Yellow Peril

Yellow Peril
Patrizia Barrera

Two tragedies, the Chinese Massacre of 1871 and Child Prostitution, sum up the troubled -and toxic- relationship between the United States of America and China. A spirited, witty book that exposes many hidden, hideous truths.

Patrizia Barrera

Copyright

Copyright Patrizia Barrera 2021

All Right Reserved

Translated, Adapted, and Edited

by

MAGDA PALA

Dedica

To my mother, who never really loved me and is now forever lost, I devote this book.

Are you finally proud of me? Wherever you are, I sure hope so.

Yellow Peril, yellow danger

The Origins

Let’s face it. United States have always been racist. In order to massacre Natives and enslaving Black People, one needs a huge sense of entitlement. Did someone mention superiority complex? Deep and unhealthy pleasure in abusing others, perhaps? Sure, between the Seventieth and Eightieth centuries pretty much every Western country behaved the same way. Only in the US, however, power over Diversity -both ethnicity and class- became institutionalized. Police and Government alike tolerated and encouraged lynching as a Tool Of Justice.

The Black Codes and, later, Jim Crow Laws are the ideal examples of how racist that society was. History does not lie. Afro-Americans were, and still are, the most criminalized class in the United States Of America. Still, few know -or, maybe, few comment- about the discrimination towards Chinese. Recruited on purpose as cheap labour between 1848 and 1880, they worked -underpaid- in the most inhumane and dangerous tasks.

The entire troubled, and toxic, relationship between the USA and China provides enough material for one -or three- Encyclopaedias. But it is a truth universally acknowledged that clarity lies in the simplicity of its expression and in the exposition of indisputable facts. Facts that speak volumes. Therefore, the chosen examples demonstrate -more than sufficiently- that the American Dream is marked with blood. History, as stated, does not lie . Ever.

Picture it. Natives were no longer a threat. If they ever were one, especially on their own land. Almost the whole territory was rich in mineral deposits. Consequently, railways started to pop up everywhere. The New Continent needed a makeover, in order to be Yankee Friendly. However, Southern States’ slavery began to tremble under the ideological impulse -and politics- of Abolitionism. Furthermore, the number of Northerners willing to face those arduous shifts of work imposed by the Companies were not many.

The real wave of Immigration, the one that would have brought millions of souls around the world to land in the US -all of them blinded by the mirage of a hypothetical wealth- was to happen only much later. Nonetheless, Uncle Sam needed that work force in the mid-1800s. It was clearly indispensable to make the Quantum Leap and being in a dominant position towards Europe. The Gold Rush, undoubtedly, attracted multitudes of people. It was, on the other hand, visible from the start that it was a temporary phenomenon. One destined to end, once the valuable resources expired. As indeed happened.

Thousands of cities, built in a day, did not last. Undeniably, the gold miners were tireless workers. For their own personal gain. Once obtained enough wealth, they left. After all, unlike the rough and tough New Continent, Europe was a civilised nest.

Desperate times, though, require desperate measures. As a result, with slavery abolished, the United States brought back serfdom by importing labour on purpose.

Figure 1 - Chinese Labourers On The North Railroads, 1850

Myriads of Chinese immigrants, starting 1848, worked on the transcontinental railroads. They were labourers , farmers who wanted to escape plagues and hunger, and their salaries were close to nothing. Far from home, they barely survive. Close to starvation, sleeping in the open. All in order to grab those few cents for their families.

With the forthcoming fall of the Qing Dynasty, China was going through a particularly troubled period. Internal unrest, wars, and uprisings drove people to flee their devastated Homeland. They turned to the USA only by chance and not by choice. The English controlled all the borders in Asia and, often, they closed them. The infamous Opium War, the one that took place between 1839 and 1842, concurred with the Yellow Wave of immigration to the United States.

The records clearly indicated that, between 1820 and 1840, Chinese in the US were eleven. In 1848, that number rose to two million. Between 1853 and 1873, it increased to fourteen million.

