Haoqing's Art Website
The strike began. . . . The men who were working at that hour walked out of the tunnels and away from the tracks. The ones who were sleeping slept on and rose as late as they pleased. They bathed in streams and shaved their moustaches and wild beards. Some went fishing and hunting. The violinists tuned and played their instruments. The drummers beat theirs at the punchlines of jokes. The gamblers shuffled and played their cards and tiles. The smokers passed their pipes, and the drinkers bet for drinks by making figures with their hands. The cooks made party food.
—MAXINE HONG KINGSTON, China Men, 1977
Starmap
Haoqing Yu, Starmap. Midjourney, Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop. July 2024
The Strike
Why the Railroad Chinese chose the specific date to go out is also unclear, but Chinese cosmology is likely to have played an important role. Chinese did not undertake any major life actions without divining heaven and earth. The strike began just days after the summer solstice, the longest day of the year and the peak time for male energy, as the sun represented this male energy and the moon female energy. It was thus the time for action and struggle that also corresponded with what may have been the strongest bargaining position the Railroad Chinese had ever occupied, for if the CPRR did not get through the Sierra summit soon, it faced financial ruin. The reported Chinese flyer may actually have circulated on the day of or the day after that year’s solstice, late evening on Friday, June 21, and just days after the Cisco tunnel explosion. It was the Year of the Rabbit, according to the Chinese zodiac. Saturday and Sunday may have been used for final communication and organization. The actual strike began on June 24, Monday, the start of the workweek.
--- Gordon H. Chang, Ghosts of Gold Mountain, 2019, p. 109-110
A Chinese Cook's Story
A Chinese cook once worked for a crew of white railroad workers. He was mild-mannered and worked hard but became the butt of their pranks. As told by an old-timer, Moon Lee, whose father and grandfather had been Railroad Chinese, the whites harassed the cook “by sneaking into his tent and tying knots in his pants legs and shirt sleeves. The cook did not make any fuss but just rose earlier and patiently untied the knots and got on with the food preparation.” The story seems to emphasize the stereotype of the long-suffering Chinese, until it takes a surprising turn. Moon Lee continued: “One day, after a particularly savory dinner, the ringleader, ashamed of the tricks, gathered his gang around him and informed the Chinese that hereafter he was their friend and no one would harm him. The Chinese cook’s eyes brightened.” He called out with a smile, “All-li my flens, now I no pee in the soup!” What howls of laughter this subversive act provoked through the years!
--- Gordon H. Chang, Ghosts of Gold Mountain, 2019, p. 99