Wisconsin Maritime Museum Project to Highlight the Lost Story of China's Titanic Survivors
Manitowoc – On April 15, 1912, the RMS Titanic sank in the cold waters of the North Atlantic Ocean, with only more than 700 people surviving.
Among them are six Chinese seafarers: Ah, Shalin, Zhang Qipu, Shun Fu, Fang Lang (also known as Fang Yi Sun), Lee Bin and Lianxi.
According to the Wisconsin Maritime Museum, their survival is not good, but their stories are soon buried under prejudice and xenophobia.
Within 24 hours after arriving in New York, the people were expelled from the United States under the China Exclusion Act. For decades, their lives and experiences have been unrecognizable. Until years of investigation by author and historian Steven Schwankert, including interviews with future generations and global archival research, led to the rediscovery of their forgotten legacy.
Read more: Woodcarver master Richard A. Young (Richard A.
The Wisconsin Maritime Museum in Manitowoc will welcome Schwankert for a special speech at 2 p.m. on June 1, where he will use his book “Six: The Untold Stories of the Titanic Chinese Survivors.” The event is free and open to the public.
On Wednesday, February 26, 2025, at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum, at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum, September 2025, in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, Cobia Uss uss the uiss Cobia program is scheduled to be placed in a seabed curator at the Maritime Museum in Manitocowoc for routine underwater hull inspections and cleaning.
Schwankert will delve into his research in his speech, which reveals the stories of six Chinese men who survived the infamous 1912 disaster.
Survivor Fang Lang's son Tom Fong will also speak with Schwankert, providing a personal perspective on his father's story and reflect on the widespread impact that history has on his family.
Read more: Since 1840, Manitowoc's Harbor has a lighthouse. This is what it is about its legacy.
If you go…
Here's what to know if you go:
Contact Brandon Reid at breid@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared in the Manitowoc Herald Times reporter: China Titanic survivor at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum event
