Abstract: This article explores a different sensibility reflected in the Chinese American portrayal of the transcontinental railroad in the late 19th century. While railroads and locomotives symbolize power and industrialization in mainstream American culture, they are often viewed differently by Chinese immigrants to America. Compared with the fulfilled expectations of advancement experienced by most other immigrants in America, the alienation and disillusion of the Chinese in the pursuit of their dreams in the Gold Mountain reflected in their writing presents a distinct contrast to those optimistic “melting pot” advocates. Attesting to a Chinese sensibility, their portrayal of the transcontinental railroad and related subjects adds humanistic understandings and literary senses to the historical conclusion reached by ethnic studies scholars a century later, namely, America has never been a “melting pot.”

Key words: Chinese American literature, collective memories, transcontinental railroad, Chinese immigrants