Chinese workers were, unquestionably, what made America great. Tireless, unpretentious, and able to live with -very- little. Against an average wage of $2, they earned only ¢40. Half of which went to their dear ones. Another point in favour, they emigrated alone. No dead weight, no distraction. Moreover, centuries of Imperial Dynasties had forged them to complete obedience and full submission. The Ultimate Slaves. Uncle Sam did not need much to oppress them, shamelessly, and to the fullest. Unsurprisingly.

Figure 2 - Young Rickshaw Workers. One Of The Most Menial Jobs In China Was That Of Rickshaw Runner. These Were Young Men Who Painfully And Prematurally Aged Because Of Such Practice. Ragged, Barefoot, Only A Bowl Of Rice Per Day, They Subdued To It Out Of Necessity. Alleys In China Were Narrow And It Was Not Possible To Enter Them With Carriages Pulled By Horses. Therefore Servants And Slaves Were Used As Beasts and Forced To Transport People From One Part Of The City To Another. Ten Hours, Every Day. The Vast Majority Of Them Died Of Heart Attack Before The Age Of Thirty-five.

In the beginning, Chinese formed a separate community. Later, between 1848 and 1860, the Mining Companies demanded them in high numbers. Mostly because they accepted thankless and dangerous jobs. In addition, their small size slipped smoothly into narrow tunnels where only a child could enter. Placing dynamite loads or propping up the unsafe tunnels became a routine. A risky one. And, since thousands died, it was crucial to have supplies . However, the flood of immigration seemed to have run out. The Government, at that point, decided to recruit them by coming to terms directly with China. The Burlingame Treaty, approved in 1868, drawn up one of the sneakiest and most hateful manoeuvres ever happened in the US. On paper, it states, “Chinese subjects in the United States shall enjoy entire liberty of conscience and shall be exempt from all disability or persecution on account of their religious faith or worship in either country.”

It was, in reality, a forced trade. Just as the introduction of Opium.

The entire ideology of Chinese Imperialism firmly declared the rejection of any border expansion to foreigners, who could only trade and travel. The idea of mixing with the Whites had always been unthinkable for them. China always had firm vetoes to national migration, preferring cruel demographic control systems to regulate its subjects. The motivations were political, hegemonic, and religious. The West was a cornucopia of perdition.

In a word, inferior.

What drove the sign of the Treaty was internal weakness and European massive interference. The consequence was selling off its own heritage of human flesh into enemy hands. The contract stood, in theory, balanced and bilateral. In practice, it forced millions of Chinese to move to the US. Willingly or, more often, unwillingly.

The Empire decided those Chosen Ones. Young, healthy, strong men. In order to guarantee the conduct of the individual, their families were held as hostages. It was a threat, which kept them docile and obedient.

From that to the establishment of a Chinese Mafia, which controlled human trafficking at the submerged request of China itself, the step was short. It introduced workers, Opium, and prostitution. Fuelled by the suffered wrongs, it even managed to control them at the expense of the United States. What goes around comes around.

No wonder, they all lose out. Even if, as always, the weakest ones were the main victims.

But Double Standard does exist in misery as well. If the men worked fifteen hours a day and in dreadful surroundings, it was nothing compared to the heartbreakingly conditions of the unluckiest of them all. Females and very, very, young. Only seven years old and forced into sexual slavery, they died before reaching the age of twenty.

Regardless, Chinese were unmistakably efficient. The entirety of their activities, in 1880, widespread and hit the exposed nerve of USA economy. Their trade was flourishing and, as nowadays, they were able to charge incredibly competitive prices. Fashion, herbs, perfumes, fruit, vegetables, all at derisory prices. Their skills extended to every single area. From artisanship and manufacturing to private services. They even took the wind out of the circus’ sails. Their spectacular acrobatics were impossible to reproduce for the massive All-American Americans. In addition, they did not use animals. Therefore, they had no further expenses. As labourers, they were impeccable. No liberal ideas, no half-assed demands for reduced working hours or more dignified living conditions. Nossir. They kept their mouths shut and earned half the price of their White colleagues, who gritted their teeth and ranted against those who were stealing their job. Some things never change.

