[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:00.01,0:00:05.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,>> Erika Gee grew up like any other Los Angeles kid, playing with Barbie and
Dialogue: 0,0:00:05.53,0:00:10.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,clutching on to Pooh Bear for dear life. But she was different. Her grandfather
Dialogue: 0,0:00:10.71,0:00:16.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,was not who he said he was. He'd come to the United States from China illegally
Dialogue: 0,0:00:16.21,0:00:22.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as a Paper Son, paying about $1800 to attach himself to another family.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:22.25,0:00:28.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,>> I found out in high school. I was pretty surprised, and the legacy is that in
Dialogue: 0,0:00:28.57,0:00:33.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,some ways our family came in illegally, and I was wondering are we going to get
Dialogue: 0,0:00:33.75,0:00:34.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,deported?
Dialogue: 0,0:00:34.99,0:00:39.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,>> Now, 35 years old, Erika Gee is with the Angel Island Immigration Station
Dialogue: 0,0:00:39.17,0:00:41.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Foundation, an organization that has researched Paper Sons.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:41.55,0:00:46.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,>> Who are these people? They don't have the same last name as us. How could
Dialogue: 0,0:00:46.77,0:00:48.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they be related to us?
Dialogue: 0,0:00:48.51,0:00:54.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,>> One scholar estimates 150,000 Paper Sons and Daughters committed this crime
Dialogue: 0,0:00:54.56,0:00:57.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to navigate around the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:57.50,0:01:01.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,>> We have to remember the times. It was during the Chinese Exclusion Act, and
Dialogue: 0,0:01:01.95,0:01:07.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,at the time, and still is today, the only law in the U.S. immigration history
Dialogue: 0,0:01:07.87,0:01:12.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,books that specifically excluded a specific group of people, and those were
Dialogue: 0,0:01:12.57,0:01:14.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Chinese laborers.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:14.97,0:01:19.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,>> 125 years ago this month, the Chinese Exclusion Act was approved by Congress.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:19.95,0:01:24.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It stated that in the opinion of the government of the United States, the coming
Dialogue: 0,0:01:24.29,0:01:28.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of Chinese laborers to this country endangers the good order of certain
Dialogue: 0,0:01:28.55,0:01:29.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,localities.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:29.65,0:01:34.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,>> The fear among the Californians and those especially in the Bay area of all
Dialogue: 0,0:01:34.09,0:01:38.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,these Chinese wanting to take over their jobs. These were all people that were
Dialogue: 0,0:01:38.31,0:01:42.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,willing to work, that helped to build the railroads and yet when the railroads
Dialogue: 0,0:01:42.43,0:01:46.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,were completed, all of a sudden there's this hysteria about the Chinese
Dialogue: 0,0:01:46.66,0:01:48.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,invading.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:48.51,0:01:54.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,>> For 61 years until 1943, it was illegal for Chinese who were not among the
Dialogue: 0,0:01:54.25,0:02:00.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,elite to enter the United States. David Leong was a Paper Son. He was eight in
Dialogue: 0,0:02:00.05,0:02:04.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,1940, the year he came through Angel Island Immigration Station, the main
Dialogue: 0,0:02:04.98,0:02:10.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,gateway for Chinese immigrants. While on the boat for 20 days, he memorized his
Dialogue: 0,0:02:10.14,0:02:14.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,coaching papers, grand cheat sheets, that outlined who your fake parents and
Dialogue: 0,0:02:14.54,0:02:19.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,siblings were and who lived on certain blocks of your would-be family village in
Dialogue: 0,0:02:19.12,0:02:24.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,China. Young David had to convince his Angel Island interrogators he was the son
Dialogue: 0,0:02:24.97,0:02:27.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of a Mr. Chan and not a Mr. Leong.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:27.44,0:02:33.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,>> So this is the interrogation room. This is where you walked in after three
Dialogue: 0,0:02:33.16,0:02:38.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,weeks and what do you remember of this?
Dialogue: 0,0:02:38.04,0:02:44.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,>> I think it was me, interpreter and interrogator, and I think two people on
Dialogue: 0,0:02:44.49,0:02:45.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the panel.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:45.49,0:02:49.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,>> Leong passed the interrogation, and that's why today he was able to return
Dialogue: 0,0:02:49.82,0:02:54.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with us to Angel Island Immigration Station. Today, there's only a rebuilt
Dialogue: 0,0:02:54.46,0:02:59.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,foundation of where the main administration building once stood. As we walked,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:59.21,0:03:03.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Leong spoke about his acting ability as an 8-year-old and the life he escaped
Dialogue: 0,0:03:03.63,0:03:04.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from in China.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:04.71,0:03:13.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,>> The Japanese was -- plane was shooting at us, and missing us but then
Dialogue: 0,0:03:13.39,0:03:17.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,[inaudible] was hitting the sand, and the sand was rising just as you see in the
Dialogue: 0,0:03:17.76,0:03:19.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,movies.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:19.51,0:03:23.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,>> Leong escaped a war as well as dirt floor living conditions to come to the
Dialogue: 0,0:03:23.35,0:03:27.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,United States. On Angel Island, he was alone with no family and recalls the
Dialogue: 0,0:03:27.88,0:03:28.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,fears he had.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:28.88,0:03:33.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,>> At night, I won't go to the bathroom at all. People -- I heard people had
Dialogue: 0,0:03:33.50,0:03:34.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,commit suicide in there because they couldn't [inaudible].
