The Los Angeles exhibit commemorates the 100th anniversary of the opening of Angel Island Immigration Station - often referred to as the Ellis Island of the West. Constructed in 1910 in the heart of San Francisco Bay, the first immigration station in the West processed 175,000 Chinese immigrants during its 30 years of operation before burning down in 1940.

Angel Island operated particularly for Chinese immigrants. The passage of the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act subjected many Chinese to intense interrogations and detention on the island that lasted years to gain access to the United States. The experience left a mark in the lives of Chinese immigrants that forever changed the course of America's history.

The exhibition, Remembering Angel Island, provides stories, poems and photos of the hope and heartache of this seminal chapter of America's immigrant history. It also includes a multimedia station that features a mock interrogation and personal stories of those who endured or were profoundly affected by the Angel Island experience.

Date: Until Dec 18

Venue: Chinese American Museum, 425 N. Los Angeles St, Los Angeles

Website: www.camla.org

China Daily

(China Daily 12/02/2011 page23)