Bennet Bronson - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Bennet Bronson

Research paper thumbnail of Newly Identified Chinese Ceramic Wares from Ninth Century Trading Ports in Southern Thailand

Research paper thumbnail of The Chee Kung Tong: A Chinese Secret Society in Tucson, 1880–1940

Journal of Arizona History, 2018

Research paper thumbnail of Chinese and Middle Eastern Trade in Southern Thailand During the Ninth Century A.D.

The International Seminar on Ancient Trade and Cultural Contacts in Southeast Asia, 1991

A joint project between the Field Museum in Chicago and the Fine Arts Department in Thailand was ... more A joint project between the Field Museum in Chicago and the Fine Arts Department in Thailand was held in 1986 through 1990 for a better understanding of long-distance trade along the coast of Southern Thailand. This paper reports on imported ceramics from China and West Asia that were found in the ara, focusing on two sites – Kok Kho Khao and Laem Pho.

Research paper thumbnail of Chinese and Middle Eastern Trade in Southern Thailand During the Ninth Century A.D.

The International Seminar on Ancient Trade and Cultural Contacts in Southeast Asia, 1991

A joint project between the Field Museum in Chicago and the Fine Arts Department in Thailand was ... more A joint project between the Field Museum in Chicago and the Fine Arts Department in Thailand was held in 1986 through 1990 for a better understanding of long-distance trade along the coast of Southern Thailand. This paper reports on imported ceramics recovered from surveys and excavations, focusing on Chinese and West Asian ceramics.

Research paper thumbnail of Newly Identified Chinese Ceramic Wares from Ninth Century Trading Ports in Southern Thailand

The sites of Ko Kho Khao and Laem Pho in Southern Thailand date to the ninth century AD. They con... more The sites of Ko Kho Khao and Laem Pho in Southern Thailand date to the ninth century AD. They contain very large amounts of Chinese porcelain of that period: perhaps more than any other site in Southeast Asia. Ko Kho Khao is near Takuapa on the west coast of the Thai Isthmus. Laem Pho is on the east coast near Chaiya. Both sites are thought to have been major entrepots on the main international trade route between China and the Middle East, which for at least several decades between 800 and 900 A.D. seem to have run across the Isthmus rather than through the Straits of Malacca to the south.

Research paper thumbnail of Protected by Suijing Bo, the “Pacifying Duke”: Chinese Religion in John Day

Oregon Historical Quarterly, 2021

Research paper thumbnail of The transition to iron in Ancient China

The making of iron emerged late in China - later than in many other parts of Eurasia. Yet it flow... more The making of iron emerged late in China - later than in many other parts of Eurasia. Yet it flowered with exceptional quickness. Within a period of less than three centuries, China advanced from its first known experiments with smelted iron to a position of leadership. Perhaps by 200 B.C. and certainly by 100 B.C., the Chinese iron industry had become the largest and most technically innovative anywhere in the ancient world. The purpose of this paper is to explore that remarkable transformation. The first section examines the evidence for iron in China before 400 B.C. The second and third sketch the phase of rapid development that occured between 200 and 1 B.C. The fourth focuses on the distribution and dating of various Chinese technical innovations : blast furnace smelting, white iron casting, fining, malleabilizing, and solid-state decarburizing. The fifth section discusses the origin of ironmaking in China, the reasons for its unusual but surprisingly modern character, and why ...

Research paper thumbnail of Columbus's pearls

Research paper thumbnail of Gold Mountain Turned to Dust: Essays on the Legal History of the Chinese in the Nineteenth‐Century American West. Edited by John R.Wunder. (Albuquerque, NM: University of New Mexico Press, 2018. Pp. 248. $29.95.)

