Chinese Americans
Tsung-Dao Lee, Michelle Kwan
Total population
3,565,458 1. Tsung-Dao Lee ( TD Lee,) (born November 24, 1926) is a Chinese -born American Physicist, well known for his work Michelle Wingshan Kwan (born July 7, 1980) is an American figure skater. 2% of the US population (2006)[1]
Regions with significant populations
California, Hawaii, Northeast United States, Washington, Western United States
Languages
American English, Chinese: Mandarin, Cantonese, Taishanese, Fujianese, Hakka, Shanghainese (Wu)
Religions
Buddhism, Chinese folk religion, Christianity, Islam,[2] and Taoism

Chinese Americans are Americans of Chinese descent. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. The State of Hawaii ( or həˈwaɪʔiː Hawaiian: Mokuāina o Hawaii) is a state in the United States located on an Archipelago in the The Northeast is a region of the United States. As defined by the U Washington ( is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The Western United States &mdashcommonly referred to as the American West or simply the West &mdashtraditionally refers to the region comprising the westernmost Phonology North American English regional phonology In many ways compared to English English, North American English is conservative in its Phonology. The Hakkas ( Hakka language: Hak-kâ; Mandarin Chinese: Kèjiā) are a subgroup of the Han Chinese people who live predominantly Shanghainese (上海閒話 in Shanghainese sometimes referred to as the Shanghai dialect, is a dialect of Wu Chinese spoken in the city of Shanghai Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices Chinese folk religion is a collective label given to various folkloric beliefs that draws heavily from Chinese mythology. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. Taoism (pronounced /ˈdaʊɪzəm/ or /ˈtaʊɪzəm/ also spelled '''Daoism''') refers to a variety of related Philosophical and Religious traditions The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following A person who resides in and holds citizenship of the People's Republic of China (including Hong Chinese Americans constitute one group of Overseas Chinese and also a subgroup of East Asian Americans, which is further a subgroup of Asian Americans. Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry. They include sub-ethnic groups such as Chinese Americans Filipino Americans Indian Within this community. term Chinese American is often broadly defined to include not only immigrants from mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau and their descendants but also immigrants and descendants of people from Taiwan as well as overseas Chinese who have immigrated to the United States from places as diverse as Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and Mexico. Mainland China, Continental China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term synonymous with the area that is under the jurisdiction Hong Kong ( officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a territory located on China 's south coast on the Pearl River Delta, and borders For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Macau topics. Taiwan ( Taiwanese: Tâi-oân/Tāi-oân (historically 大灣/台員/大員/台圓/大圓/台窩灣 is an Island in East Asia. The inclusion of Taiwanese Americans in the classification of Chinese American is somewhat controversial owing to differences of opinion as to the relationship of Taiwan to China. A Taiwanese American is an American of Taiwanese ancestry This term also sometimes fluidly applies to those whose parents or relatives are associated with Taiwan ( Taiwanese: Tâi-oân/Tāi-oân (historically 大灣/台員/大員/台圓/大圓/台窩灣 is an Island in East Asia. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National Supporters of Taiwan independence often object to classification of Taiwanese Americans as Chinese Americans and overseas Chinese while opponents of Taiwan independence often object if Taiwanese Americans are not included in those groups. Taiwan independence ( Pe̍h-oē-jī: Tâi-oân To̍k-li̍p ūn-tōng abbreviated to 台獨 Táidú Tâi-to̍k is a Chinese Americans ( Chinese: 华裔美国人 are Americans of Chinese descent Taiwan independence ( Pe̍h-oē-jī: Tâi-oân To̍k-li̍p ūn-tōng abbreviated to 台獨 Táidú Tâi-to̍k is a A Taiwanese American is an American of Taiwanese ancestry This term also sometimes fluidly applies to those whose parents or relatives are associated with

The first Chinese immigrants arrived in 1820 according to U. S. government records. Fewer than 1,000 are known to have arrived before the 1848 California Gold Rush which drew the first significant number of laborers from China who performed menial work for the gold prospectors. The California Gold Rush (1848&ndash1855 began on January 24 1848 when Gold was discovered by James Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California Gold prospecting is the act of going equipped to find Gold in rocks or in stream beds with a view to exploiting that discovery

