ROAD TO RECOGNITION

The 150th anniversary of the completion of the US Transcontinental Railroad in 1869 has been marked by various activities aiming to reclaim Chinese laborers contributions to American history.

Until November 3， the Museum of Chinese in America is organizing a 15，000-mile cross-country relay， and will publish the stories of 150 Chinese in the US on social media platforms， including Weibo and WeChat.

Chinese faces were also included for the first time in an official reenactment of the iconic “last spike” photo during Mays anniversary celebrations in Utah， which also saw two plays staged about the 12，000 mostly Cantonese laborers who laid the majority of the railroads western portion. Despite their contributions， the US Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882， exclusively stopping the immigration and naturalization of Chinese. The sole Chinese speaker scheduled at the railroads 100th anniversary celebrations in 1969 was replaced by action star John Wayne.– H.L.