Chinese Pioneer Families of Maui, Molokai, and Lanai (Chinese Historic Sites and Pioneer Families Series)

Chinese Pioneer Families of Maui, Molokai, and Lanai (Chinese Historic Sites and Pioneer Families Series) by Yee, Ken. paperback edition. ISBN: 9780824834494.

During the last half of the 1800s through the early 1900s Chinese migrated from their villages in the Pearl River Delta in Kwangtung Province (Guangdong) and many found their way to the neighbor islands in Hawaii. This fascinating collection of oral histories is filled with the voices of their children and grandchildren. They tell stories that are both universal and particular about the lives of the early immigrants and their families and how they adapted to their new home in the Hawaiian islands, even as they held fast to their ties to China. These colorful, multigenerational stories paint a larger picture of the cultural traditions and social life of that time and illustrate how these immigrants became part of the fabric of Hawaii. Reference materials and maps provide useful resources for those wishing to trace their own roots. The Introduction provides a valuable backdrop for the individual family stories as it describes the geographic, political, historical and economic context that shaped the patterns of immigration from the early 1800s and its impact. It also highlights the important roles that the Chinese pioneers played as craftsmen, laborers, and entrepreneurs in developing Hawaiis economy, particularly its agricultural industries on Maui, Molokai and Lanai.