“Cal-i-for-nia, here I come!” This is the song I was singing last July, when I prepared to travel along the Californian coast, from Los Angeles to San Francisco. Among the memorable experiences, one of the most impactful to my writer’s imagination, was one discovered by chance. China Rock.
We set off for the scenic and infamous 17-Mile Drive. The narrow road twisted and turned its way along the rocky coastline and delivered the natural beauty and manmade spectacle that the brochure promised. We made a stop just outside of Monterey at an understated peninsula to photograph some seals and cormorants that had laid claim to rocks jutting out of the ocean.
The travel brochure read, “China Rock: Here at Point Joe, China fishermen built lean-tos against the rocks for their homes in the late 1800s and early 1900s for their homes.” I tried to imagine the structures that people might have lived in and the hardships they must have endured. I’ve read about the shabby treatment of Chinese immigrants to Canada during that same period of history. I didn’t imagine it would have been much different in this region.
That morning, I took as many photos as I could from as many perspectives as possible to document the coastline. I noted the sounds, creatures and vegetation and how it was different from what I knew in my home near Toronto, Ontario. The following is a sampling of photos I took to help me remember the landscape that surrounded the Chinese families and their fishing village.
I have begun to collect research about the history of the Chinese fishing village that once existed on this stretch of beach near Monterey. Already, I’ve discovered threads of cultural richness blended tales of conflict and endurance. I look forward to sharing these in future posts.
The world is a fascinating place and we are preceded by people of such courage and tenacity. Discoveries made while traveling often remind me of this. I am forever grateful for the stories they inspire.
Gwen Tuinman 
October 9, 2014 at 3:29 am
We loved that whole area when we visited, especially Pacific Grove. Never realized it was a Chinese encampment like that – thanks for the post!
October 9, 2014 at 7:01 am
Thank you for enjoying this discovery with me. I’ve had to do a lot of digging to find information about the settlement. I’ll definitely write about it again. The Californian coast is beautiful, isn’t it? I enjoyed writing this post just to have an excuse to look back over the photos we took of the area.
October 20, 2022 at 10:48 pm
I went to graduate school in northern CA in the 1980s and visited 17-mile beach a few times. Never came cross the China Rock the place and hear it’s story. Thank you so much for your writing. As a new Chinese immigrant, I would be more interested in finding out what eventually happened to the Chinese and their community in there. I bet there were heart broken stories about the Chinese at that time. Thank you.
October 24, 2022 at 4:25 pm
Hello Terry. Thank you so much for commenting. I too was captivated by this history. I suspect that you’re correct about the ultimate demise of the people. I wish you luck in the event that you choose to search for more details. IF I come across anything, I’ll circle back and add a comment about it here. Have a super day.