The Six
The Untold Story of the Titanic's Chinese Survivors
-
- $1.99
Publisher Description
A moving exploration of the origins and fate of the little-known Chinese passengers aboard the Titanic—and how they survived against all odds.
"The Six unveils the harrowing journey of the Chinese Titanic survivors, exposing a deeply human narrative lost to time and prejudice.” —Amy Tan
When RMS Titanic sank on a cold night in 1912, barely seven hundred people escaped with their lives. Among them were six Chinese men. Arriving in New York, these six were met with suspicion and slander. Fewer than twenty-four hours later, they were expelled from the country and vanished.
When historian Steven Schwankert first stumbled across the fact that eight Chinese nationals were onboard, of whom all but two survived, he couldn’t believe that there could still be untold personal histories from the Titanic.
Now, at last, their story can be told. The result of meticulous research, a dogged investigation, and interviews with family members, The Six is an epic journey across continents that reveals the full story of these six forgotten survivors. Who were Ah Lam, Chang Chip, Cheong Foo, Fang Lang (or Fong Wing Sun), Lee Bing, and Ling Hee?
Professional mariners, their incredible journeys reveal an overlooked, but all-too-common, experience of inequality and discrimination. The Titanic continues to reveal a multitude of secrets, and the lives of these six men add a layer of humanity and nuance to one of the most storied shipwrecks in history.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Schwankert (Jiangya), a researcher for a 2020 documentary of the same title, adapts that film's findings for this captivating account of the Titanic's eight Chinese passengers, six of whom survived. Not much was previously known about the eight men (though the rescue of one of them—found clinging to a floating door—was inspiration for the ending of James Cameron's 1997 blockbuster film), and Schwankert recaps how he and other researchers followed a twisty trail through archives across China, the U.S., Canada, and Great Britain in search of answers. His story unfolds against the backdrop of the xenophobic 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act, from which the eight passengers were exempt because of scheduled employment on freighting vessels departing from America. They were, however, under stringent restrictions on where they could go once they landed—restrictions that Schwankert finds they did not necessarily plan on abiding (the two men who died were planning to jump ship and open a shop in Ohio). Titanic buffs will relish Schwankert's meticulous reconstructions of events, including plausible escape routes the men took out of third-class steerage, and his tale impressively incorporates the Titanic into the sweeping history of U.S. racial policy and global migration. Indeed, his reflections on how the men's already semi-covert lives caused them to keep mum about their harrowing experience is the most fascinating element of the book. It's a satisfyingly fresh perspective on the tragedy.
