Zhi Lin: In Search of the Lost History of Chinese Migrants and the Transcontinental Railroads

Internationally acclaimed artist Zhi Lin has refocused attention on the largely forgotten yet vital history of the Chinese laborers of the 19th century. Thousands of men migrated from China to seek fortunes in the gold mines of California but, instead, only found work building the transcontinental railroads. Celebrated as a technical marvel in its day, the first transcontinental railroad was constructed from 1863 to 1869, due largely to the contributions by Chinese who cut through the mountains and deserts of the American West. The absence of Chinese laborers from American history books is an animating force in Zhi Lin’s work, as illustrated in the images and essays found in this exhibition catalogue.