On October 2nd local time, a ceremony unveiling the Canton Avenue street sign was held at the intersection of Bay Parkway and 86th Street in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, New York City. The co-naming honors Chinese laborers from Guangdong who helped build the transcontinental railroad in the 19th century, as well as the contributions of Chinese immigrants to the development of the United States and local communities.

Zhao Jingyuan, founding chairman of the All American Chinese Association Corp, attended the ceremony, joining hundreds of residents and representatives of Chinese community organizations to witness the occasion. Recently, a reporter from Yangcheng Evening News interviewed Zhao to hear the story behind the naming of Canton Avenue.

Cantonese community organizations and councilwoman push for street naming

"The official unveiling ceremony took place at 10 a.m. on October 2nd Eastern Time. This is an immense source of pride for us people from Guangdong. We now have a street of our own in New York. We held a grand ceremony, and many community leaders and Chinese residents witnessed this milestone in person. Everyone was delighted," Zhao said, still moved as he recalled the event.

Now aged 74, Zhao was born in Taishan, Guangdong. His great-grandfather was among the Chinese laborers who went to the United States to make a living. In 1981, Zhao was among the early wave of Chinese immigrants to the United States.

After more than 20 years of building a life in the United States, Zhao had developed an extensive network in the Chinese American community. In 2003, he and several fellow Guangdong natives established an organization called the Guangdong Association, attracting many people from Guangdong. As the organization grew, it was renamed the Guangdong Association of America, with Zhao serving as its first chairman. Later, as more Chinese Americans from outside Guangdong joined, the organization was renamed once again, becoming the All American Chinese Association Corp, with Zhao as its founding chairman.

The naming of "Canton Avenue" would not have been possible without the efforts of Chinese community organizations, including the All American Chinese Association Corp. "All our community leaders worked together and communicated with elected City Councilwoman Susan Zhuang to advance this proposal. People from Guangdong began immigrating to the United States more than 150 years ago. Our Chinese predecessors made enormous contributions to America by working in mines, building railroads and constructing bridges in places such as San Francisco. Many Chinese people, most of them from Guangdong, now live in Brooklyn, New York. We hoped to name the street 'Canton Avenue'. Two months ago, we submitted the bill through Councilwoman Susan Zhuang to the New York City Council, and it was eventually approved," Zhao told reporters.

Recalling the approval process, Zhao said: "It was not easy to get the name approved. To pass a street-naming proposal in the City Council, you have to present compelling reasons and win the support of other council members. More than half must vote in favor. The proposal was presented and championed by the Chinese American council member representing our district. Throughout the process, the Taishan, Guangfu, Zhaoqing and Zhanjiang community organizations worked together to call on the councilwoman to support naming the street Canton Avenue.”

Chinese American contributions win renewed recognition

At the ceremony on October 2nd, New York City Councilwoman Susan Zhuang said in her remarks: "Today, we are doing more than adding a name to a street. We are making our history visible. Canton Avenue recognizes not only Cantonese-speaking immigrant communities, but also affirms that the Chinese American community as a whole is part of New York's development. In the future, when children walk down this street and see the Canton Avenue sign, they will feel a sense of cultural pride."

150 years of Chinese struggles behind naming of Canton Avenue

In the 19th century, roughly 12,000 Chinese laborers were recruited to construct America's first transcontinental railroad, the Pacific Railroad. Almost all of these workers came from Guangdong. They tackled some of the most challenging sections of the project, endured harsh conditions including blizzards, and dug 15 tunnels through the hard rock of the Sierra Nevada, achieving an extraordinary feat.

The book "Golden Spike", a scholarly work on the history of the transcontinental railroad, notes that 95% of the railroad's construction was completed after Chinese workers joined the project. On average, three Chinese workers were buried beneath every two miles of railroad ties. More than 1,200 Chinese workers lost their lives during construction, and 20,000 pounds of human remains were shipped back to China. Yet at the ceremony marking the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869, not a single Chinese worker's face was visible; only the back of one Chinese worker.

Many Americans at the time believed that hardworking Chinese immigrants were taking jobs away from them. In May 1882, the U.S. Congress passed the "Chinese Exclusion Act", which barred Chinese laborers from entering the United States. The act was not repealed until 1943, after more than 60 years in force.

In recent years, as China's international influence has grown, the contributions of Chinese railroad workers to the United States have increasingly been reassessed, recognized and commemorated.

In the interview, Zhao urged overseas Chinese to organize more visits to their hometowns and see how China has changed. "We must remember that our roots are in China. China is growing stronger, and that is a source of pride for all of us Chinese. Overseas Chinese, especially the younger generation, should visit China more often whenever they have the opportunity," he said.

Zhao also expressed concern that many younger Chinese Americans born in the United States can no longer speak Chinese. "Take my granddaughter, for example. If I don't make an effort to speak with her, she simply won't speak Chinese. As elders, we need to teach our children to speak Chinese and help them understand where their roots are," he said.

"In the future, when our descendants know that this street is called Canton Avenue, they will feel proud of their Chinese heritage. To have a street in New York named after China is an honor for us," Zhao said.

