THE AMERICAN DREAM - The Zhang Clan Odyssey on Gold Mountain | Raymond Chong | TEDxColeParkStudio

Raymond Douglas Chong (Zhang Weiming) tells an epic saga of the Zhang Clan from Kaiping at Jiangmen in Guangdong of China, from 1849 to now, 172 years, seven generations of sojourners and pioneers, on Gold Mountain (America). He tells their stories: the miner during the California Gold Rush: the worker on the First Transcontinental Railroad, “The Iron Road,”: the merchant of the gambling and opium trades in Boston Chinatown: the owner of a Chop Suey house, the Imperial Restaurant in Cambridge: the partner of a Chinese nightclub, the Kubla Klan Theater Restaurant, at the gateway of San Francisco Chinatown. Raymond Douglas Chong is Senior Roadway Manager with Oregon Department of Transportation at Portland in Oregon. He is responsible for preliminary engineering of transportation improvement projects in Portland metro region. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Raymond is 6th generation Chinese American. As President of Generations, LLC, in the creative realm, Raymond writes stories, pens poems, composes lyrics and makes films. His recent works include: “Amour Mystique Poetry: In Intimate Passion and In Sultry Fire” (book), “Chop Suey and Sushi from Sea to Shining Sea” (book), “Canto Cutie” (poems), “VILLAGE OF DRAGON HILL – A Mystical Journey in Passion” (album), and “MY ODYSSEY – Between Two Worlds” (film). He has written journal articles on the Chinese American experiences for journals. He also is staff writer for AsAmNews, an Asian American news company. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at ted.com/tedx

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