Category: Webinar/Talk

Blogs by Jim, history, Webinar/TalkLeave a comment

Saratoga Library AAPI Heritage Month Talk 5/2025

jimchiao

It was a picture-perfect Memorial Day weekend in May when my brother Philip and I headed to the Saratoga Library for a special talk. The timing couldn’t have been better—it was AAPI Heritage Month—and our topic, “Two Waves of Chinese Immigration and the Salmon Canning Industry,” fit right in. We explored the two major waves of Chinese immigration, then dove into the story of the salmon canning industry, using it to bring to life the struggles and triumphs of Chinese immigrants through vivid, personal examples. The afternoon was made possible thanks to the Saratoga Library and the Chinese Historical & … Continue reading Saratoga Library AAPI Heritage Month Talk 5/2025

Alaska, Blogs by Kristin, San Francisco, Webinar/TalkLeave a comment

San Francisco Maritime Museum “The Price of Salmon” Book Presentation

Kristin Wong

On June 2nd, 2024, James, Philip, and I were invited by the San Francisco Maritime National Park Association and the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park to participate in their Labor History Talks Series, which focuses on the nuances of … Continue reading San Francisco Maritime Museum “The Price of Salmon” Book Presentation

Blogs by Philip, California, San Francisco, Webinar/TalkLeave a comment

Stern’s Morality

Philip Chiao

We have given a webinar recently at the invitation of the Bristol Bay Historical Society. The subject of our talk was the book “The Price of Salmon,” by Max Stern. It is a collection of 37 articles penned by Stern and published by the San Francisco Daily in 1922. It was an expose of the west coast salmon canning industry, and according to San Francisco Daily News, “Gambling, bootlegging, profiteering, exploitation, disease, even death, marked the voyage that Stern took for the readers of the Daily…”and “…work in the Alaska salmon canneries under conditions as near to slavery as anything … Continue reading Stern’s Morality

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A Virtual Talk on The Price of Salmon

jimchiao

This last weekend, on June 17th, 2023, we participated in a virtual talk on the book The Price of Salmon. The event was organized by Chinese Historical Society of America in San Francisco. We were all excited about this event since San Francisco was the center of the salmon canning trade in the late 19th century and early 20th century. It was the financial center on the West Coast, home of many salmon canning companies such as Alaska Packers Association, Italian and Scandinavian fishermen, Chinese contractors and workers, as well as workers of many other colors and nationalities. It was … Continue reading A Virtual Talk on The Price of Salmon

Blogs by Jim, history, Webinar/TalkLeave a comment

OCAW Talk Sept. 2022

jimchiao

Earlier this month, my brother Philip and I gave a talk to a group of people from OCAW (Organization of Chinese American Women) in Silicon Valley. Many of OCAW members are immigrants from Taiwan, and many are about my age. In the book “The Chinese in America”, author Iris Chang talked about the three waves of Chinese emigres: the first wave of over one hundred thousand laborers came to California during the gold rush era, more followed to work in railroad, mining, and farming. The majority of them were laborers, single, and came from one province in China: Guongdong. The … Continue reading OCAW Talk Sept. 2022

Blogs by Jim, California, history, San Francisco, Webinar/TalkLeave a comment

MESS lecture event 3/25/2021

jimchiao

It just happens that we were the speakers at the first MESS lecture series offered by the SF Maritime Research Center Library together with SF Maritime National Park Association. At first, one might not see the connection between SF Maritime Research Center and the cannery story. However, as it is well known in the Bay Area, Balclutha, the windjammer, is the crown jewel of Maritime National Historical Park’s collection of ships. Balclutha, also known as the Star of Alaska, was used as a cannery transport ship from 1902 to 1930. Each spring, it carried hundreds of fishermen and cannery workers … Continue reading MESS lecture event 3/25/2021

Blogs by Jim, California, history, Webinar/TalkLeave a comment

CHCP Webinar 10/10/2020

jimchiao

Last week, on 10/10/2020, on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, we participated as panelists in an one-hour webinar organized by CHCP (Chinese Historical & Cultural Project) in San Jose. The topic of discussion was “Chinese Cannery Workers in the 19th and 20th centuries”. There were three panelists including me, my brother Philip, and Gerry Low Sabado. After introducing ourselves, Philip and I presented the early history of the salmon canning industry and the Chinese workers in a 10 minutes video. After the video, we answered a few questions from the webinar moderator Erwin Wong. Because of the time limitation, we did … Continue reading CHCP Webinar 10/10/2020

Announcements, Blogs by Jim, California, Webinar/TalkLeave a comment

Our talk in L.A. on March 4th, 2020

jimchiao

In early March of this year, I drove down to Los Angeles and met up with my brother Philip. I was debating whether to fly or to drive, but the need for social distancing made the decision easy. Philip had arranged with Chinese Historical Society of Southern California (CHSSC) to give a presentation at their month meeting about the history of the salmon canning industry and the Chinese workers. CHSSC hosts a monthly meeting, and it was fortunate that our talk was scheduled in early March before the SIP order. The meeting was held in Chinatown in the evening. My … Continue reading Our talk in L.A. on March 4th, 2020

Announcements, Blogs by Jim, California, Webinar/TalkLeave a comment

A presentation planned in L.A.

jimchiao

I will be traveling next week to visit my brother Philip and Chinese Historical Society of Southern California (CHSSC) in Los Angeles. We will attend CHSSC’s monthly meeting and give a presentation on the topic of Chinese Workers and the Salmon Canning Industry on 3/4/2020. Philip will cover the history of the salmon canning industry and I will cover special topics and key events that affected Chinese workers. It would be the first time that we give a talk together and will be interesting to see the result. Here is the link to the newsletter article: https://chssc.org/wp-content/uploads/NNN202003.pdf Here is the … Continue reading A presentation planned in L.A.