Simon Winchester

How 19th-century gold rushes led to a distrust of China

‘Coolies’ employed in large numbers to work in gold mines across the world were soon seen as a threat — a prejudice that endures to this day, says Mae Ngai

Columbia protects a Chinese immigrant from the Irish mob in an illustration by Thomas Nast, 1871. [Alamy]
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  • The Chinese Question: The Gold Rushes and Global Politics

    Mae Ngai

    W.W. Norton, pp. 440, £23

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Because you read about 19th-century history

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