Chinatown: The Socioeconomic Potential of an Urban Enclave

4. Uprooted: The New Arrivals

4 Uprooted: The New Arrivals "We finally made it to the Gold Mountain, and we are here to stay." These words express the new attitude of many Chinese immigrants , who now seek a home and a better life in the United States rather than "gold" and a return "home" to their land of origin. Since 1965, the Chinese have ceased to be an unimportant residuum in the larger U.S. population. Their number more than tripled over the period between 1960 and 1980, reaching a record high of812,178. Unlike the early sojourners, who were obsessed with the desire to make enough money to return home, the new arrivals are settlers. Working hard to fulfill their dreams ofeconomic prosperity, opportunity, and freedom, they stand out as a group in their adopted homeland and continue to make contributions but in a much more visible way. The increasing influx of Chinese immigrants has brought diversity to a previously more homogeneous Chinese population. The new arrivals have already displayed remarkable differences from their predecessors not only in mentality and aspirations, but also in socioeconomic characteristics and modes of adaptation. This chapter examines the heterogeneity of recent Chinese immigrants and how the process of uprooting affects their adaptation in United States. Diverse Origins Early Chinese immigrants were predominantly laborers from the Pearl River delta in rural Canton, south China. Although they spoke various local dialects, most commonly Taishanese, the old-timers were basically from the same geographical region and shared a common language, Cantonese . Many of the Chinese words that were incorporated into English are Cantonese, especially those words that are related to food, for exCopyrighted Material 69 70 Chapter 4 ample, dim sum, bok choy, wonton, chow mein, and so on. Cantonese was the sole language in America's Chinatowns for many years. Before World War II, Chinese immigrants were predominantly Cantonese , mostly from rural Canton, the original sending area, and a few from Hong Kong. Before then, very few native Taiwanese emigrated from the island. Recent Chinese immigrants, however, have come from diverse geographical regions. Today's Chinatowns are still dominated by the Cantonese culture, but the non-Cantonese population is growing rapidly. Cantonese is no longer the sole language spoken in Chinese communities in the United States. Now Mandarin, the official and most widely used language of both China and Taiwan, is being accepted. In such newly established Chinatowns as the one in Flushing, New York, Mandarin is now the most commonly used language. Recent Chinese immigrants can be roughly categorized into three groups by place of emigration: those from mainland China, those from Hong Kong, and those from Taiwan. Immigrants from Mainland China The majority of immigrants from Mainland China have been admitted under the relative-preference categories. According to the Immigration and Naturalization Service annual reports, about one-fifth ofthe Chinese entering between 1982 and 1985 came to join their spouses; they were exempt from the numerical limitation. Ninety-four percent of those subject to the numerical limitation entered under the first, second, fourth, and fifth categories (unmarried children of U.S. citizens, spouses and unmarried children of permanent residents, married children of U.S. citizens, and brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens). The number of persons who came under the third category (the skilled and professionals), the sixth (the skilled labor), and the refugees, was small, because ofstrict emigration controls in China. Talented and higher-ranking persons in China were discouraged from emigration for fear of "brain drain," and political dissidents were also forbidden to leave the country. 1\ lost recently , however, this number has increased as many students and yisiting intellectuals have decided to stay in the United States instead ofreturning home upon completion of their exchange programs. As discussed in the previous chapter, the Chinese have emigrated for various reasons, partly because of the legacy of underdevelopment, poverty, and overpopulation and partly because of China's e.\treme leftist policies and the constant power struggles between the ruling political elites. Thus, the major pushing force does not simply derive from material shortages-inadequate housing, limited supplies of food, clothing, and Copyrighted Material UproOled: TheNew Arrivals 71 consumer goods-but also from political repression, limited individual freedom, unrewarding work, and lack of opportunities and economic independence . As the United States has relaxed its unequal immigration quota system based on national origin, and as China itself has become more open to the outside world, people...