- Chinese Immigrants on the Development of American Culture
- Introduction
- The immigration of the Chinese to the United States is divided in three different periods, 1849-1882, 1882-1965 and from 1965 to the modern immigration. It is worth noting that the first immigration of the Chinese to U.S started after the popular California Gold Rush (Thornton, 5). This immigration culminated with the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act. The 1849-1882 immigration was triggered by economic hardships in China (Thornton, 6). In fact, most Chinese left their home country and came to America as laborers. They were conscripted in mineral and metals extraction, building of irrigation schemes, reclaiming of swamplands, developing the fish business and operating very competitive production industries.
- The second phase of immigration that started from 1882-1965 involved merchants, diplomats, students, and their families. During this period, the Chinese were discriminated against the Americans and they lived in separated ghettos, which were called Chinatowns. The Chinatowns accommodated over 80% of the Chinese immigrants. The Chinese lived in detached places in American rural areas (Thornton, 13). Their democratic rights were hardly recognized by the American society, an aspect that made them to often resort in diplomatic channels and courts for justice. However, the 1960s Civil Rights movement, which led to the ratification of 1965 Nationality Acts and the 1964 Civil Rights Act, introduced a new era in the Chinese immigration to America. The two Acts led to liberation of the Chinese immigrants and unchained them from racial subjugation. More importantly, the Nationality Act restored several basic rights, which were denied previously. The enactment of the 1965 Nationality Act opened ways for scores of Chinese immigrants to the U.S where most immigrants came to reunite with their loved ones (Zhou, 47). From 1970s to date, the Chinese immigrants entering the United States are well educated and skilled. Others are Chinese immigrants who came to the country due to political instability of the Southeast and East Asia while others are poor refugees from Cambodia and Vietnam.
- The Chinese immigrants more often than not settled in Rocky Mountains and in California. This is because they were greatly involved in railway construction and mining. The two activities were the major source of economic developments in the American Western States. Nevertheless, with declining of the two major industries that contributed to the immigration of the Chinese, Chinese segregation intensified leading them to shift to service production industries and other small businesses. In the beginning of the 20th century, most Chinese immigrants dwelled in Chinatowns across major cites in U.S.
- Just like other immigrants, the Chinese immigrated to the United States because of economic hardships back in their country as well as political instability (Zhou, 47). They had the wish to get a source of livelihood in Gold Mountain. As indicated earlier, majority of Chinese people worked in mines and in the construction industries where they were more involved in railway construction. This is because the American took them as cheap industrious labor force (Thornton, 21). The Gold Rush in California was one of the notable reason why most Chinese immigrated in the United States. Poverty and Civil War in the Southern China also prompted many Chinese to migrate to America. Their main intention was to earn a decent living in America. They thought they would work and support their poor families back at home.
- It is of essence to note that the first arrival point was in San Francisco where they established the first Chinatown. Notably, due to the nature of the jobs carried out by the Chinese in America, 95 percent of the immigrants were male whom because of poverty back at home agreed to cheap labor (Zhou, 47). They also endured dangerous and rough work environments. The Chinese are highly recognized for the construction of western railways, which was among the vast achievement of the nineteenth century (Thornton, 21). This major project was finished in 1868. Other activities carried out by the Chinese communities in the 19th and early 20th centuries in the United States of America included menial services, selling of foods, laundering and children’s’ care. They also contributed enormously to shoe, garment, cigar and wool mills and cigar industries. However, it is very important to note that they were the first immigrants to take venture in the gold fields in California.
- While the California Gold rush triggered Chinese immigration to the United States, Economic hardships prompted by the developing British supremacy in China equally contributed to their immigration (Zhou, 47). This was after the China was defeated by Britain in the 1839-1842 Opium War. Therefore, while most Chinese immigrants sought for monetary prosperity, other immigrated in search of freedom.
- Was there something happening in this country when they came?
- One of the major happenings in America when the Chinese migrated in a large number was the fact that they had about the Gold Mountain. The good news that made the Chinese people to enter America was the fact that they would get much money and wealth after managing to get to the gold mountains. Back home, there was cases of famine that had been affecting their country for a long period. This made most of the Chinese prefer to go to America in search of food and better life comparing to the one they were living in America. Most of the Chinese towns were associated with cases of murder and acts of violent. The Chinese people who managed to migrate to America were fleeing from some of these acts in their country.
