Book Review

Canada and the United States

Chinese in the United States saw themselves as much more than a marginalized immigrant group in the early twentieth century. They were keenly aware of global economic and political trends and endeavored to forge a meaningful place for themselves and for China within these changes. Their concerns are richly documented in Shehong Chen's analysis of editorials in three San Francisco-based Chinese newspapers from 1911 to 1927.

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The three papers articulated competing political voices. The Chinese World was founded in 1900 by constitutional reformers Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao, and by 1911 it had become identified with the interests of San Francisco Chinese elites. Young China was the voice of revolutionary parties and attitudes associated with Sun Yat-sen. The Chung Sai Yat Po, published by the Christian businessman Wu Panzhao (Ng Poon Chew), promoted Christianity, commerce, and adaptation to American values. Their editorial wars were mostly fought over Chinese politics but also over international and local events such as the 1911 massacre of Chinese in Torreón, Mexico, by revolutionary troops, the 1915 anti-Japanese boycott, the Panama Exhibition of 1915, and local discriminatory legislation. Contending opinions on these events created a forum not only for the formulation of political ideologies but also for the articulation of local conflicts and ambitions. Of particular note is the fact that, despite the overseas Chinese reputation as the "hearth of the revolution," Chinese in San Francisco were generally critical of Sun Yat-sen, whom they accused of fostering anarchy, communism, and social disorder for the sake of personal ambition.

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