Li on Angel Island

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Chapter 1: Land!

  Chapter 2: First Test

  Chapter 3: Oranges

  Chapter 4: Hon

  Chapter 5: Questions

  The History Behind Angel Island

  Orange Cake Surprise

  Glossary

  About the Author

  About the Illustrator

  Copyright

  Back Cover

  Chapter 1

  Land!

  November 1921,

  Angel Island

  Li looked over the deck of the SS San Juan, the ocean liner she had been traveling on for three weeks. The dark water was gray and choppy, and splashes of cold spray nipped her face.

  “Do you see it?” her older brother, Puck, asked as he leaned over the cool metal railings. “Angel Island!” He smiled, not caring that they were getting wet.

  Li peered into the distance. The rocky island was surrounded by fog. That made it look as though the sandy shore was the same shade as the sky. It was practically colorless. Already, California looked very different from their home back in China.

  “Why is it called Angel Island?” Li asked her brother.

  Puck was twelve, and really smart. He knew a lot about everything, especially history. He took a piece of paper out of his pocket and studied the writing. It was a note from Father, and Puck had memorized every word.

  “I think Father said it was from the early Spanish explorers. They thought the island protected the water like a guardian angel.” Puck quickly looked up. “Do you think we will have to know this fact on the test?”

  Li looked down at her feet. Once they landed on Angel Island, all the Chinese passengers would take a test of authenticity. They would have to prove that they were the people listed on their immigration papers.

  “I don’t think so,” Li said. “The test is supposed to see if we are Father’s family, not if we know about Angel Island.”

  Puck played with the folded-up piece of paper. “Do you still have your orange seed?”

  Li nodded and showed it to him. Before they’d left their home in Taishan, Puck had suggested Li sneak an orange seed into the seam of one of her shirts. She could plant a little bit of Taishan in their new American home. Puck always had clever ideas.

  As the ship sailed closer to shore, Li kept the orange seed in her hand. “Do you think we will pass the test?”

  Leaving their home was hard, but it would have been more difficult to stay. In China, the Fong family had been very poor. Father had been a farmer until he’d left for the United States more than five years ago, when Li was only four years old. His new job as a cook in San Francisco’s Chinatown had been a great gift. The U.S. dollar was worth a lot. The money he’d sent back to China gave them food to eat. They could afford rice and clothes.

  “I will,” Puck said, bumping playfully into Li’s shoulder.

  “Hey!” Li placed her hands on her hips. Li would miss China and her family and friends there. She would not miss the feeling of being hungry.

  Mother had saved up some of the money Father had sent so they could all join Father in San Francisco. He had been gone for so long, Li didn’t remember much about him. Li could hardly picture his face. She didn’t know how she would prove to the immigration officials that she was his daughter when she didn’t even remember what he looked like.

  Puck laughed as he teased his sister. “I’ll live in America, and you’ll be stuck back in China, feeding water buffalo for the rest of your life.”

  More water splashed onto the ship, sprinkling Li in the face. She wiped the ocean off her cheeks and shook the water onto her brother. “If I go back, who’s going to make you something to eat? You always burn the rice.”

  “Father, of course!” Puck dodged away as Li chased him around the deck. “Maybe I’ll get a job in the kitchen with him!”

  In the letters Father sent back home, he wrote about his job working as a cook in Chinatown. He said that the restaurant was so popular, even the Americans would come to Chinatown to stand in line to eat his food.

  Li laughed. Puck was a terrible cook. “You can’t cook,” she said. “They will have one bite of your food and kick you out of the country!”

  Thinking of food, Li’s stomach grumbled. “What do you think we will eat here?”

  Puck shrugged. “Anything will be better than the food on this boat.”

  He started to tear up the paper.

  Li watched in shock as her brother threw tiny pieces of paper off the ship. “What are you doing? You need those notes to study.”

  “I can’t let anyone on Angel Island know I had Father’s notes.” Puck watched the paper sink into the water. “They will think it is proof that we are imposters. Even though we are Father’s children, we need to make sure our answers match his.”

  The boat rocked, and Li felt dizzy. “I haven’t seen Father in so long. How can I convince people when I don’t remember him very well?”

  Just then, Mother came up to them. She had been in their quarters, collecting the few belongings they had. “You don’t have to remember Father to know he loves you.”

  Li leaned against her mother. “It feels so strange to leave China. I don’t know where I belong.”

  Mother placed her arms around Li. “You are still from China. You will also be from America. You are no different from the rest of the people who come to the United States, each with one foot in their past and the other in the present.”

  Puck looked over the water. “I can’t wait to put both feet on the ground again.”

  Soon the fog parted, and the ship reached the shore. People started to leave. Puck and Li stayed close to Mother as they made their way onto Angel Island.

  Once everyone was off the ship, men in uniforms looked over the passengers. They were sorted into groups: the Japanese, then other Asians, and, last, the Chinese.

