Fragments of the Past: Archaeology, History, and the Chinese Railroad Workers of North America

Abstract

Although the labor of the Chinese workers who built the first transcontinental railroad (and other railroads in the western part of the country) was pivotal to the development of the United States, these workers have never received the scholarly attention they deserve. The incredibly rich work of archaeologists who have studied the thousands of pieces of material culture gathered along western rail lines promises to open vibrant new dimensions of historical recovery of this key chapter in the intertwined social, economic, and political histories of China and the United States.

Chouxiàng

尽管修建第一条横贯大陆铁路 (以及其它美国西部铁路) 的中国工人为美国的发展立下了汗马功劳, 他们在学术界 从未获得与其成就相称的关注。考古学家现已就西部铁路 沿线上搜集的数以千计的文物进行了研究。他们丰富的研 究成果必将为中美两国之间错综复杂的社会、经济、政治 历史中这一关键篇章开启生动的、崭新的历史维度。