Crossing East Program One - First Contacts

Program One: First Contacts

International trade brought early Asian travelers to the Americas. Crossing East brings you the previously untold stories of quests for adventures and of hardships in the new land.

Streaming Audio Clip (opens in new window) - Kanaka Village

...click on a segment below to find out more...

This program is also available for sale as a download.
Click here for more information.

	Unsung Sailors: The first recorded Chinese in North America arrived as sailors. They came as ‘men before the mast’ on Spanish galleons, as sailors to East Coast ports, and as shipbuilders to the Northwest Coast. In the 1700s, long before the California Gold Rush drew opportunists from all over the world, sailors from China made their way to the new country of America.	Producer: Sara Caswell Kolbet
	Kanaka Village: Fur pelts sold for as high as a 3000% percent profit in China in the 1700s. Many British and American companies, while fighting over the territory of North America, hired anyone they could find to trap and transport those furs, including many Hawaiians.	Producer: Sara Caswell Kolbet
	Manilamen: Filipinos escaped Spanish ships coming from Manila and founded their own colony in Louisiana. Louisiana's rich history often focuses on its Spanish and French roots, but in the bayous of New Orleans lies a former settlement of Filipino immigrants from the mid-1700s.	Producer: Ruby de Luna
	Bitter Strength : The first English ship came to China in 1626 and the English became addicted to Chinese tea. But rather than pay cash, they wanted to trade with China. The Opium Wars and subsequent Coolie Trade created circumstances that forced Chinese out of China.	Producer: Sara Caswell Kolbet