  Li noticed that the white passengers walked right into the buildings on Angel Island. They didn’t have to wait to be counted or placed in a group.

  “Why don’t they have to wait?” Li asked Mother.

  Mother looked out into the ocean. “They aren’t Chinese.”

  Suddenly, there was a guard next to them. He was speaking loudly. Li felt her head spin. English sounded so fast. Someone translated the guard’s English words into Chinese.

  “How old is your son?” the translator asked Mother.

  “Twelve,” Mother answered.

  The translator spoke to the guard. The guard nodded and motioned for Puck to follow him.

  “What is happening?” Mother’s voice was frantic.

  “Children under twelve remain with their mothers. Your son is older and will be placed with the men on Angel Island,” the translator said.

  Puck, who usually seemed so strong, looked scared.

  “I’ll keep an eye on him,” a man in the group offered. He was a friend they’d made on the ship. “Puck will be safe with me.”

  Mother still looked anxious, but she tried to smile. “Thank you.”

  Li could not hide her worry. Her brother would not be with her. “No! Puck!” Li called out. She ran toward the group of men.

  “Li!” Mother said.

  Li pushed past the guards. She held Puck tightly. Hugging her brother felt like they were still back home, where no one could separate them.

  A guard walked over to Li. He spoke English in a loud voice. He was gruff and sounded angry though she couldn’t understand what he said. Grabbing her arm, he pushed her away from Puck.

  Li stumbled and fell to the ground. She held out her hands to catch her fall. As she did, the orange seed she had been holding tumbled to the earth.

  “
No!” Li said.

  She looked around in the dirt, but it was no use. The orange seed was lost.

  Chapter 2

  First Test

  Li shuffled her feet in line. Mother tried to whisper comforting things, but Li couldn’t listen. She could hardly hear all the translated instructions from the guards. Puck was gone. Father was far away. She had lost her orange seed—the only bit of home she had left.

  The group of women and children were led into a room. They were given crackers and bread that were stale and dry. Li wished for something hot, like rice porridge topped with vegetables and chicken.

  “Time for the medical inspection!” the translator said. The translator explained to them that they were in a detention center, a building where they would be examined for health before entering the main center on Angel Island. If they were not healthy, they could be sent back to China or spend the first few weeks in the hospital getting well. All the women and children lined up in single file.

  This was their first test on Angel Island.

  Immediately, Li was worried. She tugged on her mother’s sleeve and remembered her brother. “Puck has been sick,” she said. “Will he be sent back?”

  Mother smiled, but her forehead wrinkled in worry. “He was feeling better. I’m sure your brother will be okay.”

  The long line had still barely moved. It was as slow as a plow in the rice fields. As Li stared ahead, she imagined riding a water buffalo through Angel Island. The water buffalo would crash through the stone walls, and Li would rescue her brother. Together, they would collect Mother. Somehow, they would swim across the bay to San Francisco and be reunited with Father.

  As Li waited for the medical inspection, she noticed a boy standing nearby. He seemed to be about her age. It looked like he had no family with him. The boy wiped tears from his face.

  Li thought of Puck, who might be feeling the same way as this boy. She didn’t want anyone feeling like they were alone.

  She tapped the boy on the shoulder. “Hello. I’m Fong Li,” she said, using the formal last name first. What’s your name?”

  He sniffed. “Wang Hon.”

  Hon was shaking. He looked like he could use a big bowl of hot food or a warm blanket.

  Li had nothing to give him but a smile. So she did.

  “Where are you from?” Li asked.

  Hon looked at Li’s face and seemed to warm up. “Right now, nowhere. Where I used to live isn’t what I’m supposed to tell anyone.” He dropped his voice and leaned closer to Li. “I am pretending to be my uncle’s son. He sent papers over for me so I can live with him in America.”

  Li nodded. “You’re a paper son.”

  Many of the Chinese were having their children come to America as paper sons and daughters or documented legal children of others. They were often extended family members who were trying to give children a better life with more opportunities.

  Immigration for the Chinese was very tough. There were many rules in place to prevent them from coming to America. In his letters back home, Father wrote about the hatred many people in America felt toward immigrants from China. They thought they were taking away jobs from people who had been born in the United States.

  Father said there were many laws to stop Chinese people from moving to America. It seemed like the rules were getting stricter every day. That’s why Father thought it best for Li’s family to come to America now, before even more restrictions were added.

  Hon looked at the ground. “I’m not in China, I’m not in America. I am no one.”

  He looked so lost. Li felt sorry for him. Even though her first day on Angel Island was sad, at least she had Mother with her. Even if Puck was separated from them, she knew he was still on the island.

  Li knew Hon did not have his mother with him. She thought of her own and met Hon’s eye.

  “You are still from China,” she said, repeating Mother’s words. “You will also be from America. You are no different from the rest of us, each with one foot in our past and the other in our present.” Li gestured around the room. “We all came here for a better life.”

  Hon looked down at his hands. “I’m so afraid I’m going to fail the test. I will be sent home, and all the money my family saved up will go to waste.”

