Abstract
The history of Chinese migrating to North America dates back to 1848 in the middle of the Qing dynasty. For decades, there were streams of successful Chinese immigrants who earned loads of fortune, and after they passed away, they usually end up being buried in local cemeteries as a temporary measure, then their remains were eventually retrieved and relocated back to their hometowns. However, others who were less fortunate succumbed to poverty or illnesses and were buried in foreign land permanently. In order to identify the origins and professions of Hakka immigrants in San Francisco area in different time periods, this article utilizes the information of 350 tombstones in the Liushan Chinese Cemetery in Daly City of San Francisco. Supplementary background materials including personal information, custom records, and interviews from the San Francisco branch of the National Archives and Records Administration in San Bruno, California are also used. This information facilitated the reconstruction of the lives of three Hakka immigrants, whose careers and backgrounds differ greatly.