- Another issue that made most of the Chinese to migrate to America is the fact that there was war in their country mostly in the Southern China. Most of the Chinese were eager that they could free from the war and go to work in America. They also had the fact that after working in America they could find enough money to help their families and relatives back home. The Chinese who managed to migrate to America were mostly merchants who engaged in various business activities. Having no prosperous market back home, they decided to try a new market of their goods in America. Fortunately, they were largely accepted by the American people and government officials (Huang 104). The Chinese people were also taking the opportunity that the America government was not restricting any of the visitors from entering in the country during that time.
- Did they fill a particular need in the American economy?
- The invention of the gold rush contributed in many of the Americans to migrate to America. From the start, they had a great impact to the American economy in the fact that they were able to contribute to the resource generation issues. Most of the first Chinese to arrive in America were merchants who participated in business activities. They contributed in increasing the economy of the American government through various items they were trading.
- Apart from the gold rush industry that most of the Chinese contributed to the government of America, they were also eligible of contributing to other financial generating activities (Sutter 145). One of the activities that the Chinese engaged in America was the construction of transcontinental railroad. The railroad was of significance importance to the people of America in the fact that it helped the country in connection with other countries and many of its estates. The railway was a means of transport to many of the citizens where the able to commute to different areas in the country. Many of the businesspersons in the gold industry used the railway to transport their gold.
- The Chinese contributed in building various restaurants, hospitals and schools in America. They were doing most of these jobs through cheap labor. This contributed in making various developments in the country. The advantage of the Chinese people in engaging to most of the developments in America was that the government used less amount of money. The government also benefited from the experience that the Chinese were offering to its citizens. The experience was latter useful in making other economic generating activities.
- Did most of them immigrate legally?
- Chinese immigration to the U.S was legal. Initially, it comprised of people moving in the United States to make a decent living that was not possible in their states, since they were undergoing tough situations including political instability. In the United States, there was a high demand for labor especially in the plantations and land mines that were almost having fewer employees and those who were already there demanded high pay (Chew, Leach & Liu 415). This prompted the U.S regime of then to allow the Chinese natives and even those in Cambodia to enter the states to offer cheap labor as they were seeking for a better living. This first phase of immigration occurred during the years 1849-1882, which started following California Gold Rush (Jung 16).
- This yielded to the Chinese immigrant being recruited in working in plantations as well as landmines for meager payments (Jung 19). The second phase comprised of merchants, elites and diplomats who migrated to the states after laws were further tightened only to allow the educated and business people. However, this did not make their living in the U.S comfortable since they were segregated, in Chinatowns and denied their rights (Chew, Leach & Liu 425). The second phase occurred in 1882-1965 and was very selective in the manner people entered the U.S since the regime did not want the states populated with many people that did not contribute positively to the growth of the economy.
- How have they influenced the United States?
- Upon settling in America, Chinese brought with them their culture, ideas and ideals that really altered the American way of life, which is still evident and continuing to do so to the present. The Chinese innovations and entrepreneurial knowhow dawned in America at a high pace especially in their Chinatowns (Jung 18). This continued to spread after they were allowed to enjoy more rights than before. One of the major and unique characteristics of the Chinese in America, which usually differentiates them with the rest, is the virtue of Confucian. This is the insistence of high piety and respect to the elders and all those who are over one’s age and inclusive of leaders. Other aspects of culture comprise the introduction of Buddhism, Taoism plus kung fu. It is also evident that the Chinese culture in every celebration there is a requirement for a feast, which is still being, adopted in the United States slowly (Chew, Leach & Liu 410).
- Regarding citizenship, the Chinese are not mandated to renounce their nationality whatsoever and still they live in the U.S as dual citizens but in their state, this is not recognized. Citizenship via naturalization in china’s regime is not recognized once in other states and they have to identify with their origin. Mainly Americans grow while using English in all their regions, but for the case of Chinese, they do have variety of dialects that are preferred, which comprise Cantonese and Mandarin. These varieties are in the towns and even in their working places where even some parents of the American origin prefer teaching her children Chinese dialects. Politically the Chinese do belong to numerous subgroups that have diverse ideas and attitudes towards their leaders. This even includes some not paying allegiance to the People’s Republican of China. In addition, the American Chinese do have diverse political priorities and goals that make them not to belong from a certain unified group (Jung 17).
