Beneath the watchful gaze of the mountains that echo tales of far-off lands, there is a man named Li. He is a simple man from Guangzhou who is beginning a journey across the Pacific Ocean to America in the summertime of 1863.
Leaving Guangzhou is not an easy decision for Li. It is the place of his family and ancestors, the land that cradles their stories and wisdom. Yet, it has also been a place of turmoil and war. His parents encourage him to explore a new life in America. He promises one day to bring them to the new land.
His journey begins on a wooden ship amongst men like him, who bear the weight of dreams and the scent of their homeland. They are a sea of faces full of anticipation, fear, and determination. Li steps aboard carrying a small keepsake from his mother – a jade pendant, cool and smooth to the touch. It embodies her love, her blessings wrapped in its green depths. And from his father, a man of few words but profound wisdom, Li carries a copy of the Tao Te Ching, its pages worn from years of use. “Let the Tao guide you,” his father advised him in a steady and comforting voice. “And always remember, the journey is the reward.”
These gifts become Li’s anchors throughout the long and arduous voyage, a connection to his roots and a reminder of his purpose. In stressful moments, he runs his fingers over the jade pendant, feeling the warmth of his mother’s love. During quieter times, he delves into the Tao, his father’s wisdom echoing in the ancient words. When the sea rages and the ship groans under the weight of the storm, Li thinks of his family; their love is like armor protecting him from fear and despair.
Upon reaching San Francisco, Li is surprised by the city’s fervor. Its heart beats with a chaotic rhythm. But this new world is not for him to settle in. As with many Chinese men coming over, he takes a job working on building the Transcontinental Railroad and moves to the Sierra Nevada for work.
—
Life in the Sierra Nevada is harsh. Winter temperatures are low, and the cold pierces through clothes, biting into one’s bones. The work hours feel endless, while the men are treated as countless and replaceable. Frustration and despair creep in at times. “Just as the bamboo bends with the wind but does not break, we too must endure,” Li pictures his father saying.
In the evenings, the workers share tales around the campfire under a velvet sky embroidered with stars. Friendships form. Li becomes friends with men who, like him, have left their homes searching for dreams. They come from different parts of China, speaking in dialects as diverse as their stories. But they share a common purpose.
Days turn into weeks, weeks into months. The railroad grows, a black ribbon unspooling across the vast canvas of America. Then one day, disaster strikes. An explosion, intended to clear the path for the tracks, sends a hail of rocks tumbling down the mountainside. Li, caught in the cascade, is buried beneath the rubble.
His friends dig through the stones, their hearts pounding louder than their hammers ever have. Finally, they find Li unconscious but alive.
—
As Li heals, a new arrival graces their camp; a woman named Mei. Mei steps into their world like the first blossom of spring, bringing warmth to the harsh Sierra Nevada. Like Li, she has left behind the familiar landscapes of China, drawn by the allure of dreams yet to be woven into reality. She is resilient and kind, her spirit shining brightly amidst the toil and grime. Her purpose is to nurse the ailing, to breathe life back into the worn-out bodies of the workers. But more than a healer, she is a beacon of hope, a reminder of the tenderness they all carry within their hardened exteriors.
Li first notices Mei not for her beauty but for her spirit. He sees her treating the injured, her hands moving with the grace of a calligrapher. He sees how she listens to their stories, her eyes reflecting their pain and resilience.
In their first conversation, Mei’s warmth draws Li in. He talks of his family, life back home, and his mother’s cooking. Her face lights up when he speaks of the Tao and his belief in the harmony of all things. “I, too believe in the Tao,” she says, her voice weaving magic into the night air.
From then, their friendship blossoms. They find solace in each other. As the railroad stretches, so does their bond. Love unfolds in laughter, quiet moments, and the spaces between their words.
Soon, work on the railroad ends. As the last spike is driven, a telegraph message echoes across the land: “DONE.” The men cheer, their voices rising to meet the eagles in the sky. Li simply smiles, his eyes reflecting the sun glinting off the rails.
—
Li stands waiting on the docks of San Francisco, the same docks where he first stepped onto American soil. His heart beats in rhythm with the crashing waves, anticipation mingling with anxiety. And then, he sees them – his parents, their figures framed by the massive ship that carried them across the ocean.
As they step onto the docks, Li rushes forward, wrapping them in a tight embrace. Their faces are more lined than he remembers, their bodies frail, but their eyes are the same, filled with warmth and love.
Li shows them the life he has built. He introduces them to Mei, now his wife, who welcomes them with a respectful bow and a radiant smile. He takes them to the railroad, their hands brushing the tracks he helped lay, their eyes wide with wonder and pride. And then he takes them to a home he has built overlooking the water, with a garden and a library.
“My son, you have found your way,” his father says, with eyes watering and a tear streaming down.
—
Notes
“Li’s American Dream” is a historical fiction short story. While based on real events, the story, characters, and incidents are fictitious.
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