Image via WikipediaFirst Chinese immigrants, 2 man and 1 woman, arrived in San Francisco in 1848 onboard the American freighter "Eagle". They were recorded in local records as "Celestials".
In 1849, gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill north of San Francisco. The news spread like wildfire, starting the California gold rush of 1849. The news also spread across the ocean back to China, inspiring may residents of Taishan and Zhongshan, provinces of Guandong, the coastal province, to emigrate to the US in the next 100 years. Indeed, San Francisco's Chinese name today is "Old Gold Mountain" (the new Gold Mountain is in Alaska, in case you are wondering).