There were 25,000 immigrants by 1852, and 105,465 by 1880, most of whom lived on the West Coast. The " West Coast " " Western Seaboard " or " Pacific Seaboard " are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the Western United States Most of the early immigrants were young males with low educational levels from the Guangdong province. Guangdong ( EFEO: Kouangtong; Pinyin Guǎngdōng; Postal map spelling: Kwangtung) is a province on the ^[3]

Chinese people were some of the early immigrants to live in the U. S. , but then were banned from emigrating between 1885 and 1943 - when the Chinese Exclusion Act was repealed. Immigration of Chinese was heavily restricted until 1965. Until the mid-1970's, most ethnic Chinese immigration into the United States was from the Republic of China on Taiwan creating a group of Taiwanese Americans. REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES Taiwan ( Taiwanese: Tâi-oân/Tāi-oân (historically 大灣/台員/大員/台圓/大圓/台窩灣 is an Island in East Asia. A Taiwanese American is an American of Taiwanese ancestry This term also sometimes fluidly applies to those whose parents or relatives are associated with The During the 1980's, immgration from Taiwan decreased, while immigration from the People's Republic of China increased. Talk People's Republic of China) PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES

History

Main article: Asian American

Main articles: Chinese immigration to the United States and Chinese immigration to Hawaii

Chinese railroad workers in the snow – 19th century

Chinese immigration to the United States has come in great numbers. Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry. They include sub-ethnic groups such as Chinese Americans Filipino Americans Indian Chinese immigration to the United States consists of three major waves with the first beginning in the early 19th century The Chinese in Hawaii constitute about 47% of the state's population most of whom (75% have ancestors from Zhongshan in Guangdong. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Similar to other American immigration experiences, Chinese immigration has resulted in both hardship and success. American immigration ( emigration to the United States of America) refers to the movement of non-residents to the United States.

Citizenship

Legally all ethnic Chinese born in the United States are American citizens as a result of the Fourteenth Amendment and the 1898 United States v. Wong Kim Ark Supreme Court decision. The Fourteenth Amendment ( Amendment XIV) to the United States Constitution is one of the post- Civil War Reconstruction Amendments, first United States v Wong Kim Ark,, was a United States Supreme Court decision that set an important legal precedent about what determines American Citizenship Upon naturalization, immigrants are not required to renounce their former citizenship. ^[4] The People's Republic of China does not recognize dual citizenship and considers this a renunciation of PRC citizenship. Talk People's Republic of China) PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES The Republic of China is officially ambiguous about dual citizenship, but it does not recognize the American naturalization oath, by itself, as renouncing citizenship. REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES

Major contributions

Professor Steven Chu is among the several Chinese Americans to have won the Nobel Prize. Steven Chu ( Chinese: 朱棣文 Pinyin: Zhū Dìwén (b February 28[[ 948]] St The Nobel Prize (Nobelpriset (Nobelprisen is a Swedish prize established in the 1895 will of Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel; it was first awarded in Peace, Literature The others are Tsung-dao Lee, Samuel C. C. Ting, Daniel Chee Tsui, and Chen Ning Yang. Tsung-Dao Lee ( TD Lee,) (born November 24, 1926) is a Chinese -born American Physicist, well known for his work Samuel Chao Chung Ting (丁肇中 Pinyin: Dīng Zhàozhōng Wade-Giles: Ting¹ Chao⁴-chung¹ (born January 27, 1936) is an American Daniel Chee Tsui ( born February 28, 1939, Henan Province, China) is a Chinese -born American Physicist whose Chen-Ning Franklin Yang ( (born October 1, 1922) is a Chinese -born American Physicist who worked on Statistical mechanics

• Building Western half of the Transcontinental railroad
• Building levees in the Sacramento River Delta
• Developing and cultivating much of the Western US farmland
• Chinese food (see American Chinese cuisine)
• Recent technological developments (especially in the Bay Area)

The Chinese who immigrated to America in the earlier decades were mainly from the area of Guangdong (Canton) and later Hong Kong. This article refers to a railroad built in the United States between Omaha and Sacramento completed in 1869 The Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta is an expansive inland River delta and Estuary in northern California in the United States. Heartland is used in geography to refer to the central areas of a country Chinese cuisine ( Traditional Chinese: 中國菜 Simplified Chinese: 中国菜 originated from the various regions of China and has become widespread in American Chinese cuisine refers to the style of food served by certain Chinese Restaurants in the United States. The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, or the Bay, is a geographically and ethnically diverse metropolitan region that surrounds the However, recently, more Chinese from mainland began to arrive to perform skilled jobs. Most of these Chinese Americans hold high educational degrees and value education.

