Helen Foster James - Paper Son: Lees Journey to America

Paper Son

LEES JOURNEY TO AMERICA

Written by Helen Foster James & Virginia Shin-Mui Loh
Illustrated by Wilson Ong

S LEEPING B EAR P RESS

T ALES of Y OUNG A MERICANS S ERIES

For Larry Dane Brimner, Pam Muoz Ryan, Jean Ferris,
Kathleen Krull, Paul Brewer, and Deborah Halverson.
Helen

To my husband, Jeffrey Hagan.
Virginia

To my father, who dreamed of coming to America, so that his posterity could dream.
Wilson

Sleeping Bear Press gratefully acknowledges and thanks Ying Manrique for her assistance in translating the Chinese characters that are depicted on the walls of the Angel Island dormitories.

The translation of the quote on page 20: How was I to know I would become a prisoner suffering in the wooden building? is from the book Island: Poetry and History of Chinese Immigrants on Angel Island, 19101940 by Him Mark Lai, Genny Lim, and Judy Yung, published by University of Washington Press (Seattle and London).

Text Copyright 2013 Helen Foster James and Virginia Shin-Mui Loh
Illustration Copyright 2013 Wilson Ong

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews and articles. All inquiries should be addressed to:

Sleeping Bear Press

315 E. Eisenhower Parkway, Suite 200

Ann Arbor, MI 48108

www.sleepingbearpress.com

Printed and bound in the United States.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

James, Helen Foster, 1951
Paper son : Lees journey to America / written by Helen Foster James and
Virginia Shin-Mui Loh ; illustrated by Wilson Ong.
p. cm.
Summary: Twelve-year-old Lee, an orphan, reluctantly leaves his grandparents
in China for the long sea voyage to San Francisco, where he and other immigrants
undergo examinations at Angel Island Immigration Station.
ISBN 978-1-58536-833-4
[1. Emigration and immigrationFiction. 2. ImmigrantsFiction. 3. Angel
Island Immigration Station (Calif.)Fiction 4. Chinese AmericansFiction.
5. OrphansFiction. 6. Angel Island (Calif.)History20th centuryFiction.]
I. Loh, Virginia Shin-Mui. II. Ong, Wilson, ill. III. Title.
PZ7.J154115Pap 2013
[Fic]dc23 2012033691

W hats this? Lee thumbed through pages of Chinese words, telling another persons story.

Your coaching book. You must learn every detail. Youll be questioned in Gum Saan. PoPo touched Lees cheek. Youll leave for America in three weeks.

Why cant I stay here with you and Gong Gong? Lee had just celebrated his twelfth birthday but felt little and lost at the thought of leaving his grandparents.

Before your parents were killed by bandits, they bought you a paper son slot from Uncle Fu. They spent all their money and borrowed the rest. Gong Gong and I have been saving money to pay off their debts.

How much did it cost?

One hundred dollars for each of your years.

Thats too much money! Can we get it back? Lee knew they needed farm equipment and a new roof. He remembered nights hed gone hungry dreaming of steamed fish with brown sauce and long noodles with chicken and bok choy.

This is better for your future, our future. Look at the Chans. Chan Ho was sent to Gum Saan. Now he sends money home every month. They never worry about being hungry.

I dont want to go!

In Gum Saan, mountains are topped with gold and streets are paved with silver. Our mountains are topped with wars and our streets are paved with bandits. Gong Gong and I are old and sick. This is no place for you.

How will you work our land without me?

Well manage. You must go and make us proud.

Lee didnt want to travel to the Land of the Flowery Flag, but knew PoPo was speaking the truth. Ill go to Gum Saan and send money for food and medicine. Ill make you proud.

PoPo wiped away a tear. Youve made me proud already.

My name is Fu Lee. My father, Fu Ming, is an American. I was born on Lee studied his coaching book. He was no longer Wang Lee. He was Fu Lee, his chi ming, his paper son name. He would have a new family. Hed have to forget about PoPo and Gong Gong.

PoPo stopped her stitching. In your heart youll always belong to me.

Lee memorized every detail about his paper family: The village temple faced southeast. Their clock sits to the right of the family portrait on the altar.

Every night PoPo quizzed Lee. How many windows are in the Fu house?

Three.

No, there are three doors and five windows. Study more, PoPo scolded. Gum Saan men ask your paper father the same questions. They compare answers. You must convince them youre Fus real son. Otherwise

Well lose the money and Ill be deported.

PoPo continued stitching. No need to think about that. Youll make us proud.

Lee traveled to Canton where he boarded a train to Hong Kong. He marked the day in his mind: The Year of the Tiger, 1926, four days before the Lantern Festival.

In Hong Kong, Lee boarded a large ship called the S.S. President Lincoln. He would rather be on the farm, rubbing PoPos feet and listening to Gong Gongs stories. His fingers traced the rim of his cap, feeling PoPos careful stitching.

Lee spent his days on deck, away from the stale dampness of his quarters. He spent nights dreaming of his true family, but details of Fus village filled his mind. My name is Fu Lee. My father, Fu Ming, is an American. I was born on...

On the twenty-first day, a booming voice shouted, I see land! Gum Saan!

Lee remembered PoPos words: Dont trust anyone. Dont let anyone see your coaching book. If people saw it, theyd know he was a paper son. Lee dropped his coaching book into the chilly waters.

In San Francisco, Lee and other Chinese were taken on a small boat to the Angel Island Immigration Station. Lees sea legs felt like limp bamboo as he walked on the dock.

Guards, luk yi, barked orders. An interpreter repeated them in Chinese. Men to the right. Girls to the left.