Chinese Americans

1
Chinese Americans
2
Places of Origin

• First Immigration Wave 1820s
• Guangdong
• Later On
• Hong Kong
• China
• Taishan

3
Settled Areas

• West Coast
• San Francisco
• Angel Island in San Francisco Bay became the
  Ellis Island for Chinese Immigrants
• New York City

4
Asian Population
The graph on the right shows the percent of
Chinese amongst the Asian population in the
United States. The graph on the left shows the
percent of Chinese amongst the total population
of the United States
5
Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882

• Central Pacific Company recruited thousands of
  Chinese to work on the railroad
• In 30 years following 1849 over 228,000 Chinese
  arrived
• 1852 the governor of California said something
  should be done about the Asians
• Act signed on May 5th, 1882 by President Arthur
• Marked a turning point in American history
• Suspended immigration of Chinese workers for 10
  years
• Declared Chinese ineligible for citizenship
• People were harassed, killed, and expelled
• In 1892 the law was extended
• Act was finally amended in 1904

6
Push vs. Pull Factors

• Push
• Drought
• Disease
• Floods
• Famine
• Over-population
• Decline in economy
• International instability

• Pull
• Labor
• California Gold Rush
• Media Coverage

7
Occupation
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Chinese Work

• Transcontinental Railroad
• Railroads demanded them for their labor
• Mines
• Cooks
• Peddlers
• Took jobs others didnt want or considered too
  dirty
• Later seen as entrepreneurs and professionals

9
Religion

• Taoism
• Earliest
• Buddhism
• Confucianism
• Worship is done separately
• Paper offerings were burnt in means of
  transmitting objects from present lift to next
  life
• Temple is a social center
• 1st and 15th are days of worship
• Supervised by deacons

10
Education
11
Family Life

• Many men came as sojourners, then planned to
  return to their home
• The sex ratio was very off balance
• In 1860, there were 19men for every 1 women
• In 1890, it increased to 27 men, for every women
• Picture brides
• In 1900, US vs. Gue Lim
• Said Chinese could bring families
• Led to small increase in number of families

• 1946 War Brides Act and 1947 GI Fiancée Act
  excelled immigration of Chinese women
• The average Chinese American family size is 2.9
  people
• There is a rising elderly generation
• 9.6 of Chinese are 65 and older
• 69are between 18-64
• 21.4 are under 18 years old
• Chinese Americans have high rates of non-English
  homes

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Holidays

• Memorial Day is April 5th
• The date of the Chinese New Year changes every
  year
• 2005 is the year of the Rooster
• 2006 is the year of the Dog, 2007 is the year of
  the Boar
• Every year is a different animal, there is cycle
  which rotates the animals
• Some examples are the Tiger, Monkey, and Horse
• Each animal has certain characteristics its
  supposed to represent

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Customs

• 1 month celebration
• Red eggs are rubbed over the babys head
• Its supposed to bring good fortune
• An odd number for boys, even number for girls
• Elderly 60th birthday
• Seen as an important birthday
• Birthdays after that are only celebrated every 10
  years
• People mourn for 72 days after the funeral
• Cant wear red or get married for months

• The color red symbolizes happiness
• Fish symbolize prosperity
• A whole chicken represents family unity
• Chicken parts represent good marriage and the
  coming together
• Eggs symbolize fertility
• Noodles symbolize longevity

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Chinatowns

• Made efforts to try and join political and
  cultural life of their citys
• Also wanted to preserve their own cultural
  traditions
• Led to formation of Chinatowns

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The End!