Influence on American culture

See also: American Chinese cuisine, Chinatown, Chinese character tattoos, and Model Minority

Analysis indicated that most non-Asian Americans do not differentiate between Chinese Americans and Asian Americans generally, and stereotypes towards both groups are nearly identical. American Chinese cuisine refers to the style of food served by certain Chinese Restaurants in the United States. A Chinatown is a section of an urban area with a large number of Chinese outside the majority-Chinese countries of Greater China. Chinese character tattoos or kanji tattoos are Tattoos consisting of Chinese characters ( Hanzi or Kanji) Model minority refers to a Minority Ethnic, racial, or religious group whose members achieve a higher degree of Success ^[5] A 2001 survey of Americans' attitudes toward Asian Americans and Chinese Americans indicated that 68% of the respondents had somewhat or very negative attitude toward Chinese Americans in general. ^[6] The study did find several positive perceptions of Chinese Americans: strong family values (91%); honesty as business people (77%); high value on education (67%). ^[5]

Demographics

See also: Demographics of the United States

The Chinese American community is the largest ethnic group of Asian Americans, comprising of 22. The United States is an urbanized nation with 808 percent of its population of 305186613 residing in cities and suburbs as of mid-year 2005 4% of the Asian American population. They constitute 1. 2% of the United States as a whole. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the In 2006, the Chinese American population numbered approximately 3. 6 million. ^[1]

As a whole, Chinese American populations continue to grow at a rapid rate due to immigration. However, they also on average have birth rates lower than those of White Americans, and as such their population is aging relatively quickly. In recent years, adoption of young children, especially girls, from China has also brought a boost to the numbers of Chinese Americans, although most of the adoptions appear to have been done by white parents. Adoption is the act of legally placing a child with a Parent or parents other than those to whom they were born

Locations

Further information: List of U.S. cities with large Chinese American populations

Cities with large Chinese American populations include Boston, Flushing, Queens, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Houston, Plano, Seattle, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Portland. Cities with large Chinese American populations with a critical mass of at least 1% of the total urban population and at least 10% of the total suburban population Flushing, founded in 1645 is a neighborhood in the north central part of the City of New York borough of Queens, ten miles (16 km east of Manhattan The City of New York The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D Plano (ˈpleɪnoʊ is a city in Collin and Denton Counties in the U Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə Portland is a city located in the Northwestern United States, near the Confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers In these cities, there are often multiple Chinatowns, an older one and a newer one which is populated by immigrants from the 1960s and 1970s. In some areas, Chinese Americans maintain close relationships with other Asian groups.

Even though most of the immigrants from the 1960s and 1970s tend to gather around Chinatowns, immigrants of the recent decades are no longer cluttered in Chinatowns. They tend to settle down where their jobs are, and most will consider the school district so as to provide their children with quality education.

In addition to the big cities, smaller pockets of Chinese Americans are also dispersed in rural towns, often university towns, throughout the United States. Chinese Americans formed nearly three percent of California's population in 2000, and over one percent in the Northeast. Hawaii, with its historically heavily-Asian population, was nearly ten percent Chinese American. The State of Hawaii ( or həˈwaɪʔiː Hawaiian: Mokuāina o Hawaii) is a state in the United States located on an Archipelago in the

Language

Chinese, mostly of the Cantonese variety, is the third most-spoken language spoken in the United States, almost completely spoken within Chinese American populations and by immigrants or the descendants of immigrants, especially in California. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. ^[7] Over 2 million Americans speak some variety of Chinese, with the Standard Mandarin becoming increasingly more prevalent due to immigration from mainland China and Taiwan. Standard Mandarin, also known as Standard Spoken Chinese, is the official modern Chinese spoken language used in mainland China and Taiwan ^[7]

In New York City at least, although Mandarin is spoken as a native language among only ten percent of Chinese speakers, it is used as a secondary dialect among the greatest number of them and is on its way to replace Cantonese as their lingua franca. The City of New York A lingua franca (from Italian, literally meaning Frankish language, see etymology under Sabir and Italian below is any Language widely ^[8] In addition, the immigration from Fujian is creating an increasingly large number of Min speakers.

Although Chinese Americans grow up learning English, some teach their children Chinese for a variety of reasons such as of pride in their cultural ancestry, desire for easy communication with other relatives, and the perception that Chinese will be a very useful language to know as China's economic strength increases. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States However, some Chinese American parents believe their children will fit in better with English speaking peers if they do not learn Chinese, and instead immerse themselves in an English-speaking environment.

