California Story Fund
Chinese Whispers: Sierra Stories
The Arts Council of Placer County
Auburn
Project Director: Rene Yung
Remembering Chinese workers who helped build the Transcontinental Railroad
More than 15,000 Chinese worked on the Transcontinental Railroad between 1865 and 1869, but virtually no record of individual Chinese lives exists.
This project will gather stories and memories of the Chinese workers of that era, passed down through the generations. The general public will have an opportunity to hear and discuss the stories at a storytelling event in Roseville in summer 2009.
“Communities in the Sierra Foothills, where Chinese laborers lived, have undergone demographic shifts that weaken residents’ connection to local history," said Project Director Rene Yung. “This project will help uncover stories about Chinese railroad workers before these second- and third-generation received memories disappear.”