Pacific Crossing


Cover of the book Pacific Crossing by Hong Kong University Press, Hong Kong University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Hong Kong University Press ISBN: 9789888180042
Publisher: Hong Kong University Press Publication: December 15, 2009
Imprint: Language: English
Author: Hong Kong University Press
ISBN: 9789888180042
Publisher: Hong Kong University Press
Publication: December 15, 2009
Imprint:
Language: English

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.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

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.

More books from Hong Kong University Press

Cover of the book Return Migration and Identity by Hong Kong University Press
Cover of the book Uneasy Partners by Hong Kong University Press
Cover of the book Contact Moments by Hong Kong University Press
Cover of the book Landscapes Lost and Found by Hong Kong University Press
Cover of the book The Search for a Vanishing Beijing by Hong Kong University Press
Cover of the book Queer Politics and Sexual Modernity in Taiwan by Hong Kong University Press
Cover of the book The Dragon and the Crown by Hong Kong University Press
Cover of the book Obsession by Hong Kong University Press
Cover of the book Japanese Cinema Goes Global by Hong Kong University Press
Cover of the book The Pusan International Film Festival, South Korean Cinema and Globalization by Hong Kong University Press
Cover of the book The Cosmopolitan Dream by Hong Kong University Press
Cover of the book Enchanted by Lohans by Hong Kong University Press
Cover of the book The British Presence in Macau, 1635-1793 by Hong Kong University Press
Cover of the book Moving Millions by Hong Kong University Press
Cover of the book Investigative Journalism in China by Hong Kong University Press
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy