On Gold Mountain: The One-Hundred-Year Odyssey of My Chinese-American Family

Lisa See

Aug 2014 · Sold by Vintage

About this ebook

From the bestselling author of The Island of Sea Women, here is the true story of the one-hundred-year-odyssey of the author’s Chinese-American family, combining years of research with “fascinating family anecdotes, imaginative details, and the historical details of immigrant life” (Amy Tan, bestselling author of The Joy Luck Club).

"As engagingly readable as any novel." —Los Angeles Times Book Review

In 1867, Lisa See's great-great-grandfather arrived in America, where he prescribed herbal remedies to immigrant laborers who were treated little better than slaves. His son Fong See later built a mercantile empire and married a Caucasian woman, in spite of laws prohibiting interracial marriage. Lisa herself grew up playing in her family's antiques store in Los Angeles's Chinatown, listening to stories of missionaries and prostitutes, movie stars and Chinese baseball teams.

See’s family history encompasses secret marriages, entrepreneurial genius, romance, racism, and much more, as two distinctly different cultures meet in a new world in this “lovingly rendered…vivid tableau of a family and an era” (People).

Ratings and reviews

I really enjoyed reading about back in the old days. This book was easy to read, flowed very well, and helped me to understand how different life was back then. I like to read books on history and this one kept my interest through it's entirety, even the photos are an excellent touch. Definitely recommend this book if you have any interest in history.

As a Chinese from China, I have always been fascinated by the "overseas Chinese". How do they relate to China, if they relate to China at all? Who identifies themselves as Chinese? Having lived in North America for my entire adult life, I am amazed by how my friends and acquaintances of Chinese descent answer these questions in their own unique ways. Lisa definitely deepens my understanding of the "overseas Chinese" experience. The chronicle of the Chinese part of her family was written with much love &care

Such an inspiring story. I admire the care and years-long effort radiating off each page of this book. It makes me want to learn more about my own family history!

About the author

LISA SEE is the New York Times bestselling author of Shanghai Girls, Peony in Love, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Flower Net (an Edgar Award nominee), The Interior and Dragon Bones. She wrote the libretto for the Los Angeles Opera adaptation of On Gold Mountain and served as curator for the Autry Museum of Western Heritage’s exhibit On Gold Mountain: A Chinese American Experience, also featured at the Smithsonian Institute. The Organization of Chinese American Women named her the 2001 National Woman of the Year. She lives in Los Angeles.