San Francisco — In the late 19th century, Chinese immigrant workers left an indelible mark on the American West, constructing railroads, cultivating lands, and serving in homes.

Their labor not only built Leland Stanford’s Central Pacific Railroad—the financial backbone of Stanford University—but also directly supported the Stanford family on their Palo Alto farm, where the university now stands. These workers, often invisible in historical narratives, laid the groundwork for a legacy of Chinese American engagement at Stanford that resonates today.

Leland and Jane Stanford employed numerous Chinese workers across their properties, including at Palo Alto, where as many as 150 lived in a separate Chinese Quarters, now part of the Arboretum.

These laborers worked as cooks, caretakers, and groundskeepers, first for the farm and later for the fledgling university. Their presence is preserved in artifacts like pottery fragments and Chinese coins, unearthed from the site.

Among them was Ah Wing, the Stanford family’s butler, whose story encapsulates both loyalty and the harsh realities of the era.

After Jane Stanford’s mysterious death in 1905, possibly by poisoning, Ah Wing briefly fell under suspicion. Though quickly exonerated, the racist press vilified him.

A San Francisco Chronicle clipping from March 6, 1905, portrayed him in a stereotypical silhouette, yet confirmed his innocence. In his memoir, preserved in Stanford’s University Archives, Ah Wing expressed his grief after the 1906 earthquake devastated his world:

“My former employers were gone… I could not stay here in this country any longer to entertain such awful thoughts.” Before returning to China, he left flowers on Jane’s tomb, wishing prosperity for the university and peace for the Stanfords in heaven.

This history came to life in 2016 through Chinese American at Stanford: A Reflexive Archaeology, an exhibit curated by Stanford archaeology student Bright Zhou.

Under the mentorship of Christina Hodge, academic curator of the Stanford University Archaeology Collections, Zhou showcased artifacts from the Palo Alto workers for the first time.

A pottery fragment inscribed with “double happiness”—a symbol still seen at Chinese American weddings—and coins carried as mementos of home revealed the workers’ humanity.

Displayed at the Stanford Archaeology Center in 2017, the exhibit was Zhou’s capstone project.

“It’s a history that still lives today,” he said. “At first, Chinese Americans came to Stanford as cooks and gardeners. Today, they’re here as students and faculty, as athletes, artists, and activists. But all of them, past and present, are caretakers of the Stanford legacy.”

Zhou’s exhibit also traced the evolution of Chinese American presence at Stanford.

A 1924 photo of the all-male Chinese Student Club, its members unsmiling, stood in stark contrast to a 2016 image of the Undergraduate Chinese American Association—a diverse, joyful group of men and women, many in red and black attire, smiling broadly at a celebratory event. Captured indoors with a whiteboard and beige walls in the background, the modern photo reflects a vibrant community, possibly wearing badges of their organization.

Zhou posed questions to viewers: “Why are the people in the first photo all male? Why aren’t they smiling?” These prompts encouraged reflection on societal shifts while highlighting shared threads across generations. An interactive space allowed visitors to post their thoughts, bridging past and present.

The Stanford Archaeology Center, where Zhou’s exhibit was housed, empowers students to explore history through material culture. Majors and non-majors conduct fieldwork worldwide and on Stanford’s 8,100-acre campus, uncovering stories like that of the Chinese workers. The Chinese Railroad Workers in North America Project, a Stanford-led initiative, further enriches this narrative, documenting the workers’ lives from U.S. and Chinese perspectives. Together, these efforts ensure that the contributions of these early laborers endure.

From the workers who shaped Stanford’s foundations to the students who now thrive there, the Chinese American legacy at Stanford is one of resilience and stewardship. Zhou’s exhibit and the modern student community illustrate how this history continues to inspire, connecting generations through a shared commitment to the university’s story.

#StanfordHistory #ChineseAmericanHeritage #UntoldStories

Tags: Stanford University, Chinese workers, Ah Wing, Bright Zhou, Chinese-American history