A volume in the series The Asian American Experience, this book is a collection of essays by Him Mark Lai, a prominent Chinese American non-professional historian who was originally trained as an engineer. This book records the history of Chinese American communities with a focus on the Chinese leftists' struggles in the United States with other political actors such as traditional Chinese powers and the Nationalist government during the nineteenth and twentieth century. It also discusses the interactions of the Chinese leftists with the American Communist Party, the Communist International, and relevant actors of China, which are all embedded in the transnational and national historical contexts.
This book is organized in chronological order, including an introduction by Madeline Hsu and five essays written and revised over three decades by the author. Hsu's introduction puts Chinese American history in the national context of United States history. Hsu also discusses the...