Banished & Embraced

Chinese from southeast China flocked to towns and encampments in the Sierra Nevada foothills during the Gold Rush to search for gold. In the communities they established in Fiddletown and Amador County, Chinese immigrants found support and strength despite prevailing anti-Chinese prejudice. This book gives an insight into their experience as they faced pressures from the greater society, while maintaining their customs and connections with each other and with China. The story of the Fiddletown Chinese community is told through the lives of the people who lived in its still existing Chinese herb store (the Chew Kee Store), especially Jimmie Chow, the last Chinese person in Fiddletown.