Historian, 2019

This book is an original, knowledgeable, and important addition to the growing number of book-len... more This book is an original, knowledgeable, and important addition to the growing number of book-length studies on the history of African Americans in twentiethcentury Africa. Moreover, it is a welcome contribution to the expanding body of historical scholarship on United States-Africa interactions and relations. Prior to 1965, Africa was a low priority in U.S. foreign policy, but this carefully researched, compellingly argued, and well-written book breaks new ground in our understanding of African American military contributions to the making of modern Liberia. Shellum reconstructs the military service of seventeen African American Regular Army Officers in training, reorganizing, and leading the Liberian Frontier Force between 1910 and 1942, and his volume enriches the available comparative data concerning the military history of Africa and the United States. The relationship between Liberia and the United States is one of the most important subjects of study within transatlantic history, and, in this work, the author examines previously overlooked actors and events in constructing a fresh narrative about this transatlantic intersection. Furthermore, the book offers important new insights into United States military history by detailing African American military professionalism, leadership, and perseverance in extremely challenging overseas assignments, as was the case with Liberia. Furthermore, it expands upon previously published multidisciplinary works on the challenging black experience in the United States. One of the strengths of the volume is that Shellum draws on previously unexplored archival records and photographs to make a compelling case for the contributions of these African American soldiers to the development of modern Liberia. Furthermore, his biographical sketches of the African American soldiers who served in Liberia greatly enhance the historical value of the study. In illuminating the case of African American soldiers in Liberia, this book makes a significant contribution to our knowledge of the history of people of African descent both within the diaspora and in Africa itself. In doing so, the author broadens our understanding of the complexities, cooperation, and contradictions among US-based African Americans, African American returnees to West Africa, and indigenous Africans. As such, the author recounts major aspects of Liberian history, including the slave trade, local resistance to Americo-Liberians, Firestone investments, the country's participation in the First and Second World Wars, the roots of the bloody civil war, and postwar efforts to rebuild the country's political institutions through democratic elections. The study could, however, have benefited from a more nuanced discussion of relations between the African American soldiers, Americo-Liberians, and indigenous groups such as the Kru, Bassa, Mano, Gola, Krahn, and Kissi. Tribalism, ethnocentrism, parochial loyalty, and the pronounced tendency to exalt one group of Liberians are all central to understanding the evolving Liberian landscape. Notwithstanding these criticisms, the book is deserving of a wide readership. Military history specialists, historians in general, students, and the general public interested in the histories of Liberia, African Americans, or the African diaspora will find this book most useful.

Research paper thumbnail of List of Southeast Asian Radiocarbon Dates, Part I: Indonesia

SPAFA Digest (1980-1990), 1984

This list is the first of a series that will appear in the next few issues of the SPAFA Digest. T... more This list is the first of a series that will appear in the next few issues of the SPAFA Digest. The C-14 dates tabulated here are based on all published data of which the compilers are aware and on much unpublished data as well. Several specialists have checked through this or provided information. These include G.

Research paper thumbnail of Notes on The History of Iron in Thailand

Research paper thumbnail of The Chee Kung Tong: A Chinese Secret Society in Tucson, 1880–1940

Research paper thumbnail of Coming Home in Gold Brocade: Chinese in Early Northwest America

Research paper thumbnail of Protected by Suijing Bo, the “Pacifying Duke”: Chinese Religion in John Day

Oregon Historical Quarterly, 2021

Research paper thumbnail of The weapons of the Emperor

Research paper thumbnail of Prehistoric studies : the stone and metal ages in Thailand

Research paper thumbnail of Excavations at Chansen, Thailand, 1968 and 1969: A Preliminary Report

CHANSEN EST SITUE DANS LE DISTRICT DE TAKHLI DANS LA PROVINCE DE NATHON SAWAN EN THAILANDE. L&#39... more CHANSEN EST SITUE DANS LE DISTRICT DE TAKHLI DANS LA PROVINCE DE NATHON SAWAN EN THAILANDE. L'HISTOIRE DU SITE COMMENCE A LA FIN DU I MILLENAIRE AV. J.-C. ET FINIT AUX ENVIRONS DE 1000 APR. J.-C. ON DISTINGUE SIX PHASES D'OCCUPATION. ETUDE PAR PHASES DES RESTES ARCHITECTURAUX ET OBJETS DECOUVERTS, TABLEAU CHRONOLOGIQUE, TABLEAU DE LA PROVENANCE STRATIGRAPHIQUE DES OS D'ANIMAUX IDENTIFIES.

Research paper thumbnail of IN THE COURSE OF THEIR HISTORY the Maya seem to present an

anomaly in the type of environmental setting considered favorable for the development of civiliza... more anomaly in the type of environmental setting considered favorable for the development of civilizations. Whereas a number of the more prominent of the world's high cultures have matured in an environment characterized by proximity to large quantities of surface water and by a dry climate, the Classic Maya lowlands lacked both of the these apparent benefits. The Peten forest contains no Yellow River, Nile, or Lake Texcoco. Far from being semi-desert, it is saturated with rain for many months of the year. A number of consequences have been deduced from this environmental difference, most of them based more on a priori reasoning than on archaeological fact. It has been claimed that Classic Maya lowland civilization (circa A.D. 200-900) could not have autochthonously evolved in the rain-forest and that, once started there, its environment was so lethal that the civilization was unable to survive. Claims such as these are rarely made at the present time, since archaeological evidence ...

Research paper thumbnail of Splendors of China's forbidden city: the glorious reign of emperor Qianlong

Choice Reviews Online, 2004

Use of the materials in this Educator Guide in combination with a field trip to the exhibition wi... more Use of the materials in this Educator Guide in combination with a field trip to the exhibition will help you link learning experiences to the following Illinois Learning Standards. Teachers will need to identify specific goals to map to individual lesson plans or larger units of study. This exhibition, while suitable for all students regardless of learning style, maps closely to concepts studied in later elementary, middle school, and high school Introduction to the Exhibition The Forbidden City is a walled compound in Beijing, and was built in 1420 as the symbolic heart of the Chinese empire. A 178-acre complex comprising over 9,000 rooms, the Forbidden City once housed the residences of the imperial family, government offices, ceremonial halls, storehouses, treasuries, and the facilities needed to support the imperial household, such as workshops, stables, kitchens, and gardens. During Qianlong's reign tens of thousands worked there, including eunuchs, maids, cooks, laborers, and artisans. Today it stands as the Palace Museum. Splendors of China's Forbidden City: The Glorious Reign of Emperor Qianlong is an unprecedented exhibition of nearly 400 artifacts from eighteenth-century imperial China. The exhibition is a vivid exploration of the long and eventful reign of Emperor Qianlong (1736-1795) and features artifacts and works of art never before seen outside China. The exhibition explores innovative themes: how an ethnic Manchu minority ruled over a vast Han Chinese majority; how the emperor and his wives and family lived; and what Qianlong was like as an individual-deeply religious, athletic, obsessed with technology and decoration, a great collector of art, a poet, and a brilliant, hands-on administrator.

Research paper thumbnail of Unwrapping the textile traditions of Madagascar

Unwrapping the Textile Traditions of Madagascar presents the first extensive treatment of Madagas... more Unwrapping the Textile Traditions of Madagascar presents the first extensive treatment of Madagascar's textile traditions region by region, giving a systematic overview of the woven products of each part of the country. It includes types of cloth that have previously been overlooked and explores contrasting uses and meanings among the highly varied cultures of the island. It also publishes for the first time many of the remarkable cloths from the collection assembled by Ralph Linton in 1926 and 1927 for the Field Museum, which represents perhaps as much as 50 percent of the textile heritage of Madagascar. Beautiful colour illustrations and scholarly commentary make this book useful for scholars, connoisseurs, and heritage-preservation experts, as well as weavers interested in reviving traditional techniques and designs.

