that it was difficult to lift with one hand. I could only imagine how difficult it was for them to press clothes with that iron for hours while it was hot.

On the wall, a quote states, “We are a mystery to them and they seek to imagine us as perpetual foreigners./Yet, are we not all the same under Heaven?” This quote from the section “Imagined and Intimate” challenges the view of Chinese immigrants being foreigners who are vastly different from Americans. This exhibit highlights that despite the differences in appearance, Chinese Americans are Americans who work hard and deserve to be seen equally. The idea of Chinese Americans being a “mystery” is due to the lack of understanding of their culture and stories. When you understand the stories of people, you will likely find them much more similar to yourself than you would think.

The museum walks the viewers through the struggles of Chinese Americans throughout American history. From having a lack of representation to experiencing hate crimes, it shows us that Chinese Americans are a historically underrepresented group that faces inequality and hardships even to this day. However, these hardships did not stop them from working towards the “American Dream” and working hard to create their livelihoods. Despite all the difficulties, Chinese Americans found ways to preserve their culture and traditions through examples like Cantonese Opera and the celebration of the Lunar New Year. In the museum, you can see a beautiful traditional Cantonese Opera costume worn during opera shows performed to both Chinese and non-Chinese audiences. MOCA also has an interactive section where viewers can learn about the twelve Chinese zodiac signs and the celebration of Lunar New Year. The mix of historically based documents and engaging interactive displays allows the viewers to see and physically experience the stories of Chinese Americans.

Chinese Americans still face issues of racism and injustice today. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinese Americans faced many anti-Asian hate crimes that targeted elders. The museum shines a light on the injustice faced by Chinese Americans and questions whether Chinese Americans are any less human or American than others. For the contributions and efforts Chinese Americans made towards improving our economy and society, they should be able to receive fair and equal treatment. As a historically overlooked minority group, the stories of Chinese Americans involve immense hardship and injustice, and they deserve to be seen equally. MOCA helps the viewers to develop a fuller and more in-depth American narrative by highlighting the untold stories of Chinese immigrants and showcasing politically conscious issues.