Camellia Tea Room is generally not open past 4 p.m., but this coming Thursday the restaurant will open its doors around 7 for a history lesson on the 19th-century Chinese immigrant experience in Solano County as part of the Benicia Historical Society’s “Speaker Series.” The presentation will be delivered by Greg Tilles, the society’s historian and a history professor at Diablo Valley College for more than 30 years.

In the mid-1800s, Chinese citizens had been experiencing civil war, natural disasters and economic hardships in their homeland. They became attracted to the possibility of moving to America, especially in the wake of the California Gold Rush. They set sail across the Pacific Ocean and landed in the Golden State, which they had referred to as “Gum San,” or “Gold Mountain.” Approximately 25,000 people made this initial journey, and these numbers increased over the course of the century. Eventually, the Chinese made up about 10 percent of California’s population.

After the Gold Rush era ended, California’s Chinese population took up jobs as agricultural workers, fishermen, service providers, business owners and railroad constructors, where they helped build the Transcontinental Railroad.

However, Chinese were also subject to discrimination, violence and such policies as the Chinese Exclusion Act. During this period, the Chinese population would form Chinatowns in areas like San Francisco— which is currently the oldest Chinatown in America— and try to start their own Chinese communities throughout the state, which brought them to farms in the emerging area of Solano County.

Tilles will dive into further detail over what life was like for Chinese immigrants in California in the 19th century with a special emphasis on Solano County.

The talk will begin at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 19 at Camellia Tea Room, located at 828 First St. The cost is free for Society members and $5 for non-members. For more information, email info@beniciahistoricalsociety.org.

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