  Li thought of Puck. She remembered how much he had helped her study. Puck would want Li to help others too.

  Li smiled at Hon. This time, she hoped it shone even brighter. “I will help you. We will get off Angel Island together.”

  Hon glanced up at Li. He looked hopeful. “Thank you,” he said.

  Just then, Li noticed they were at the front of the line. She was startled to see the workers at the hospital dressed all in white. It was frightening. White was the color of funerals in China. Li felt like she was walking toward her own death.

  “Once you are behind the curtain,” a translator said, “remove all your clothing for the examination.”

  Li looked for Mother, but she had been moved into another line across the room.

  Li felt scared. She had never been inspected like this before. Maybe this was the end for her. She couldn’t study or prepare for a medical test. Either she was healthy, or she wasn’t.

  When it was time for her inspection, Li didn’t look at anyone. She was embarrassed to stand in front of strangers without any clothes on.

  After her examination, Li was found healthy. She had passed the first test. She hoped that Puck had passed too.

  Li rejoined mother. Mother had passed the test too. Without speaking, they embraced.

  Li was still worried. This first test, without any words, had been hard. How am I going to pass the exam where I have to answer questions, Li wondered? In her first hours on Angel Island, she had already been sorted into a group. Separated from her brother. Looked over for physical health.

  Li was starting to feel less like a person and more like an animal being herded around. This feeling almost made Li forget why she was here and where she really came from. Would she be able to hold on to her memories of China and remember who she was?

  Chapter 3

  Oranges

  Li and Mother followed the rest of the group of women and children to their barracks—the building where they would live. With help from an interpreter, Angel Island guards showed them around and explained that there were separate buildings for the Chinese immigrants. The women and children were kept apart from the men, and all Chinese people were segregated from the white immigrants. There was a dining hall for the Chinese where the men and women would eat in shifts to avoid seeing one another. The women had their own outside play area, and their own barracks.

  The guards showed them their living quarters on Angel Island. Bunk beds stacked two or three high were crammed into a large room. Bare light bulbs hung from the ceiling. A ping-pong table was at the end of the room. The windows had iron bars on them.

  On the wall, Li saw markings. She looked closer and saw that they were words.

  “Mother,” Li said. “Look.”

  Mother squeezed Li’s hand tight. “So many sorrowful stories on these walls.”

  Li looked around. Poems were scrawled out in several places. Li was glad that there was no poetry near her bunk. She didn’t want to sleep underneath such sadness.

  Li sank onto her bed. This was her home for now. If she didn’t pass the test, it might be her only home in America. It didn’t feel like a home, though. She glanced at the poetry on the walls. It was more like a prison.

  Mother stood next to her at the window and pointed out San Francisco to the west as well as Oakland to the east. Then she pointed across the window.

  “Father is there,” Mother said. “Just across those waters. We will be reunited with him soon.”

  Li continued to look out the barred windows onto the bay. All she saw was the dark water keeping them from entering San Francisco. She hoped Mother was right.

  That evening, Li went outside to play and study with Hon. They talked about village life
back home. They shared the same love of water buffalo and oranges.

  Li leaned in close to Hon. “I brought an orange seed from back home,” she said.

  Hon frowned. “Why?”

  “I was planning on growing an orange tree in my new home.” Li looked around the island. “Except I dropped it in the dirt.”

  Hon kicked around a rock. “Well, Angel Island is your home. Maybe it will take root here and grow.”

  “Hopefully it’s on the Chinese side of the island,” Li said.

  There were two courtyards on Angel Island. Like the dining hall, they were segregated. One was for the white immigrants and the other was for the Chinese. Li did not like the division.

  Hon peered out over the fence that separated them. “If everyone else is nice, maybe we will share our oranges.”

  “If we had our water buffalo,” Li said, “I would ride through the courtyard and tear down this fence between us.”

  Li and Hon laughed. Then Li heard a woman on the Chinese side of the courtyard crying.

  A couple of women near Li started to whisper. “She did not pass the test,” one woman said.

  “How sad,” the other woman answered. “Now she will have to go back.”

  It felt like a sack of oranges had hit Li in the stomach. She thought of the sad poetry on the walls of the barracks. The test was real. If she didn’t pass the next test, she would go back to China on the next boat—without Mother, Puck, or Father. She would be just like this woman in the courtyard. Separated from her family and all alone.

  ****

  December 1921,

  Angel Island

  A month passed, and Li and Mother settled into their new life on Angel Island. Since the women and children were separated from the men, they did not see Puck. Every day Li thought about her brother as she waited for her turn to be questioned. The exam could take days or even longer. Mother had already gone through three days of questioning. She hoped it would be over soon.

  Li tried to remember the answers she had studied. If Mother hadn’t told her that it had only been a month since they arrived on Angel Island, Li would have thought they had been there for years. She was starting to forget her life back in China. The water buffalo and orange trees were beginning to feel like a dream.