Chinese Immigrants In Flushing Research

Chinese Immigrants in Flushing, Queens I would like to research Chinese immigrants living in my home-town of Flushing, New York. The reason why I’ve chosen to research this particular culture is because I have been a part of it for as long as I can remember, and I wish to gain further knowledge from my studies. Some concepts that I would like to discuss are, acculturation of Chinese immigrants in to American culture, reasons for immigrating, how Chinese immigrants choose to identify themselves, and how Chinese immigrants have economically adapted through the use of personal resources. Since the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 a significant amount of Chinese Americans have immigrated in to the United States. This act has
reversed the effects of decades of Chinese exclusion. The result is the reunification of many Chinese immigrants with their families in the United States. Favorable locations for these immigrants have been in New York City, and California. (Le, 2007) I will be focusing on the town of Flushing, Queens as the Chinese make up a large percentage of the population. The reasons for Chinese immigration in to the United States vary depending on the province. The immigrants of the late 20th century mostly came from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. The reasons for immigration were social, economic, and political. Economic reasons were not a great deciding factor for immigrants coming from Hong Kong or Taiwan, as their economy have thrived since the shift of manufacturing factories from developed nations to Asia. The reason for immigration from Hong Kong and Taiwan were based upon better education opportunities in the United States. However, economic and political factors were the reasons for immigrants coming from mainland China. Although mainland China has achieved considerable growth in recent years, many mainland Chinese have yet to see this growth in the rural parts. These mainland Chinese have lost hope in communism and socialism that they have to look toward the United States for political freedom. (Chua, 2002) Ms. Lam immigrated to Flushing with her parents from Hong Kong in 2001. I had asked her, “What were the reasons for immigrating to the United States?”, and she replied “My parents often reminded me that I was their only hope. They said they left Hong Kong so that I could have a better future. The quality of education is better in the U.S., and that I would be able to make a better living here”. Ms. Lam also stated that on many occasions she would feel burdened by the amount of pressure her parents place upon her. “My parents would always scold me if I brought home poor grades from school, and they often reminded me that a major part of their decision on emigrating from Hong Kong was so that I could succeed out in the U.S. and make their lives more comfortable”. I conducted my research in my neighborhood of Flushing, Queens. I decided that it was a great location to study because nearly a quarter of Flushing’s population is Chinese (Queens Economic Development). I have enlisted the help of many local Chinese owned businesses and conducted interviews with these people that owned these businesses as well as the workers. Mr. Jiang is a middle aged man from Fujian province in Mainland China who recently immigrated to Flushing, Queens in 2005. The reason for immigration was in fact based on better economic opportunities. Mr. Jiang stated that he was earning more money running the small candy shop he had opened in Flushing than working in a garment factory in China. Mr. Yung on the contrary who emigrated from Hong Kong in 2001 stated that education was a big factor in immigrating to the United States. Mr. Yung moved here with his wife and at the time, his three-year old son. Mr. Yung believed the education system in the United States was far superior to the Hong Kong education system, and in 2001 sacrificed his job as a carpenter, and became a line chef at a Chinese restaurant in downtown Flushing in order to support the lives of his family. Mr. Yung stated that he was earning a decent amount of money in Hong Kong as a carpenter, but placed his family’s future above his own priorities, and that is why he immigrated to the United States. Many immigrants, whether they are from mainland China, Hong Kong, or Taiwan, whether they are rich or poor, have to make significant changes in their lifestyles to adapt to the standards in the United States. Some have no social contacts to refer to, while others have to change jobs. However, after an initial period of hardship, the Chinese usually adjust to the lifestyle. Most Chinese immigrants who don’t own their own businesses obtain jobs through the “Chinese Ethnic Economy,”(Wong,1997) which are basically the jobs offered by Chinese owned businesses. In small businesses, common language, and cultural similarities are important for obtaining these jobs. For the Chinese, over the last century, the most