Moying Li's, SNOW FALLING IN SPRING in San Francisco Chronicle

NOVEL, MEMOIR TELL STORIES OF CHINESE IMMIGRANTS
Susan Faust

Sunday, May 25th, 2008. --San Francisco Chronicle

Exclusion and exploitation characterized much of the Chinese immigrant experience in the United States, at least for a time. If allowed in at all, many newcomers were barred from economic, political and social opportunities. Still, since 1848, they have come by the millions, and a new book gives some reasons.

Troubles in southern China in the early 1920s come into sharp focus in The Dragon's Child: A Story of Angel Island by Laurence Yep with Dr. Kathleen S. Yep (HarperCollins; 134 pages; $15.99; ages 8-12). Drought, flood, insects, plague, bandits and warlords were commonplace, and men often found work elsewhere to support the women and children. In this tightly woven story, Lung Gon returns to his village from far-away San Francisco and leaves again with his 10-year-old son, Gim Lew Yep, in tow.

An author's note explains that the story is based on acclaimed Pacific Grove author Laurence Yep's family history, revealed in lengthy conversations with his father and the historical record. Dr. Kathleen S. Yep, Laurence's niece, uncovered the immigration file of his father and her grandfather while doing research in the National Archives.


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