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Chapter 21 - Race and Ethnicity

Chinese

from Part III - Historical and Cultural Contexts

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 December 2019

John Bird
Affiliation:
Winthrop University
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Summary

Mark Twain had a positive and supportive stance toward the Chinese from his time in the West and throughout his lifetime. He recognized the ill treatment of Chinese immigrants in Nevada and California, and he spoke out against brutal police tactics against Chinese in San Francisco. He collaborated with Bret Harte on a play, Ah Sin, which employs Chinese stereotypes, but also makes a pro-Chinese statement. As efforts toward Chinese exclusion intensified in the 1870s and 1880s, he was a strong supporter of Chinese rights. Although he never traveled to China during his lifetime, he is considered by the Chinese as a friend of their people and their country.

Type
Chapter
Information
Mark Twain in Context , pp. 213 - 223
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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References

Works Cited

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