Life in America

Chinese Americans have made many large strides in American society. Today, Chinese Americans engage in every facet of American life including the military, elected offices, media, academia, and sports. Over the years, many Chinese Americans have blended the American lifestyle with a more natively Chinese one.

Perhaps the most common landmark of the Chinese impact in America are the prolific Chinese restaurants that have cropped up in every corner of the U. S. Along with these culinary traditions, Chinese heritage is celebrated not only by most Chinese Americans, but also mainstream America; the most prominent of these is the Chinese New Year celebration. Chinese New Year is the most important of the Traditional Chinese holidays.

Chinese American income and social status varies widely. Although many Chinese Americans in Chinatowns of large cities are often members of an impoverished working class, others are well-educated upper-class people living in affluent suburbs. A Chinatown is a section of an urban area with a large number of Chinese outside the majority-Chinese countries of Greater China. The upper and lower-class Chinese are also widely separated by social status. In California's San Gabriel Valley, for example, even though the cities of Monterey Park and San Marino are both Chinese American communities lying geographically close to each other, they are separated by a large socio-economic and income gap. The San Gabriel Valley is one of the principal valleys of southern California. Monterey Park is a city in Los Angeles County California, United States. San Marino is an affluent city in Los Angeles County, California, USA.

Festivals

In most American cities with Chinese populations, the new year is celebrated with cultural festivals and parties. At other times of the year, Chinese cultural festivals provide a gathering point for the Chinese community, and help to educated others. In Seattle, the Chinese Culture and Arts Festival is held every year. Festál at Seattle Center is a program of annual ethnically -related festivals that take place on the grounds of Seattle Center in Seattle Washington

Other important festivals include the Dragon Boat Festival and the Mid-Autumn Festival. The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival, or in Chinese Zhongqiu Jie ( is a popular harvest festival celebrated by Chinese

Politics

Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao is the first (and to date, only) Chinese American to serve in the federal cabinet. Elaine Lan Chao ( born March 26, 1953) currently serves as the 24th United States Secretary of Labor in the Cabinet of President She is also the first Asian American woman and second Asian American in the Cabinet.

See also: Racism in the United States and Anti-Chinese sentiment

Chinese Americans are divided among many subgroups based on factors such as a generation, place of origin, socio-economic level, and do not have uniform attitudes about the People's Republic of China, the Republic of China, the United States, or Chinese nationalism, with attitudes varying widely between active support, hostility, or indifference. Racism in the United States has been a major issue since the colonial era Sinophobia (from Latin Sinae "the Chinese" + Ancient Greek φόβος -phobos "fear" or anti-Chinese sentiment Talk People's Republic of China) PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Chinese nationalism ( sometimes synonymous with Chinese Patriotism ( lit Different subgroups of Chinese Americans also have radically different and sometimes very conflicting political priorities and goals. It is for this reason that Chinese Americans do not have any unified political groups or any unified political viewpoints.

In the days leading up to the 2004 U.S. Presidential Election, John Kerry was favored by 58% of Chinese Americans, with George W. Bush being favored by 23% of Chinese Americans and 19% undecided. The United States presidential election of 2004 was held on Tuesday November 2, 2004, to elect the President of the United States. } John Forbes Kerry (born December 11 1943 is an American Politician who is currently serving his fourth term as the junior United States Senator George Walker Bush ( born July 6 1946 is the forty-third and current President of the United States. ^[9]

In recent decades, many Chinese Americans have started pursuing careers in politics, and succeeded in getting elected into political offices. The most prominent is Gary Locke who became the first Chinese American governor in U. Gary Faye Locke (born January 21, 1950) was elected governor of Washington (1997-2005 S. history. Others include Hiram Fong, Daniel Akaka, March Fong Eu, Matt Fong, Thomas Tang, Norman Bay, Elaine Chao, Leland Yee, John Liu and David Wu. Hiram Leong Fong ( 鄺[[wikt 友|友]] 良; Pinyin: Kuàng Yǒuliáng formally Yau Leong Fong ( October 15, 1906 – Daniel Kahikina Akaka (born September 11, 1924) is the junior U March Kong Fong Eu ( Chinese: 江月桂 Pinyin: Jiāng Yuèguì (born March 29 1922 in Oakdale California) is an American Matthew Kip Ling Fong ( Chinese: 鄺傑靈 Pinyin: Kuàng Jiélíng (b Thomas Tang ( January 11, 1922 - July 18, 1995) was a Federal judge in the United States and the first Chinese American Norman C Bay (born 1960 in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois) is a former United States Attorney for the District of Elaine Lan Chao ( born March 26, 1953) currently serves as the 24th United States Secretary of Labor in the Cabinet of President Leland Yee ( born November 20 1948 in China) is a California State Senator in District 8 which includes the western half of San Francisco For other uses of the name John Liu see John Liu (disambiguation John Chun Liu (b David Wu ( born April 8, 1955) is a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives for Oregon, representing

