無論你去到世界任何地方，都有機會遇上散區在當地的中國人。單單在美國，就有好幾百萬中國人。美國華人博物館記錄了他們早期的事跡，包括當年加洲淘金熱，以及建造第一條橫貫大陸鐵路的歷史。大家可以聽一聽博物館館長 Nancy Yao Maasbach (姚南薰) 娓娓道來這歷史片段的始末。
我是Nancy Yao Maasbach，姚南薰。我十分榮幸可以出任美國華人博物館的館長。博物館是一個很好的地方，但我們的工作很具挑戰性。我們負責重組一些較為鮮為人知的早期美國歷史，1882 年推出的美國排華法案不幸地成為了第一個，亦是唯一一個針對新一批移入美國的人的法案，很可惜沒有太多人認識。世界各地的學校，一般都不會教授這段歷史，這個法案不單影響了居住在美國的中國人，也對新移民的法規和事情往後的發展有十分深遠的影響。
150年前，中國的勞工來到美國為這個國家興建基礎建設，有一張相片記錄了猶他州普羅蒙特里在1869年10月的情況，橫貫大陸鐵路建好了，當時大家都在慶祝工程俊工。不過如果你細心的看那張照片，你不會發現到任何中國人的面孔。為甚麼？博物館致力要重現當時的情況，訴說中國人對建造基建的貢獻。今年是150週年，我們以各種方式呈現當年的歷史，由接觸大眾開始。我們帶著興建鐵路用的鐵釘舉行全國接力跑，編著150個故事紀念150週年。作為美國華僑，在美國出生和長大，我可以是個百分百的美國人，一位生於這個國家的公民，但同時又是一個徹頭徹尾的中國人。認同自己的「中國特質」不等於把自己困在一個狹小的概念之內，這個特質可以每日不停演化，遇上不同的事情不斷改進。「中國特質」可以出現在中國、大中華區、香港、台灣，以及所有有中國人散居的地方。中國人身在美國，也可以是個100%的美國和中國人，這是美國社會的可愛之處，也是這個國家可以享用的發展動力。我出生在美國，我希望這個地方可以完全的接受這份瑰寶。
Hi, I’m James Chau. This is the China Current where each week I bring you up close to the fascinating people and stories shaping China and the world. Wherever you go in the world, you’ll see a member of the Chinese overseas diaspora and the millions of them over in the United States. The Museum of Chinese in America documents the story if their beginnings, including the California Gold Rush, and the building of the First Transcontinental Railroad. Nancy Yao Maasbach is the President of the Museum. We sat down together and she told me that story.
My name is Nancy Yao Maasbach... Yao Nanshing. And I have the real pleasure of serving as the president of the Museum of Chinese in America.
The Museum of Chinese in America is a tremendous place that has a great challenge. And that challenge is telling the untold stories in the making of America.
What is in some ways unfortunate, is that the Chinese Exclusion Act, which occurred in 1882, was the first and only legislation against a group of people to enter the United States. Unfortunately, it is very unknown to most people, it is not a part that is normally taught in classrooms across the world. But it is one that had a defining impact on not only Chinese living in America, but immigration and the aftermath of exclusion.
150 years ago, Chinese labors came to the United States to help build the infrastructure of the country. At Promontory Point in Utah on May 10th, 1869, there was a commemorating photo, the Transcontinental Railroad had been built, and they are celebrating that completion.
Unfortunately, if you look closely at the photo, you won't see one face of Asian ancestry. why we're Chinese in the photo. what the museum is dedicated to doing is telling those stories, how the Chinese contributed to that. And this year on the 150th anniversary, we're doing that in many, many different ways. from the grassroots level, we're running across the country with a railroad spike to tell 150 stories for 150 years.
As a Chinese American, someone who's born and raised in the US, I can both be 100% American and a US citizen born and raised, but 100% Chinese as well. And Chinese this isn't something that is a small, narrow understanding of self, Chinese, this evolves with every day with every motion with every development, not only in China, Greater China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, other places in the diaspora. But in America, we can be fully Chinese and fully American. And that is the beauty and the leverage that the United States has. And I do hope that the US the country of my birth will recognize those rich GIFs
