Cane Reapers is the story about the Chinese who were procured to replace the emancipated slaves on the sugar plantations of Guyana (then British Guiana). Between 1853 and 1879 a total of 13,541 indentured labourers arrived from China but by 1900 the resident Chinese population was down to 3,000. The tribulations and triumphs of the Chinese immigrants reveal human nature in times of hardship and alienation. In the process of assimilation into Western culture some unique names have evolved for Chinese families, creating both a mystery and a topic of fascination for their descendants and for genealogists.