
Ghosts of Gold Mountain
The Epic Story of the Chinese Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad
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Narrated by:
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David Shih
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By:
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Gordon H. Chang
About this listen
A groundbreaking, breathtaking history of the Chinese workers who built the Transcontinental Railroad, helping to forge modern America only to disappear into the shadows of history until now.
From across the sea, they came by the thousands, escaping war and poverty in southern China to seek their fortunes in America. Converging on the enormous western worksite of the Transcontinental Railroad, the migrants spent years dynamiting tunnels through the snow-packed cliffs of the Sierra Nevada and laying tracks across the burning Utah desert. Their sweat and blood fueled the ascent of an interlinked, industrial United States. But those of them who survived this perilous effort would suffer a different kind of death - a historical one, as they were pushed first to the margins of American life and then to the fringes of public memory.
In this groundbreaking account, award-winning scholar Gordon H. Chang draws on unprecedented research to recover the Chinese railroad workers' stories and celebrate their role in remaking America. An invaluable correction of a great historical injustice, The Ghosts of Gold Mountain returns these "silent spikes" to their rightful place in our national saga.
©2019 Gordon H. Chang (P)2019 HighBridge, a division of Recorded BooksListeners also enjoyed...
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Another butcher of the Chinese language
- By Jack Hanson on 09-19-21
By: Ezra F. Vogel
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Last Boat Out of Shanghai
- The Epic Story of the Chinese Who Fled Mao's Revolution
- By: Helen Zia
- Narrated by: Nancy Wu
- Length: 17 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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The dramatic real-life stories of four young people caught up in the mass exodus of Shanghai in the wake of China's 1949 Communist revolution. Benny must decide either to escape to Hong Kong or navigate the intricacies of a newly Communist China. Annuo, forced to flee with her father, a defeated Nationalist official, becomes an unwelcome exile in Taiwan. The financially strapped Ho fights deportation from the US in order to continue his studies while his family struggles at home. Bing, given away by her poor parents, faces the prospect of a new life among strangers in America.
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Great book, poor performance
- By Helpful Buyer on 07-02-19
By: Helen Zia
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The Chinese and the Iron Road
- Building the Transcontinental Railroad (Asian America)
- By: Gordon Chang - editor, Shelley Fisher Fishkin - editor
- Narrated by: Jack de Golia
- Length: 15 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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The completion of the transcontinental railroad in May 1869 is usually told as a story of national triumph and a key moment for American Manifest Destiny. The Railroad made it possible to cross the country in a matter of days instead of months, paved the way for new settlers to come out west, and helped speed America's entry onto the world stage as a modern nation that spanned a full continent. It also created vast wealth for its four owners, including the fortune with which Leland Stanford would found Stanford University some two decades later.
By: Gordon Chang - editor, and others
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Emperor of Japan
- Meiji and His World, 1852-1912
- By: Donald Keene
- Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin
- Length: 38 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Little has been written about the strangely obscured figure of Meiji himself, the first Japanese emperor ever to meet a European. But now, Donald Keene sifts the available evidence to present a rich portrait not only of Meiji but also of rapid and sometimes violent change during this pivotal period in Japan's history. Emperor of Japan conveys in sparkling prose the complexity of the man and offers an unrivaled portrait of Japan in a period of unique interest.
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Great book. Terrible narration.
- By Ken Snyder on 07-05-23
By: Donald Keene
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Defending Heaven
- China's Mongol Wars, 1209-1370
- By: James Waterson, John Man - Foreword
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 8 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Defending Heaven brings together, for the first time in one volume, a complete history of the Jin, Song, and Ming dynasties' wars fought against the Mongols. Lasting nearly two centuries, these wars, fought to defend Chinese civilization against a brutal and unrelenting foe, pitted personal heroics against the inexorable Mongol war machine and involved every part of the Chinese state.