Research paper thumbnail of Newly Identified Chinese Ceramic Wares from Ninth Century Trading Ports in Southern Thailand

Research paper thumbnail of The Chee Kung Tong: A Chinese Secret Society in Tucson, 1880–1940

Journal of Arizona History, 2018

Research paper thumbnail of Chinese and Middle Eastern Trade in Southern Thailand During the Ninth Century A.D.

The International Seminar on Ancient Trade and Cultural Contacts in Southeast Asia, 1991

A joint project between the Field Museum in Chicago and the Fine Arts Department in Thailand was ... more A joint project between the Field Museum in Chicago and the Fine Arts Department in Thailand was held in 1986 through 1990 for a better understanding of long-distance trade along the coast of Southern Thailand. This paper reports on imported ceramics from China and West Asia that were found in the ara, focusing on two sites – Kok Kho Khao and Laem Pho.

Research paper thumbnail of Chinese and Middle Eastern Trade in Southern Thailand During the Ninth Century A.D.

The International Seminar on Ancient Trade and Cultural Contacts in Southeast Asia, 1991

A joint project between the Field Museum in Chicago and the Fine Arts Department in Thailand was ... more A joint project between the Field Museum in Chicago and the Fine Arts Department in Thailand was held in 1986 through 1990 for a better understanding of long-distance trade along the coast of Southern Thailand. This paper reports on imported ceramics recovered from surveys and excavations, focusing on Chinese and West Asian ceramics.

Research paper thumbnail of Newly Identified Chinese Ceramic Wares from Ninth Century Trading Ports in Southern Thailand

The sites of Ko Kho Khao and Laem Pho in Southern Thailand date to the ninth century AD. They con... more The sites of Ko Kho Khao and Laem Pho in Southern Thailand date to the ninth century AD. They contain very large amounts of Chinese porcelain of that period: perhaps more than any other site in Southeast Asia. Ko Kho Khao is near Takuapa on the west coast of the Thai Isthmus. Laem Pho is on the east coast near Chaiya. Both sites are thought to have been major entrepots on the main international trade route between China and the Middle East, which for at least several decades between 800 and 900 A.D. seem to have run across the Isthmus rather than through the Straits of Malacca to the south.

Research paper thumbnail of Protected by Suijing Bo, the “Pacifying Duke”: Chinese Religion in John Day

Oregon Historical Quarterly, 2021

Research paper thumbnail of The transition to iron in Ancient China

The making of iron emerged late in China - later than in many other parts of Eurasia. Yet it flow... more The making of iron emerged late in China - later than in many other parts of Eurasia. Yet it flowered with exceptional quickness. Within a period of less than three centuries, China advanced from its first known experiments with smelted iron to a position of leadership. Perhaps by 200 B.C. and certainly by 100 B.C., the Chinese iron industry had become the largest and most technically innovative anywhere in the ancient world. The purpose of this paper is to explore that remarkable transformation. The first section examines the evidence for iron in China before 400 B.C. The second and third sketch the phase of rapid development that occured between 200 and 1 B.C. The fourth focuses on the distribution and dating of various Chinese technical innovations : blast furnace smelting, white iron casting, fining, malleabilizing, and solid-state decarburizing. The fifth section discusses the origin of ironmaking in China, the reasons for its unusual but surprisingly modern character, and why ...

Research paper thumbnail of Columbus's pearls

Research paper thumbnail of Gold Mountain Turned to Dust: Essays on the Legal History of the Chinese in the Nineteenth‐Century American West. Edited by John R.Wunder. (Albuquerque, NM: University of New Mexico Press, 2018. Pp. 248. $29.95.)

