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A new play premiering Feb. 7, 2026, honors Chinese laborers who built the western Transcontinental Railroad, highlighting their crucial yet unrecognized role and sacrifices.
A six-scene play titled *The Silent Spikes* premieres February 7, 2026, in the San Francisco Bay Area, spotlighting the vital yet overlooked role of Chinese laborers in building the western Transcontinental Railroad from 1863 to 1869.
These workers, who made up 80 to 90 percent of the Central Pacific Railroad’s workforce, endured extreme dangers, including tunneling through granite, avalanches, and explosions, with at least 1,200 dying.
Despite their contributions, they were paid less, discriminated against, and excluded from the 1869 golden spike ceremony.
The production, developed over two years with input from Stanford historian Gordon Chang, emphasizes cultural authenticity through Chinese language, music, and traditions.
Featuring actors including engineer Yu Guoliang and Gen Z actress Wang Zijin, it aims to honor their legacy and restore a suppressed chapter of American history.
Una nueva obra de teatro que se estrenará el 7 de febrero de 2026, rinde homenaje a los trabajadores chinos que construyeron el Ferrocarril Transcontinental occidental, destacando su papel y sacrificios cruciales pero no reconocidos.