It offers a comprehensive historical study of the Chinese laundries in the United States, a profound analysis of the psychological experiences of the Chinese laundrymen in America and their families in China; and above all, written by someone who has intimate experiences with the Chinese laundry, it is a tribute to those Chinese immigrants whose labor and sacrifice laid the foundation of the Chinese American community, and a testimony of the Chinese laundrymen’s resilience, resourcefulness, and humanity.

Renqiu Yu, Director, Professor of History, Asian Studies Program, Purchase College – SUNY, Author, To Save China, To Save Ourselves, The Chinese Hand Laundry Alliance of New York

... to Chinese American studies that depicts the plight of early generations of Chinese caught in the predicament of operating laundries to provide for their families, either in China or in America, while enduring extreme hardship and loneliness in one of the few occupations open to them until the end of World War II in the U. S. and Canada due to racism. It vividly portrays the lives of Chinese laundrymen with the inclusion of historic documents, photographs, newspaper article excerpts, and revealing personal stories and insider observations from a few of the many who, like the author, grew up and worked in their family laundries. The subject deserves attention and further exploration in view of the significant impact that the laundry had not only on the Chinese American experience, but also in the social and cultural histories of the U.S. and Canada.

Joan S. Wang, Professor of History, National Taiwan Normal University, Author, Race, Gender, and Laundry Work: The Roles of Chinese Laundrymen and American Women in the United States, 1850–1950, Journal of American Ethnic History,

I have read both books by John Jung about Chinese Laundries. The first was about his growing up in a Chinese Laundry in Macon, GA, my hometown. I was several years younger than John, and did not know him. What a fascinating story about being the only Chinese family in a town of 80,000 people and the struggles and discrimination the family went through. The second book is a thoroughly researched book about Chinese Laundries in the US and Canada as well as about early Chinese Restaurants. If you want to know about how emigrants to this country who spoke little or no Chinese fared, this is the book for you. If you are Chinese, it should make you very proud of your heritage.

Charles Brittain, Macon, GA

was full of interesting facts and stories that gave me a brand new comprehension of a part of U.S. history. The personal stories of the "laundrey children" were quite touching.

...on this singularly important subject. Jung’s own life in one such historic family business lends unique insight to a topic often cited but little explored until now. An academically solid effort that is much enhanced by several personal narratives from other “Children of the Laundries.” This rewarding study of an era marked by invention born of dire necessity, an unforgiving host society that demanded Chinese laundrymen’s services but then punished them for being too good at it, is a long overdue analysis of a familiar experience hidden in plain sight.


Mel Brown, Author, Chinese Heart of Texas, The San Antonio Chinese Community, 1875-1975

... is the combination of this historical perspective with Professor Jung's social psychological descriptions and analyses of laundrymen and their descendants. Their personal life stories, with inner thoughts, feelings, values, attitudes, work experiences and survival hardships are skillfully presented with penetrating insights and observations. This broad perspective presents an overall picture of the history and the life and labor of the Chinese laundrymen. (From the Foreword)

Ban Seng Hoe, Ph.D.
Curator of Asian Studies
Canadian Museum of Civilization

... is another important window into the history of the early Chinese immigrants to North America, one that transcends all regions. The tracing of the trail of Chinese migration into America's heartland and the Deep South as many entered the laundry business sheds light on their complex and difficult journey. The coverage of the virulent anti-Chinese sentiments in large cities as well as small hamlets exposes the hostility they had to overcome. The laundrymen faced struggles, challenges, and even disappointments; yet, the Chinese laundry became a valued and necessary enterprise in countless communities for several decades.

Sylvia Sun Minnick, Author,

SamFow: The San Joaquin Chinese Legacy and Stockton's Chinese Community

... a significant contribution to the history of Chinese laundries in America. The story is best told by someone like Jung who experienced a ‘laundry life,’ and understands its psychological impact on the Chinese laundrymen and their families. It is hard to imagine the difficulties that the laundrymen encountered in making a living in a harsh and hostile environment. Bachelor laundrymen, like those with families back in China, suffered lonely lives. Those who had families with them worked hard to ensure that their children would have advantages that the laundrymen could never attain here.

Murray K. Lee, Curator of Chinese American History, San Diego Chinese Historical Museum, and also the son of a Chinese laundryman and restaurateur