Historian, 2019

This book is an original, knowledgeable, and important addition to the growing number of book-len... more This book is an original, knowledgeable, and important addition to the growing number of book-length studies on the history of African Americans in twentiethcentury Africa. Moreover, it is a welcome contribution to the expanding body of historical scholarship on United States-Africa interactions and relations. Prior to 1965, Africa was a low priority in U.S. foreign policy, but this carefully researched, compellingly argued, and well-written book breaks new ground in our understanding of African American military contributions to the making of modern Liberia. Shellum reconstructs the military service of seventeen African American Regular Army Officers in training, reorganizing, and leading the Liberian Frontier Force between 1910 and 1942, and his volume enriches the available comparative data concerning the military history of Africa and the United States. The relationship between Liberia and the United States is one of the most important subjects of study within transatlantic history, and, in this work, the author examines previously overlooked actors and events in constructing a fresh narrative about this transatlantic intersection. Furthermore, the book offers important new insights into United States military history by detailing African American military professionalism, leadership, and perseverance in extremely challenging overseas assignments, as was the case with Liberia. Furthermore, it expands upon previously published multidisciplinary works on the challenging black experience in the United States. One of the strengths of the volume is that Shellum draws on previously unexplored archival records and photographs to make a compelling case for the contributions of these African American soldiers to the development of modern Liberia. Furthermore, his biographical sketches of the African American soldiers who served in Liberia greatly enhance the historical value of the study. In illuminating the case of African American soldiers in Liberia, this book makes a significant contribution to our knowledge of the history of people of African descent both within the diaspora and in Africa itself. In doing so, the author broadens our understanding of the complexities, cooperation, and contradictions among US-based African Americans, African American returnees to West Africa, and indigenous Africans. As such, the author recounts major aspects of Liberian history, including the slave trade, local resistance to Americo-Liberians, Firestone investments, the country's participation in the First and Second World Wars, the roots of the bloody civil war, and postwar efforts to rebuild the country's political institutions through democratic elections. The study could, however, have benefited from a more nuanced discussion of relations between the African American soldiers, Americo-Liberians, and indigenous groups such as the Kru, Bassa, Mano, Gola, Krahn, and Kissi. Tribalism, ethnocentrism, parochial loyalty, and the pronounced tendency to exalt one group of Liberians are all central to understanding the evolving Liberian landscape. Notwithstanding these criticisms, the book is deserving of a wide readership. Military history specialists, historians in general, students, and the general public interested in the histories of Liberia, African Americans, or the African diaspora will find this book most useful.

Research paper thumbnail of List of Southeast Asian Radiocarbon Dates, Part I: Indonesia

SPAFA Digest (1980-1990), 1984

This list is the first of a series that will appear in the next few issues of the SPAFA Digest. T... more This list is the first of a series that will appear in the next few issues of the SPAFA Digest. The C-14 dates tabulated here are based on all published data of which the compilers are aware and on much unpublished data as well. Several specialists have checked through this or provided information. These include G.

Research paper thumbnail of Notes on The History of Iron in Thailand

Research paper thumbnail of The Chee Kung Tong: A Chinese Secret Society in Tucson, 1880–1940

Research paper thumbnail of Coming Home in Gold Brocade: Chinese in Early Northwest America

Research paper thumbnail of Protected by Suijing Bo, the “Pacifying Duke”: Chinese Religion in John Day

Oregon Historical Quarterly, 2021

Research paper thumbnail of The weapons of the Emperor

Research paper thumbnail of Prehistoric studies : the stone and metal ages in Thailand

Research paper thumbnail of Excavations at Chansen, Thailand, 1968 and 1969: A Preliminary Report

CHANSEN EST SITUE DANS LE DISTRICT DE TAKHLI DANS LA PROVINCE DE NATHON SAWAN EN THAILANDE. L&#39... more CHANSEN EST SITUE DANS LE DISTRICT DE TAKHLI DANS LA PROVINCE DE NATHON SAWAN EN THAILANDE. L'HISTOIRE DU SITE COMMENCE A LA FIN DU I MILLENAIRE AV. J.-C. ET FINIT AUX ENVIRONS DE 1000 APR. J.-C. ON DISTINGUE SIX PHASES D'OCCUPATION. ETUDE PAR PHASES DES RESTES ARCHITECTURAUX ET OBJETS DECOUVERTS, TABLEAU CHRONOLOGIQUE, TABLEAU DE LA PROVENANCE STRATIGRAPHIQUE DES OS D'ANIMAUX IDENTIFIES.