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I struggled to keep track of all the names, but I
- By Stef on 04-04-24
By: James Waterson, and others
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The Bad Popes
- By: E.R. Chamberlin
- Narrated by: Nigel Patterson
- Length: 11 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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The papal tiara has been worn by a number of infamous men through the course of its history. Some have been accused of murder, many have had mistresses, while others sold positions in the church to their followers or gave land and wealth to their illegitimate children. E. R. Chamberlin examines the lives of eight of the most controversial popes, from the reign of Pope Stephen VI, who had his predecessor exhumed, put on trial and thrown in the Tiber, in the ninth century, through to Pope Clement VII, whose failed international policy led to the Sack of Rome in 1527.
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Complete trash.
- By George on 07-16-21
By: E.R. Chamberlin
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The Beautiful Country and the Middle Kingdom
- America and China, 1776 to the Present
- By: John Pomfret
- Narrated by: Tom Perkins
- Length: 30 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Our relationship with China remains one of the most complex and rapidly evolving and is perhaps one of the most important to our nation's future. Here, John Pomfret, the author of the best-selling Chinese Lessons, takes us deep into these two countries' shared history and illuminates in vibrant, stunning detail every major event, relationship, and ongoing development that has affected diplomacy between these two booming, influential nations.
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Indispensable for understanding the US China relationship
- By D. Keith on 03-12-17
By: John Pomfret
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24 Hours in Ancient China
- A Day in the Life of the People Who Lived There
- By: Yijie Zhuang
- Narrated by: Kathleen Li
- Length: 7 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Spend twenty-four hours with the ancient Chinese. Travel back to AD 17, during the fourth year of the reign of Wang Mang of the Han dynasty, a vibrant and innovative era full of conflicts and contradictions. But as different as the Han culture might have been to other great ancient civilizations, the inhabitants of ancient China faced the same problems as people have for time immemorial: earning enough money, coping with workplace dramas, and keeping your home in order.
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Fascinating and informative, Compelling stories, all very well written.
- By Zeek on 01-23-25
By: Yijie Zhuang
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The Last Days of the Incas
- By: Kim MacQuarrie
- Narrated by: Norman Dietz
- Length: 21 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1532, the 54-year-old Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro led a force of 167 men, including his four brothers, to the shores of Peru. Unbeknownst to the Spaniards, the Inca rulers of Peru had just fought a bloody civil war in which the emperor Atahualpa had defeated his brother, Huascar. Pizarro and his men soon clashed with Atahualpa and a huge force of Inca warriors at the Battle of Cajamarca.
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Interesting but problematic
- By Matthew on 11-05-07
By: Kim MacQuarrie
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Mr. Wilson's War
- From the Assassination of McKinley to the Defeat of the League of Nations
- By: John Dos Passos
- Narrated by: David Drummond
- Length: 23 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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This is the story of the war we won and the peace we lost, told with a clear historical perspective and a warm interest in the remarkable people who guided the United States through one of the most crucial periods. Foremost in the cast of characters is Woodrow Wilson, the shy, brilliant, revered, and misunderstood "schoolmaster", whose administration was a complex of apparent contradictions.
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A Really Excellent History Book, Very Well Narrated
- By Frank Donnelly on 08-22-20
By: John Dos Passos
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William Walker's Wars
- How One Man's Private American Army Tried to Conquer Mexico, Nicaragua, and Honduras
- By: Scott Martelle
- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 12 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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In the decade before the onset of the Civil War, groups of Americans engaged in a series of longshot - and illegal - forays into Mexico, Cuba, and other Central American countries in hopes of taking them over. These efforts became known as filibustering, and their goal was to seize territory to create new independent fiefdoms, which would ultimately be annexed by the still-growing United States. Most failed miserably. William Walker was the outlier. Soft-spoken with no military background, in 1856 he managed to install himself as president of Nicaragua.
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Riveting
- By Jean on 03-17-19
By: Scott Martelle
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The Water Kingdom
- A Secret History of China
- By: Philip Ball
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 12 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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From the Yangtze to the Yellow River, China is traversed by great waterways, which have defined its politics and ways of life for centuries. Water has been so integral to China's culture, economy, and growth and development that it provides a window on the whole sweep of Chinese history. In The Water Kingdom, renowned writer Philip Ball opens that window to offer an epic and powerful new way of thinking about Chinese civilization. Water, Ball shows, is a key that unlocks much of Chinese culture.
