Chinese Immigrants

Dear Jinn:

Before I start, I have to inform that a local resident who happens to be educated wrote this letter for me in exchange for a small sum of money. O my dear wife, do you miss me? It¡¦s been almost a year since leaving you and our six-month-old daughter Nieu Nieu, who I have never seen. Tomorrow is my 26th birthday; you won¡¦t believe how much I wish to spend the special day with the both of you. I made lots of friends with other Chinese workers, as well as workers from other countries, although they had trouble pronouncing my name Liang Zhu. My body is still in very good condition, stronger than ever. My daily wage is one dollar, which is less than half of what the Europeans are earning, but if you look on the good side, it beats the mere eight cents a day back in China. In total I have earned $300 so far, but along with this letter I can only send you $60, since all the rest has gone to pay for food, strong boots, and the shovel I need for this work.

My sea voyage t...