Li Jun and the Iron Road

Li Jun epitomizes the feminist dream of equality. An important novel, essential reading for anyone interested in the early history of Canada.

The Honourable Dr. Vivienne Poy, Canada's first Chinese-Canadian senator

The novel’s strength lies in its depiction of the miserable working conditions endured by the Chinese workers who built Canada's railways in the 1880s. As well, through the eyes of a young woman, readers see the discrimination against Chinese people in Canada and the circumscribed roles for women at that time … [a] worthy addition to schools and public libraries.

Canadian Materials

History comes to life in this gripping page-turner as the spirited heroine searches for her father in Gold Mountain.

Arlene Chan, Chinese Historian and Author

This is the best kind of historical fiction, in which the story wells up through the actions of powerful characters, and stunning landscapes both in China and in Canada grip readers with terrifying possibilities that keep them glued to the page.

Resource Links

Ending with an exciting climax of discovery and reconciliation, Li Jun and the Iron Road vividly describes a darker time in Canadian history while one of our greatest technological achievements of nationhood was being created.

Canadian Teacher Magazine