The dream of becoming a rich man was quickly shattered as I set my foot on this foreign soil. It was a long ride from Fusang, China to here, the Golden Mountains, which we were told. They were advertising in my hometown, "Come to America, where everything is made of gold, and you can get two weeks of wage in one day. Come to America to get your gold. We will give you $60 dollars a month, with food and shelter provided." It sounded so good at the time; I wanted to come to America to make some money, and to go back to China as a successful man. But every dream of mine shattered when I set my foot on this soil in the mid to late 1860s, when they hauled me away quickly with other Chinese into a small wagon and brought us to a deserted place. They wanted us to build railroads!!! I suddenly felt cheated and betrayed, but there were nothing I can do. I've signed a contract with the Chinese foreman, and gave him all my money, plus some that I had borrowed from neighbors and relatives to come to America.
It was hard work from the beginning, and we the Chinese workers were always looked down on. Other white workers ridiculed us of being small, dark, and inexperienced. But we didn't care of what they said, because we were always taught to do our work, to be persistent, to do the best that we can, and don't mind what others think of. We were always given the works that the white men didn't want any part of, but it was not a big thing for us because work was work, and no matter how bad the job it is, it was still work, and we had to do it to get the money. Our families in China were counting on us to bring the money back. .
The condition of the work was really, really tough and rough. For newcomers like me, we had to hauled away the rocks and stone from the working site one bag at a time, and it was quite heavy. For others who had been working longer, they were able to operate the machines and were able to take on other more advanced jobs.