Yee Fung Cheung
A famous herb doctor who came from China in 1850 to care for Chinese miners and others. Yee Fung probably prospected for gold before giving ft up to practice what he knew best - herbal medicine. He set up his first herb shop in Chinese Camp in Fiddletown. Later he also set up offices in Virginia City, Nevada (during the silver strike) and in Sacramento. Dr. Yee was joined in his practice by his second son, I Wah Hing. Both effected many famous cures and took care of the sick of all races and nationalities.
Is California of 150 years ago anything like the state we live in today? You may have a lot of opinions about that already, but let's take some time to explore what additional ideas we might get from examining the World Wide Web. Working with a partner, decide who will look into the past and who will see what current issues relate to this historic leader. Your main task will be to skim through the Web sites, taking note of what facts, ideas, examples, and stories are the most interesting to you. When you are finished, you and your partner will write several important questions that came to mind when you shared what you each learned about the past and present. When you are ready, click on the graphics below to get started.
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You might have the opportunity to participate in a videoconference presented by an actual historian / actor portraying this early leader of California. This would be a great chance to pose your questions to a true expert. Would you like to find out more?
Background on the Actor / Historian
Charlie Chin has been performing, composing, writing and teaching for over 30 years. An accomplished musician on several instruments, he performed classical, folk and rock music during the late 1960s. Since 1970, he has been in the forefront of Asian American artistic expression. In 1989, Chin was named a Community Folklore Scholar by the Smithsonian Institution. He was education director of the New York Chinatown History Musuem from 1988 to 1991, founded the Jataka Puppet Theatre, directs the Peninsula Center of the National Asian American Writer's Workshop, and is artistic director for the City of San Mateo Asian Pacific Heritage celebration.
You have just explored Web sites on California's past and related current issues. You may have even had a chance to join in on a videoconference with a historical presenter. Now you and your partner can decide whether there is an "otherness" about the past, meaning something quite separate from life today, or whether there's a oneness that binds the present to the past. You can use the Insight Reflector page to guide your thinking.
Return to The Otherness of the Past homepage?
Created May 1, 1999 - Last revised: February, 2005
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