"The first Chinese-American", "Chinese Martin Luther King", "Chinese-American hero" and "one of the first five students studying in the United States"?
He has too many auras and honors, but he is constantly forgotten by history.
The boy named Wang Qingfu was born in a wealthy Confucian family. However, his father was weak and incompetent, and his family coveted his property and attempted robbery, which led to Wang Qingfu living on the streets and becoming a beggar.
186 1 year, 14-year-old Wang Qingfu was taken in by an American missionary, Mr. and Mrs. Looms, and was baptized in 1867. In the same year, he came to the University of Louisburg (now Bucknall University) to study.
Wang Qingfu is the only foreigner with pigtails among 30 students. Although he is different from American culture, his teacher still recognizes his performance very much.
"He is thrifty, enterprising and energetic, and he is a natural Yankee."
"This is the complete opposite of the gloomy and sentimental character of his race."
However, Wang Qingfu did not graduate from this school smoothly, nor did he achieve excellent results. His adoptive parents hope that he can go back to China to preach.
It was six years after Wang Qingfu left school, that is, 1876, that the Qing government sent the first batch of formal international students to the United States. So Wang Qingfu was included? One of the first five international students in China? (before the official birth).
This study abroad experience can help Wang Qingfu get a decent job in China, but Wang Qingfu chose a very desperate move.
Wang Qingfu before returning to China at the age of 23.
Before 1870 returned to China, 23-year-old Wang Qingfu spent several months traveling around the United States to observe the political, economic and social conditions here.
After returning to China, Wang Qingfu worked in the General Taxation Department of Shanghai Customs, and his position was quite high. At this time, he also married a woman named Liu and gave birth to a child. It is worth noting that Wang Qingfu was expelled from the Christian church at this time, and the reason may be found in his later thoughts.
Life is like this, no regrets. However, Wang Qingfu obviously still has ideals in his heart.
In his spare time, he often gives lectures to the people and tells his family what he saw and heard in America.
He set up a society to improve people's spiritual and moral level in an attempt to revive people's awakening and asked people to ban opium.
Later, Wang Qingfu also joined an anti-Qing organization (or had an affair with an anti-Qing organization, or formed an anti-Qing organization himself, with different opinions) in an attempt to launch a rebellion to subvert the Qing government. However, a large number of weapons he bought in the United States were discovered by China Customs, and Wang Qingfu himself became a wanted man.
Wang Qingfu was helpless, abandoned his wife and children and fled to Japan alone. During this period, he married a Japanese wife and later moved to the United States.
1873, Wang Qingfu returned to the United States. Three years ago, he regretted that he might never go back in this life.
Only 1 year later, Wang Qingfu obtained American citizenship. In many foreign media descriptions, they called Wang Qingfu "the first Chinese".
At this time, few Chinese in the United States had such an educational background as Wang Qingfu. Most of them are coolies from China, and many of them are sent to the United States as "slaves" (pigs).
China workers in the United States
With the increase in the number of Chinese in the United States and the economic crisis in the United States 1869, more serious social contradictions have been triggered. The global financial crisis has led to the bankruptcy of countless American companies due to "railway speculation", resulting in countless people losing their jobs.
Among them, the interests of Chinese groups in the United States have been seriously damaged. Of the more than 654.38 million Chinese Americans, more than half are hard workers working in the railway industry. After the company went bankrupt, they suddenly lost the pillar of their lives, and countless people became refugees.
Publicity album of Chinese Exclusion Act
Objectively speaking, Chinese groups without education and jobs have become a time bomb in American society, which has seriously affected local public security and social order. At that time, China people mainly lived in slums and underworld areas.
The rise of "white supremacy" in the United States Even during the US presidential election, candidates from both parties even shouted anti-China slogans.
Wang Qingfu can't stand being discriminated against by his compatriots. He spontaneously launched a series of social activities, trying to improve the social status of Chinese in the United States.
