Iron Road follows the journey of a Chinese street urchin named Little Tiger whose quest for her long-lost father takes her from a fireworks factory in China to a remote construction camp in the Rockies. Lured by the myth of 'Gum San'—Gold Mountain—she and her countrymen come to Canada by the thousands to do the back-breaking work of blasting through the mountain to lay tracks. She soon learns that railroads only bring fortune to the few and that every mile of track is purchased with fear and death. As treachery and prejudice threaten her, Little Tiger must use her wits and courage to fulfill her quest and honour the memory of those who have died in this foreign land.
As a Canadian living in Asia, I was disappointed by the sterile sets, the stereotyping and the overly romanticized story line. This story deserves a more realistic presentation.
Very well done, it had all the drama element needed to keep our attention (like Titanic); but was respectful to "real" history and the injustices done to the Chinese.