That English word was used for Chinese men who migrated to America in the 19th and 20th centuries to work on construction projects, including railroads in the United States and, in the Philippines then still under the American occupation, Kennon Road in Baguio.
Coolie comes from two Chinese words: “ku” meaning difficult, and “li” meaning labor. Hard labor then, a term that
resonates with prison labor. The Chinese “ku” can also mean bitterness and sorrow.
Of all places, I thought of coolies during a trip to Binondo, the heart of our Chinatown, last weekend as we came close to a gridlock. […]
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