Research paper thumbnail of IN THE COURSE OF THEIR HISTORY the Maya seem to present an

anomaly in the type of environmental setting considered favorable for the development of civiliza... more anomaly in the type of environmental setting considered favorable for the development of civilizations. Whereas a number of the more prominent of the world's high cultures have matured in an environment characterized by proximity to large quantities of surface water and by a dry climate, the Classic Maya lowlands lacked both of the these apparent benefits. The Peten forest contains no Yellow River, Nile, or Lake Texcoco. Far from being semi-desert, it is saturated with rain for many months of the year. A number of consequences have been deduced from this environmental difference, most of them based more on a priori reasoning than on archaeological fact. It has been claimed that Classic Maya lowland civilization (circa A.D. 200-900) could not have autochthonously evolved in the rain-forest and that, once started there, its environment was so lethal that the civilization was unable to survive. Claims such as these are rarely made at the present time, since archaeological evidence ...

Research paper thumbnail of Splendors of China's forbidden city: the glorious reign of emperor Qianlong

Choice Reviews Online, 2004

Use of the materials in this Educator Guide in combination with a field trip to the exhibition wi... more Use of the materials in this Educator Guide in combination with a field trip to the exhibition will help you link learning experiences to the following Illinois Learning Standards. Teachers will need to identify specific goals to map to individual lesson plans or larger units of study. This exhibition, while suitable for all students regardless of learning style, maps closely to concepts studied in later elementary, middle school, and high school Introduction to the Exhibition The Forbidden City is a walled compound in Beijing, and was built in 1420 as the symbolic heart of the Chinese empire. A 178-acre complex comprising over 9,000 rooms, the Forbidden City once housed the residences of the imperial family, government offices, ceremonial halls, storehouses, treasuries, and the facilities needed to support the imperial household, such as workshops, stables, kitchens, and gardens. During Qianlong's reign tens of thousands worked there, including eunuchs, maids, cooks, laborers, and artisans. Today it stands as the Palace Museum. Splendors of China's Forbidden City: The Glorious Reign of Emperor Qianlong is an unprecedented exhibition of nearly 400 artifacts from eighteenth-century imperial China. The exhibition is a vivid exploration of the long and eventful reign of Emperor Qianlong (1736-1795) and features artifacts and works of art never before seen outside China. The exhibition explores innovative themes: how an ethnic Manchu minority ruled over a vast Han Chinese majority; how the emperor and his wives and family lived; and what Qianlong was like as an individual-deeply religious, athletic, obsessed with technology and decoration, a great collector of art, a poet, and a brilliant, hands-on administrator.

Research paper thumbnail of Unwrapping the textile traditions of Madagascar

Unwrapping the Textile Traditions of Madagascar presents the first extensive treatment of Madagas... more Unwrapping the Textile Traditions of Madagascar presents the first extensive treatment of Madagascar's textile traditions region by region, giving a systematic overview of the woven products of each part of the country. It includes types of cloth that have previously been overlooked and explores contrasting uses and meanings among the highly varied cultures of the island. It also publishes for the first time many of the remarkable cloths from the collection assembled by Ralph Linton in 1926 and 1927 for the Field Museum, which represents perhaps as much as 50 percent of the textile heritage of Madagascar. Beautiful colour illustrations and scholarly commentary make this book useful for scholars, connoisseurs, and heritage-preservation experts, as well as weavers interested in reviving traditional techniques and designs.