He became a speaker and journalist, and traveled all over the country to explain China culture to all Americans and defend the dignity of China people.
Some of Wang Qingfu's ideas are exactly the same as those of Martin Luther King more than 70 years later, so that many Americans call Wang Qingfu "Martin Luther King of China". Of course, Wang Qingfu also became one of the earliest civil rights fighters in American history.
At that time, many anti-China people were active in the United States. They openly declared that China people are "infidels who don't believe in God", and they were doomed to never be born again, and constantly vilified the image of China people, which made Wang Qingfu unbearable.
1883, he founded a weekly newspaper named Huayang New Newspaper in new york, which used the title of Chinese-American for the first time, but it soon closed down because of poor management.
He wrote dozens of articles about the mysteries of China's life in newspapers all over the country, including an article entitled "Why am I a heretic? At 1887. Caused a wide range of repercussions. The article condemns Christianity itself and promotes Confucianism and Buddhism. It believes that many ideas in Christianity were put forward by Confucius thousands of years ago, but it has made countless Americans ridicule Wang Qingfu for making Americans "convert to Confucius."
In addition, there are various statements that are higher than the hustle and bustle:
"People in China eat rats and dog meat."
"Cheap China workers have taken away American jobs."
"China people must go out."
After many speeches, Wang Qingfu was even beaten and threatened by mobs.
On the one hand, Americans don't understand, on the other hand, compatriots don't cooperate.
1884, Wang Qingfu established the first Chinese American Voters Association in history. He hoped that China compatriots in the United States would wear suits, abstain from gambling and opium, cut their braids, close brothels, abide by the law and so on, and strive to integrate their compatriots into western life. However, the results have been minimal, and many Chinese in the United States still "go their own way".
Wang Qingfu stubbornly built China Theatre, Language School and Confucius Temple in new york.
However, all Wang Qingfu's efforts have had little effect. Although he put forward many insightful opinions, he still did not change the prejudice against Chinese in American society, nor did he change the reality that a small number of Chinese in the United States formed a triad society to disturb local public security.
1882, the US Congress promulgated the Chinese Exclusion Act, which restricted China from immigrating to the United States. After 10, a stricter Geely Act was announced, requiring all China people living in the United States to register in the United States and obtain a work permit.
A stone stirred up a thousand waves, 150 educated Chinese businessmen and intellectuals formed the "Chinese Equal Rights Alliance". As the president of the alliance, Wang Qingfu attended the hearing in the US Congress in May, 5438+0893+ 10. However, the Geely Act was ruled unconstitutional, and all Chinese in the United States were forced to apply for work permits.
Equal rights and elimination of racial discrimination against Chinese have always been Wang Qingfu's lifelong pursuit, but in his lifetime, such a dream has never come true.
1896 After leaving China for 23 years, Wang Qingfutuo's friend in China finally found his family and received a letter from his son. He wrote back to his son and said, "The main reason why I left my hometown is that I want to work for my compatriots in this country."
Two years later, he returned to his hometown for a brief reunion with his family, but unfortunately he fell ill and died at the age of 5 1.
He was a supporter of Sun Yat-sen's democratic revolution.
It was not until after 1943 that the US completely abolished the Chinese Exclusion Act, which prohibited China people from becoming naturalized, because a large number of high-end talents from China went to the US.
As he said, "the only requirement for becoming an American citizen should be his character and health."
"Character and health should be the necessary conditions for all people who aspire to become citizens of the United States of America."
7 1 year later, Martin Luther king followed his thought and said in his speech "I have a dream": "I have a dream that one day my four children will live in a country where people will judge them not by their skin color, but by their character."
References:
Scott seligman's The First Chinese American: The Extraordinary Life of Huang Zhanfu
ASIANWEEK employee "Chinese American Hero: Huang Zhanfu"
The forgotten story of "the first Chinese American"
Wang Chengxian's The First Chinese American originated in Jimo.
Wang Qianfu of Lewisburg