BEIJING, July 8 — The story of the transcontinental railroad in the United States is often told as a triumph of engineering and national will. Less frequently examined is the human ledger, particularly the role of Chinese laborers who, according to historical accounts, constituted the vast majority of the Central Pacific Railroad’s workforce by the late 1860s. State and international reports indicate that the Central Pacific initially employed about 50 white workers but soon turned to Chinese immigrants, recruiting from California and later directly from China.
By 1868, officials said, the company employed 12,000 Chinese workers, making up roughly 80% of its workforce. This was not a marginal contribution; it was the backbone of the railroad’s western expansion.
The wage disparity was stark. Chinese workers were paid $30 to $35 per month, while white workers received $35 to $40 for the same labor. Chinese workers also had to provide their own food and tents, a cost white workers did not bear.
The account indicates that Chinese workers performed the most dangerous tasks, including blasting tunnels through solid granite using black powder and later nitroglycerin. Hundreds were killed in accidents.
The most famous feat of this era was the Summit Tunnel at Donner Pass, a 1,659-foot tunnel through solid granite that took 15 months to complete, from 1867 to 1868. This was not a routine construction project; it was a battle against rock and gravity, carried out by men who were paid less and given less protection than their white counterparts. The Union Pacific Railroad, building from the east, employed up to 10,000 workers, mostly Irish immigrants and Civil War veterans.
They laid track at a record pace of up to 8 miles per day. The working conditions were harsh on both sides. Workers faced extreme heat, blizzards, avalanches, and attacks by Native American tribes.
An estimated 1,200 to 1,500 workers died during construction, with Chinese workers accounting for the majority. That figure, while not precise, speaks to the disproportionate risk these laborers bore.
Yet despite their contributions, Chinese workers were excluded from the ceremonial golden spike photo. They were present but invisible in the official record of the day. Discrimination did not end with the railroad’s completion.
The account indicates that Chinese workers faced ongoing discrimination, culminating in the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which barred Chinese laborers from entering the United States. This was the first federal law in U.S. history to restrict immigration based on race and nationality.
For observers in Iran and across the Middle East, this history carries its own resonance. The exploitation of migrant labor, the racial hierarchies embedded in national infrastructure projects, and the erasure of contributions from marginalized groups are themes that echo in many regions. The transcontinental railroad was a marvel of its age, but it was built on a foundation of unequal pay, dangerous work, and eventual legal exclusion.
What remains to be seen is how the United States and other nations reckon with these histories. In the current political climate, where immigration and labor rights remain contested issues, the story of the Chinese railroad workers offers a cautionary tale about the gap between national myth and lived experience. The facts are there, in the historical record.
The question is whether they will be taught, remembered, and acted upon.
Sources
- Chinese-american contribution to transcontinental railroad
- Chinese Transcontinental Railroad Workers | Encyclopedia.com