Dialogue: 0,0:03:34.50,0:03:45.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,>> The fear Leong shares is what litters the walls of the Angel Island barracks,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:45.13,0:03:50.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,poems of melancholy retrospectives of life in China or simple hopes of freedom.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:50.90,0:03:55.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Daniel Quan is an architect specializing in museums and has been researching the
Dialogue: 0,0:03:55.44,0:03:57.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,history of Angel Island for 13 years.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:57.80,0:04:04.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,>> The frustration that was felt by many of the detainees was written on the
Dialogue: 0,0:04:04.25,0:04:10.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,walls as a statement or sort of silent statement, and so for them, the feeling
Dialogue: 0,0:04:10.28,0:04:13.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,was this was a prison because they were just being held with -- against their
Dialogue: 0,0:04:13.62,0:04:18.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,will. And for a lot of people, this was -- they heard about the immigration
Dialogue: 0,0:04:18.74,0:04:24.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,process in China but actually have experienced it and lived in the wooden
Dialogue: 0,0:04:24.28,0:04:29.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,building as they called it -- was something very different for them because they
Dialogue: 0,0:04:29.34,0:04:31.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,weren't used to be helding against their will.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:31.39,0:04:35.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,>> Under reconstruction now, the barracks here at Angel Island Immigration
Dialogue: 0,0:04:35.98,0:04:40.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Station held some 300 detainees at a time. The purpose was to keep them here
Dialogue: 0,0:04:40.31,0:04:44.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from two weeks to two years as they were interrogated. They were trying to keep
Dialogue: 0,0:04:44.12,0:04:49.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,out illegal immigrants, potential Paper Sons and potential Paper Daughters.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:49.49,0:04:54.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Today, no one can enter inside the buildings of Immigration Station. The walls
Dialogue: 0,0:04:54.21,0:04:59.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,are falling, halls dangerous with holes in the floor and the paint mosaic of
Dialogue: 0,0:04:59.07,0:05:03.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,delapidation. Still many visitors come to the island to learn about their own
Dialogue: 0,0:05:03.85,0:05:05.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,past.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:05.43,0:05:09.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,>> Often we've met people that come over here, and they learn about their
Dialogue: 0,0:05:09.65,0:05:15.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,parents' past through researching the national archives or through meeting
Dialogue: 0,0:05:15.25,0:05:20.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,people that have worked with Immigration Station project and didn't even know
Dialogue: 0,0:05:20.35,0:05:22.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,about it through their own family.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:22.05,0:05:26.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,>> That is because many Paper Sons and Daughters still feel embarrassment or
Dialogue: 0,0:05:26.15,0:05:31.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,even fear of being deported to this day, which takes us back to Erika Gee. She
Dialogue: 0,0:05:31.52,0:05:35.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,was lucky enough to hear from her own grandfather who broke his silence and told
Dialogue: 0,0:05:35.52,0:05:39.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,her real family name was Chen. But some questions remain.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:39.42,0:05:43.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,>> Are you glad that your grandfather committed the crime?
Dialogue: 0,0:05:43.34,0:05:49.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,>> In some ways, no because it was a crime, but at the same time, I'm really
Dialogue: 0,0:05:49.69,0:05:55.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,fortunate that he did, and I have a tremendous amount of respect for the risks
Dialogue: 0,0:05:55.83,0:05:58.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that he took in order to come over to the United States and to provide a better
Dialogue: 0,0:05:58.50,0:06:00.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,opportunity for his family.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:00.39,0:06:03.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,>> And when asked about immigrants trying to do what her grandfather did a
Dialogue: 0,0:06:03.93,0:06:06.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,century ago, she waivers.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:06.15,0:06:09.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,>> I don't know. I don't know if I feel comfortable saying it's okay for people
Dialogue: 0,0:06:09.67,0:06:12.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to come in.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:12.47,0:06:13.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,>> It's perplexing for you, isn't it?
Dialogue: 0,0:06:13.49,0:06:15.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,>> Yeah.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:15.18,0:06:18.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,>> Hundreds of thousands of Chinese Americans face a similar dilemma.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:18.90,0:06:22.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Researchers suggest that one in three Chinese Americans are survivors or
Dialogue: 0,0:06:22.98,0:06:28.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,descendants of the Paper Son system. That's about one million people. And many
Dialogue: 0,0:06:28.26,0:06:31.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,only learn of their background as a love one takes the paper secret to their
Dialogue: 0,0:06:31.70,0:06:34.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,grave, which was the case for Erika's cousins.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:34.11,0:06:39.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,>> Some of my cousins are a little confused because they don't read Chinese, and
Dialogue: 0,0:06:39.95,0:06:45.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,-- but then they know our character Gee, and then they're like well where is it
Dialogue: 0,0:06:45.72,0:06:46.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on the tombstone?
Dialogue: 0,0:06:46.90,0:06:50.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,>> Erika still visits her grandfather's grave site to pay her respects to a
Dialogue: 0,0:06:50.96,0:06:56.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,tombstone that has not one but two names engraved. His Paper Son name in English
Dialogue: 0,0:06:56.87,0:06:59.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and his real name in Chinese. Richard Lui, CNN Oakland, California.