Every now and then a couple of my interests will happen to coincide in ways I never expected. That happened recently after my fascination for Chinese history and California history brought me to read Heather B. Moore’s novel The Paper Daughters of Chinatown (published in September 2020). Although in novel form, the story, set in San Francisco of the late nineteenth and earlier twentieth centuries, is based on true events and the life of a truly remarkable woman, Donaldina Cameron. Ms. Cameron single-mindedly dedicated her life to rescuing and fostering many young Chinese girls and women — “paper daughters” — who had been deceived or even kidnapped and brought to San Francisco as slaves or prostitutes with little hope of escape to a better life. On paper, they were recorded as family members or prospective brides, but the reality of their lives here was much uglier. Cameron House (originally called the Occidental Mission Home) became a safe refuge for these girls; they were fiercely protected from their abusers while learning to speak English and acquiring the skills needed to start a new life.

It turns out that this historic building is located within walking distance of my favorite San Francisco hotel on Nob Hill; I was determined to go and have a look during my visit last August. I knew that the Mission’s original structure — as well as most of Chinatown — had been destroyed by dynamite and fire after the 1906 earthquake. And I knew that many of the bricks from that earlier building were used in the construction of the current Mission. I wanted to get a good look at those salvaged clinker bricks, discolored and glazed by the heat of the flames that destroyed a huge swath of the city.

The original front doors were rescued and reused