美国华人侨胞联合总会创会主席赵镜源：“广东大道”让更多华人感到骄傲

当地时间10月2日，美国纽约市布鲁克林区班森贺的海湾公园大道与86街交界处举行“广东大道”（Canton Avenue）命名揭幕仪式，以纪念19世纪参与修建横跨美国东西大陆铁路的广东籍华工，以及华人移民对美国及当地社区发展的贡献。

当天，美国华人侨胞联合总会创会主席赵镜源出席了揭幕仪式，他与数百位民众及华人社区团体代表见证了这一时刻。近日，羊城晚报记者专访赵镜源，请他分享“广东大道”命名背后的故事。

广东侨团与华人议员协力推动命名

“正式揭幕仪式在（美国东部时间）10月2日上午10点举行。这对我们广东人来说是莫大的骄傲，我们在纽约拥有一条自己的路。那天的活动我们办得很隆重，很多侨领和侨胞亲眼见证这一盛事，大家都非常开心。”提到揭幕仪式当天的盛况，赵镜源仍难掩激动。

现年74岁的赵镜源出生在广东台山，其曾祖父就是赴美“讨生活”的华工。1981年，赵镜源成为当时最早一批移民美国的中国人。

在美国打拼20多年后，赵镜源在华人社区积累了丰厚人脉。2003年，赵镜源与几位华人同乡成立了名为“广东会馆”的组织，吸引了很多广东人加入。随着组织不断扩大，“广东会馆”改为“美国广东侨胞联合总会”，赵镜源担任第一届主席。后来，越来越多非广东籍华人加入，该组织再次更名为“美国华人侨胞联合总会”，赵镜源成为创会主席。

“广东大道”的命名，离不开美国华人侨胞联合总会等侨界社团的努力。赵镜源告诉记者：“我们所有华人侨领，与当选的市议员庄文怡沟通推动此事。广东人在150多年前就开始移民美国，华人前辈们在旧金山等地开矿、修铁路、建桥梁，为美国的建设作出了巨大贡献。在纽约布鲁克林区，聚居着很多华人（主要是广东人），我们希望能将那条路命名为‘广东大道’。早在两个月前，我们就通过庄文怡议员向市议会提出法案，最终获得批复。”

谈到“广东大道”命名的审批，赵镜源回忆道：“审批过程其实并不容易。因为，要在议会里通过一条路的命名，得讲出很多理由，让其他议员都认可，超过半数人投票赞成才能通过。这个诉求是由我们选区内的华人议员陈述和推动的，在此过程中，我们台山侨团、广府侨团、肇庆侨团、湛江侨团同心协力，共同向市议员提出将这条路命名为‘广东大道’的诉求。”

华人对美国的贡献再度被看见

10月2日，在活动现场，纽约市议员庄文怡在致辞时说：“今天我们不只是为一条街加一个名字，而是让大家看见我们的历史。‘广东大道’不仅是对讲粤语的移民团体的肯定，也代表着整个华裔美国人社区成为纽约发展历程中的一部分。未来，孩子们走过这条街，看到‘Canton Avenue’街牌时，能够感到文化上的自豪。”

“广东大道”命名的背后，是华人在美国一个半世纪的奋斗史。

19世纪，美国招募了约1.2万名中国工人参与建设首条横贯美国东西部的铁路——太平洋铁路，这些华工几乎都来自广东。他们完成了极具挑战性的工程路段，历经暴风雪等恶劣天气，在内华达山脉坚硬岩石上挖掘出15条隧道，创造了奇迹。

美国太平洋铁路研究专著《金钉》一书中提到，这条铁路95%的工程是在华工加入后完成的，平均每2英里的枕木下埋葬了3名华工，1200多名华工在施工中失去生命，20000磅尸骨被运回中国。然而，在1869年5月10日的太平洋铁路合龙仪式上，没有一名华工的面孔，只有一名华工的背影。

美国人认为，勤劳刻苦的华人抢了他们的饭碗。1882年5月，美国国会通过《排华法案》，禁止华工进入美国。直到1943年，这一法案在实施60多年后才被废除。

近年来，随着中国国际影响力的不断提升，铁路华工对美国的贡献正不断被重新认识、肯定和纪念。

赵镜源在采访中表示：“我呼吁海外华人多组织回家乡探访，看看祖国的变化。我们要记住，自己的根在中国。中国现在日益强大，这是我们中国人的骄傲。海外的华侨和侨胞，尤其是年轻一代，有机会一定要多回中国看看。”

赵镜源告诉记者，很多出生在美国的年轻一代华人已不会说中文，这让他感到担忧：“比如我的外孙女，如果我不主动跟她沟通，她根本不会说中文。我们做长辈的要教他们讲中文，要让他们知道根在哪里。”

“将来，我们的子孙后代都知道这条路叫‘广东大道’，他们会为自己的华人身份感到骄傲。在纽约，能以中国的名字命名一条路，这是我们的光荣。”赵镜源说。

文｜记者 赵鹏、曾潇
图｜受访者提供
译｜郑书悦
审｜曾敏