Furthermore, as long as these evils concerned foreigners, nobody had anything to say. They could have slaughter each other and employers could care less. After all, they were perfectly replaceable.

Figure 3 – Young Woman In Traditional Hong Kong Clothes, 1860.

However, when the phenomenon exploded amongst Americans -both traders and workers- trouble began. By 1850, Chinese had gathered in the area of old Portsmouth Square. After the Gold Rush, they set up independent laundry businesses. It was a dirty job, no pun intended, which no one at that time wanted to do. Except for them. Soon, there were florist shops, greengrocers, stores meant to meet the day-to-day needs of a growing town. In two years, Little Canton had expanded enormously and offered thirty-three retail shops, five restaurants, fifteen herbalists, and several pharmacies. The complete area was in full development. Even the local authorities appreciated it. They often praised it publicly and presented it as a model of diligent industriousness. For Chinese, it was almost like being at home. Almost being the operative word. Systematically, that small town became a recreational core. Being the new San Francisco was the target. By popular fury, that area became Chinatown. It was a Press idea. Something innocent, created to simplify a banal concept. Yet, Americans saw -or wanted to see- an act of arrogance. One that would, bitterly and inexorably, led to resentment towards the entire Chinese community. Any excuse to go after Non-Whites.

Nevertheless, Chinatown grew and developed into the symbol of a city within a city. Only a dusted memory remained of the twelve wooden houses of those first years. By 1880, the entire area had grown into an elegant neighbourhood that housed twenty-two thousand people. Rich White Broken Hearts could forget their sorrows in the depth of gambling halls and Opium houses, not to mention the brothels. Chinoiserie was synonym of colourful, fashionable, and luxurious. Porcelains, mirrors, spices, love tinsels were what Americans -especially women- wanted.

Soon, a crescendo of feelings undermined the US Government. Main one being the terror of a future Capitalism made in China. And God have mercy, if someone other than White People could speculate on Market Economy.

An obvious question arises. What is the US reaction, every time something or someone Non-American makes it tremble? Easy. It starts questioning the morality, real or imagined, of their foreign customs.

Hence, ‘The Yellow Peril’ invaded the United States.

Figure 4 - Chinatown, 1860. A Few Wooden Houses And Some stores. In Thirty Years, It Thrived And Became The Core Of American Economy. Not To Mention, The Favourite Option Of The Rich And Famous' Night Life.

The country, due to the Civil War, was experiencing a difficult historical situation. The economic destabilization of the South, the alternating political trends, the hunger for change, the eagerness to dominate Europe produced a devastating knock-on effect . A large part of the population had suffered negatively from the consequences of the Restoration Of The System . Thousands were doomed. Children starved. Traders bankrupted daily. Immigrants died in the streets, of natural causes or -more often- killed. The prisons overcrowded. Violence was everywhere. Surviving was close to impossible but imperative.

On the other hand, the Organized Crime thrived. First in line was the Irish Mob. It functioned as a complement of the Government, coercing les protégés to vote. In addition, it supported all the illegal activities bound to alcohol and drugs.

Then, the Triad. Always on the very edge of legality, it addressed its own fellow citizens and operated exclusively according to the directives of Chinese ideology. One must fight enemies with their own weapons. Tirelessly. In order, one day, to take their place.

Said Yellow Peril was a direct consequence of US behaviour. As always, they exploited labourers to the point of being overwhelmed. Chinese-Americans could not help but express only their imperialistic nature, dominated by honour and an exacerbated feeling of redemption. Adapting to the worst conditions of life, they aspired to improve their own existence. That Social Rise would put them on the same level as the Westerners.

It was an innate sense that cannot disappeared by mere deportation to another country. Forced chastity, loneliness, and oppression sublimated it. Behind that indelible smile, Chinese hid a tragic strength and an impressive stubbornness.