Research paper thumbnail of Northern Chinese White Wares in 9 th Century Thailand

Symposium on Ancient Chinese White Porcelain Proceedings , 2005

This paper reports on two types of Chinese white wares that were recovered from the archaeologica... more This paper reports on two types of Chinese white wares that were recovered from the archaeological sites of Ko Kho Khao and Laem Pho in South Thailand. The sites were dated to the first half of the 9 th century by cultural context and inscriptions. The finding of Ding ware was expected. It is quite common at coastal sites of that period in Southeast Asia. However, the presence of Gongxian ware, whose provenance was ascertained by NA analysis, came as a surprise. That ware had not previously been known to form part of the 9 th century assemblage of Chinese export ceramics.

Research paper thumbnail of ASIANS AND ASIAN AMERICANS AT AMERICA’S WORLD FAIRS, 1876-1934

American Association for the Advancement of Science, Pacific Division, San Diego , 2011

A survey of Asian and Asian-Americans participation in world fairs in America.

Research paper thumbnail of Ho & Bronson ISSCO KL 2013.

ISSCO 8th Conference, Local, Regional and Transnational: Chinese Overseas Reconsidered convened by the Institute of Chinese Studies,, 2013

Chinese women in North America played a surprisingly important role during the 19th century.

Research paper thumbnail of The Glorious Reign of Emperor Qianlong

The Field Museum's Public Lecture Series , 2004

This lecture presents Emperor Qianlong's roles during his 60 year-long reign between 1736-1795, a... more This lecture presents Emperor Qianlong's roles during his 60 year-long reign between 1736-1795, as an imperial symbol, as a ruler, and as a designer and taste-maker. His outdoor activities and faith practices are examined through those lenses.

Research paper thumbnail of The Glorious Reign of Emperor Qianlong

The Field Museum's public lecture , 2004

This lecture examines Emperor Qianlong's different roles during his 60-year long reign between 17... more This lecture examines Emperor Qianlong's different roles during his 60-year long reign between 1736 and 1795 - as an emperor symbol, as a ruler, as well as a designer and taste maker. His outdoor activities and his faith practices are discussed through those lens.

Research paper thumbnail of Chinese in Early Northwest America - Through Chinese Eyes

COMING HOME IN GOLD BROCADE CHINESE IN EARLY NORTHWEST AMERICA. 衣锦梦、还乡情 金山西北角早期华人社会, 2015

We have focused here on the early decades of the Chinese presence on the Northwest, with 1911—the... more We have focused here on the early decades of the Chinese presence on the Northwest, with 1911—the year of the Chinese Revolution—as the cutoff point. We chose to use the term"Northwest" in the title because it refers unambiguously to the area covered by the book: southern Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, Idaho, western Montana, and Oregon.

Research paper thumbnail of Temples as Religious Documents

Chinese Traditional Religion and Temples in North America, 1849-1920: California. 美国华人早期传统宗教活动 -加州部分, 1850-1920, 2022

We have attempted in this book to cover all Chinese temples and shrines in California for which w... more We have attempted in this book to cover all Chinese temples and shrines in California for which we have found credible evidence between the arrival of the first Chinese gold seekers in 1850 and 1920, when traditional temples ceased being built. A 1920 cutoff does not limit us in terms of subject matter, for the great majority of the traditional Chinese temples that have ever existed on this continent had appeared and disappeared again by then. Our purpose in describing them is not just to show students of religious and ethnic history that temples are potential sources of vital information but also to convince non-academics that early Chinese places of worship once existed in their areas, and that a high priority should be placed on preserving their remains.

Research paper thumbnail of Bringing Opium Across the Pacific

Chinese Opium in America 1850 –1920. 美洲华人鸦片烟史 1850-1920, Sep 2023

Virtually all opium used in North America had to be imported from fields and merchant firms in A... more Virtually all opium used in North America had to be imported from fields and merchant firms in Asia, operated by various nationalities. This chapter covers some leading merchants - Chinese and Americans - who were involved in 19th century opium trade in America.