Immigrants' lives become very difficult when they move to a new country. They are often discriminated against because of race and/or nationality. This problem occurs many times in Dragonwings, a book by Laurence Yep. In his book, the Chinese characters who immigrate to America face many challenges in their new lives. They are considered inferior, have to endure many hardships, and feel alone because they have to leave most of their families in China. In this book, immigrants face multiple hardships and challenges in the new world they know as the Land of the Golden Mountain. One challenge that immigrants face in this story is that they are considered inferior by Americans, or "demons" as they have begun to refer to them. Demons do not accept differences; therefore Chinese people are despised and do not get equal rights and privileges. For example, Moon Shadow's grandmother tells him that his father had gone to America to work as a washerman before he was born. He tells Moon Shadow that gold, in the Land of the Golden Mountain, is everywhere and men can harvest it by the bucket full. When he asks why his father does not get enough gold to return home, his grandmother replies, "The demons roam up and down the mountain and beat any of our men who try to get the gold" (6). He says they can only take a small pinch, and only if they do all the hard, grueling work they're told to do. This quote shows that the Chinese (Tang) are being belittled. They are forced to work like slaves. It is very difficult for them to find a well-paid job. You also need to be careful when choosing. Moon Shadow states, “There was a lot of money to be made among the demons, but it was also dangerous” (1). This states that although there are many job opportunities in America, the lives of Chinese people are sometimes put at risk. This almost certainly would not have been the case if an American had the same job. This shows the prejudice that exists against Tang men. The book also mentions that Americans often assume that the Chinese are greedy and after American money.