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Real History with great narrative
- By Duc Laurent on 03-05-18
By: Philip Ball
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Ibn Saud
- The Desert Warrior Who Created the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
- By: Michael Darlow, Barbara Bray
- Narrated by: Brian Bascle
- Length: 21 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Ibn Saud grew to manhood living the harsh traditional life of the desert nomad, a life that had changed little since the days of Abraham. Equipped with immense physical courage, he fought and won, often with weapons and tactics not unlike those employed by the ancient Assyrians, a series of astonishing military victories over a succession of enemies much more powerful than himself. Over the same period, he transformed himself from a minor sheikh into a revered king and elder statesman, courted by world leaders such as Churchill and Roosevelt.
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Short-est Way to Learn about the Modern Day Saudia
- By Shah Alam on 02-18-14
By: Michael Darlow, and others
What listeners say about Ghosts of Gold Mountain
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- CT
- 05-22-23
Fascinating history of the Chinese rail workers
I enjoyed this story very much! The writer gives a colorful account of early Chinese immigrants who built the rail road between Sacramento and Utah. The narrator had an annoying and frequent habit of making awkward pauses to emphasize quotes, translations or descriptions.
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- Tdavidii
- 01-04-25
Dive in to the US history of the internal rail
I saw this book at the Golden Spike national historic monument. And decided to dive in. I’m glad I did, I learned a lot. And gained a perspective of things that are as well discussed.
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- Amazon Customer
- 01-06-25
Amazing History!
This was a very good book. I didn't know about the Chinese immigrants part when building the railroad. It was engaging and entertaining. Great research!
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- Amazon Customer
- 06-25-19
Very inspiring, educational, and enlightening!
We had no idea the details, sacrifice, and intensity of the involvement of these Men towards the advancement of our nation connecting the East to the West. Their dedication to the traditions of how their culture defines them has greatly impacted our history. We cannot believe their dedication under the intensity of such suffering and ungrateful treatment. This story starts out slowly. Stick with it as it begins to unfold an incredible story that you will truly appreciate.
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7 people found this helpful
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- Russell Bernard
- 08-05-20
Very well done history of the Railroad Chinese
I found this book historically interesting, I have been interested in the Transcontinental Railroad since I was a kid. Living in Utah were the Rails joined helps. This book is not much on story, but fu of interesting facts about how difficult it was to build the Railroad. If you want a perspective of the Chinese this book is for you.
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- Lou
- 05-25-20
Important story to be told and to be heard.
Most interesting account of Chinese history in America perhaps especially to students of the Central Pacific Railroad’s efforts in building the first transcontinental railroad westward.
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- ejb
- 12-29-21
Proper History
Not only does the author provide a narration of events comprising the Chinese workers’ roles in building the railroads, he also includes sourcing details to explain how we know what we know, and how the gaps are filled in.
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- robert
- 01-20-25
Great information
This is a subject who's time has come. In central Utah there are Chinese restaurants owned by the descendants of some of these immigrants. I believe they also worked in the coal mines in Carbon and Huntington UT. They came into a rough wild west. I've heard good things from my pioneer Mormon ancestors about the Chinese immigrants. Of course they were likely a bit more sympathetic given their recent history.
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- Folksywoodsy
- 03-25-21
A long ignored tale
This is yet another piece of history that has been swept under the rug because it did not reinforce the myth of white supremacy. In short, a transcontinental railroad was the next step in linking the country together but white men refused because of the massive hardship involved so Chinese laborers were brought across the Pacific. Through their extraordinary efforts and skills it was successfully completed.
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- JK
- 07-31-24
IMPORTANT HISTORY
A so often forgotten part of American history. So important to read.
I love riding the trains and have read several books about the construction of the railroads, but had this book for a while in my library.
Decided to listen before my planned rail trip across the country, from the West coast to the East, this coming fall.
I knew that the author would be good. I have listened to his points of view and commentaries on TV.
I think it is a MUST read.
The narrator, mr. David Shih, is a pleasure to listen to.
My thanks to all involved, JK.
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