Hua qiao they called themselves — the Sojourners. Early Chinese settlers to BC lived a shadowy life. Sometimes feared, always misunderstood, these people farmed, mined, and lived in central BC with hopes of returning home rich to their villages. However, they were the victims of crime, beatings and death in a foreign land. Chow brings us forward from those early days of Chinese settlements to present day when Chinese citizens are celebrated for their role in BC's history.

Until Chinatown North, the impact of Chinese settlement on central and northern British Columbia has not been written about. Chow begins to fill that gap. She moves us from Barkerville during gold rush days to 20th century Prince George, where events in the "Middle Kingdom" often had disruptive influences on a small, isolated community half a world away.