Death of a Red Heroine: Inspector Chen Series, Book 1

Death of a Red Heroine: Inspector Chen Series, Book 1 by Qiu Xiaolong

The author of the book was a Chinese national who was visiting the US when the Tiananmen Square protests occurred. He was against the crackdown, and ended up staying in the United States. This book was a way for him explore conditions in China, with the mystery part serving as a vehicle. He explores the importance of loyalty to the party in decisions. The relationship is complex. It is important for all people to be treated similarly. However, the masses also need to see the party as a trustworthy organization. The inspector treads that fine line as he investigates a murder case. A body was found tossed in a somewhat remote body of water. It turns out she was an important party member. The suspected murderer is also an influential party member. Will the murder be swept under the rug? Or will he be punished. Solving the mystery is less important to the story than guessing what will happen. Once the party decides a course of action, it moves swiftly. There are also cases of people violating standards required for the country. As long as they stay out of trouble, party members can get away with things that normal people cannot. But if they do get in trouble, they will quickly feel the wrath of the law.

Ghosts Of Gold Mountain: The Epic Story of the Chinese Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad

The Chinese were instrumental in building the transcontinental railroad. Without their labor and industriousness, the railroad would have never been completed when it was. Alas, very little is known about their history. Ghosts of Gold Mountain attempts to remedy this. Alas, because few detailed records are available, the book is mostly a recitation of facts and occasional anecdotes. There is no life story that we can follow to understand the life of the Chinese laborer.

The story we have is that of men that came from southern China. Travel from there to California took a similar amount of time as travel from the Eastern US. They worked together and often stayed together with other Chinese. There were very few Chinese women. Men came as gold prospectors and later laborers. Many died, but we have difficulty getting an exact number. They were much more reliable on railroad construction than many white laborers (yet were paid less.)

After the completion of the transcontinental railroad, they were lauded as the next great laborers. They could replace the freed slaves on plantations. They were hired to build many other railroads. They were seen as the next great immigrant group and expected to play a key role in American society. However, this optimism quickly fell away. It was replaced by an even worse discrimination. Chinese were denied citizenship, prevented from immigrating and killed. It wasn't until after World War 2 that the Chinese Exclusion Act was ended.