Joy Luck Club Journal 1

The name "Gold Mountain" was a term applied to the northwestern area of North America, particularly California, by Chinese immigrants due to the large amounts of gold found in the region.  The term arose during the gold rush in the late 1940's and 1950's.  Large numbers of Chinese gold seekers immigrated to try and dig up a fortune.  Many of these people stayed in California and added to the growing Chinese population in San Francisco.  The term was sometimes used specifically referring to the city of San Francisco.