During the Cultural Revolution, Chinese Americans, like all overseas Chinese, generally speaking, were viewed as capitalist traitors by the People's Republic of China government. The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution in the People’s Republic of China was a struggle for power within the Communist Party of China that manifested into Capitalism is the Economic system in which the Means of production are owned by private Persons and operated for Profit and where Talk People's Republic of China) PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES For the government of parliamentary systems see Executive (government. This attitude changed completely in the late 1970s with the reforms of Deng Xiaoping. Deng Xiaoping ( 22 August 1904 19 February 1997) was a prominent Chinese Revolutionary, Politician, Pragmatist and Reformer Increasingly, Chinese Americans were seen as sources of business and technical expertise and capital who could aid in China's economic and other development. Economic development is the development of economic wealth of countries or regions for the well-being of their inhabitants This article is about international development See the closely related concept of development cooperation.

American-born

Main article: American-born Chinese

Notable Chinese Americans

See List of Chinese Americans. An American-born Chinese or " ABC " is a person born in the United States of Chinese ethnic descent a category of Chinese American This is a list of notable Chinese Americans, who are famous have made significant contributions to the American Culture or Society

See also

• Love Boat (study tour)

References

Further reading

• Chinese American Understanding: A Sixty-Year Search, Chih Meng, China Institute in America, 1981, hardcover, 255 pages, OCLC: 8027928
• Chinese Americans and Their Immigrant Parents: Conflict, Identity, and Values, May Pao-May Tung, Haworth Press, 2000, paperback, 112 pages, ISBN 0-7890-1056-9
• Chinese Americans: The Immigrant Experience, Dusanka Miscevic and Peter Kwong, Hugh Lauter Levin Associates, 2000, hardcover, 240 pages, ISBN 0-88363-128-8
• Compelled To Excel: Immigration, Education, And Opportunity Among Chinese Americans, Vivian S. Louie, Stanford University Press, 2004, paperback, 272 pages, ISBN 0-8047-4985-X
• The Chinese in America: A Narrative History, Iris Chang, Viking, 2003, hardcover, 496 pages, ISBN 0-670-03123-2
• Being Chinese, Becoming Chinese American, Shehong Chen, University of Illinois Press, 2002 ISBN 0-252-02736-1 electronic book
• ABC Struggles in the Church
• On Gold Mountain: The One-Hundred-Year Odyssey of My Chinese American Family, Lisa See, 1996. Iris Shun-Ru Chang ( March 28, 1968 &ndash November 9, 2004) was an American Historian and Journalist. ISBN 0-679-76852-1. See also the website for an exhibition based on this book [1] from the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program. The Smithsonian Institution (smɪθsoʊnɪən is an educational and research institute and associated Museum complex administered and funded by the Government of

External links

• Factfinder Chinese Americans 2005 American Community Survey
• Museum of Chinese in the Americas
• Chinese Culture Center & Chinese Culture Foundation of San Francisco
• Organization of Chinese Americans
• Chinese Historical Society of America
• The Asians in America Project - Chinese American Organizations Directory
• "Paper Son" - one Chinese American's story of coming to America under the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882
• Becoming American: The Chinese Experience a PBS Bill Moyers special. Thomas F. Lennon, Series Producer.
• Chinese American Contribution to Transcontinental Railroad - Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum
• Emerging Information Technology Conference (EITC), organized by several Chinese American organizations
• Famous Chinese Americans Comprehensive list of famous Chinese Americans organized by professions. Includes short biographical notes and Chinese names.
• Chinese Information and Networking Association (CINA)
• Northwest Chinese Professionals Association
• The Yung Wing Project hosts the memoir of the first Chinese American graduate of an American university (Yale 1854).
• Chinese American Museum