- Have they influenced the language, the food, the culture and politics?
- Being that the main Chinese immigrants to the US constituted students, merchants on their business and sailors there was bound to be socialization between the original inhabitants and the immigrants. The students could be involved in socialization in the course of their schooling; telling their counterpart, original inhabitants, about their culture (Koehn, Peter , and Xiao-huang, 63). At some time the students could end up comparing their cultures on the grounds of which is superior. In the course of there comparison they got to link the two cultures and at sometimes they ended up harmonizing the Chinese culture and the US culture. For instance the people living in the US got interested in the Chinese culture of embracing kung fu as they deemed it good as a self protection. The kung fu culture also acted as a recreational activity as people who were kung fu trained could be made to go into competition therefore it was viewed as a sporting activity in the US. Kung fu training centers were established and many inhabitants of the US were interested in joining the kung fu clubs.
- The Chinese immigrants did not abandon their language when they came to the US. This is because they were not conversed with the English language: neither speaking it nor understanding it. This was bound to make the original inhabitants of the US to get an adventure into the language because the Chinese were much confident of it. The aesthetic value of the language also led to the attraction of the US to the language. Chinese language schools were therefore established in the US a sign that the US people embraced the language. Many US people joined the schools and they therefore have to know the Chinese language.
- Apart from language and culture the Chinese immigrants continued embracing there traditional foods. The Chinese even established their own hotels where their foods were available (Hunsicker 13). This got the US original inhabitants admiring hence they had to harmonize their food culture with the Chinese food culture. This was evident by many of the US original hotels offering menu for the Chinese traditional foods. The politics of the US was also affected because the US deemed it that the incorporation of some of the Chinese values in politics could be significant in their political landscape. The US people therefore adopted some Chinese political values for their politics.
- Have they melded their culture into the American culture or have they significantly retained their home country culture
- At their onset into the US, the Chinese established many Chinese benevolent associations in order to help them, as they did not intend to being assimilate by the American culture. They did not want to disobey the Qing Dynasty rule that held them with the responsibility of keeping the Manchu custom of dressing. This was an act of identification of a friend or an enemy in the Chinese custom. It involved shaving their heads only at the front and then they combined the rest in form of a queue. Even though there were many Christian missionaries, living among the Chinese immigrants, they only managed to convince a few. This is because the Chinese immigrants exclusively either embraced ancestral worship, Buddhism or Daoism. The Chinese could also not adjust to the culture of the US because they did not know English (Koehn, Peter and Xiao-huang, 63). Therefore, they had to embrace their culture.
- Works cited
- Chew, Kenneth.,Leach, Mark & Liu, John M. The Revolving Door to Gold Mountain: How Chinese Immigrants Got Around U.S. Exclusion and Replenished the Chinese American Labor Pool, 1900–1910. International Migration Review; Summer 43.2 (2009): p410- 430, 21p.
- Huang Annian. The silent spikes: Chinese laborers and the construction of North American railroads. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, 2006. Print.
- Hunsicker, Kelley. Chinese Immigrants in America: An Interactive History Adventure. Mankato, Minn: Capstone Press, 2008. Print.
- Jeremy Thornton. The gold rush: Chinese immigrants come to America (1848-1882). New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, 2004.
- Jung, John. Searching for Needles in Haystacks: Tracing Chinese Immigrants to America. Chinese American Forum 26.1 (2010): p16-19, 4p.
- Koehn, Peter H, and Xiao-huang Yin. The Expanding Roles of Chinese Americans in U.s.-China Relations: Transnational Networks and Trans-Pacific Interactions. Armonk, N.Y: M.E. Sharpe, 2002. Print.
- Min Zhou.Contemporary Chinese America:immigration, ethnicity, and community transformation. China: Temple University Press, May 28, 2009.
- Sutter Robert. U.S.-Chinese relations: perilous past, pragmatic present. New York: Rowman & Littlefield, 2010. Print.
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