common types of jobs have been composed of Chinese restaurants, Laundromats, gift shops, grocery stores, and garment factories. These typical jobs were chosen not because the Chinese came from a country full of Laundrymen or Restaurant owners, but because the Chinese had to adapt to socio-economic conditions. The Chinese who arrived here in the 1850s specialized in railroad construction, exploitation of mines, and clearance of farmlands in the western frontiers. Some Chinese restaurants were established, but they were not gourmet or fancy. These restaurants simply served as a means to feed the Chinese workers on the railroads or mines. Laundromats opened because there was a shortage of them in the United States due to the belief that laundry was considered “women’s work,” so very few men opened Laundromats. The Chinese learned immediately that there would be minimum competition in the laundry business from white men, and another reason why the Chinese had opened Laundromats was because it was an inexpensive business to start. One could open a Laundromat with a little soap, some scrubbing boards, irons and ironing boards. The laundry business seized the attention of other Chinese who were discriminated against in the job market after the completion of the transcontinental railroad in the 1870s. (Chua,2002) Restaurants and Laundry businesses have been significant enterprises for the Chinese ever since. Mr. Feng immigrated to the United States in 2000 with his wife, and two sons. Mr. Feng owns and operates a Laundromat with the help of his wife in Flushing. When Mr. Feng was asked why he opened a Laundromat out of all types of businesses, he replied “I opened a Laundromat because it was a simple business to start, and since very few people wanted to deal with the tedious work that comes with laundry, I thought the business would be profitable if I work hard.” However, it wasn’t as easy as it seemed to establish Mr. Feng’s Laundromat. Mr. Feng had emigrated from Wenzhou, a city in mainland China almost nine years ago. When Mr. Feng arrived to the United States with his family, he did not have a place of his own to stay. The Feng family lived with Mr. Feng’s brother for about three years before finding a house of their own to live in. During the first four years, Mr. Feng helped operate a small Chinese restaurant that his brother owned. Mr. Feng used the money he saved while working in the restaurant, and invested in the Laundromat. The first few years of the Laundromat business was difficult for Mr. Feng. Due to the misuse of washing machines by customers, the washing machines were often broken, and repairs were costly. Customers often complained about the result of the washes, and many customers refused to pay. In recent years, Mr. Feng has adjusted to meet the needs of the business. Mr. Feng has now learned to frequently check the conditions of the machines, and replace hardware before the machine breaks. Mr. Feng also makes requests to find out his customers’ wash preferences, so that the wash results are perfect. Today Mr. Feng’s Laundromat has been more successful than ever, and he even has thoughts about expanding. The question of ethnic identification for the modern Chinese immigrants is very complex. Many factors contribute to the complexity in ethnic identity and behavior including, what country or province of China they emigrated from, and under what circumstances. Common forms of ethnic adaptation behavior include full assimilation in to American culture, a “hybrid ethnicity,” (combines Chinese and American values), retaining Chinese culture while rejecting American cultures, and last, socializing and getting along with Asian Americans but remaining detached from Asia and concerns with ethnic identity. (Wong, 1997) A small minority of Chinese immigrants in Flushing are fully assimilated in to American culture. Before these Chinese immigrants decided to emigrate from China to the United States, they viewed the United States as positive, and aspired to become American. They watched American movies, learned American English, and listened to American music. Once these immigrants have arrived in the United States, they preferred not to socialize with other Chinese Americans, and instead they preferred to work and live amongst whites. (Le, 2007) Mr. Lau, who emigrated from Hong Kong, told me that he would purchase American music during his lunch breaks, and that it was always the high-light of his day. He also told me that when he immigrated, he left his Chinese culture behind and preferred not to socialize with other Chinese Americans. The next behavior type of ethnic identification amongst the Chinese immigrants is called “Hybrid Ethnicity”. Hybrid ethnicity is the behavior amongst new immigrants who want the best of “both worlds” by combining American and Chinese cultural traits. In a sense, these immigrants want to be considered Chinese and American simultaneously (Wong, 1997). Hybrid Ethnicity is the most common behavior of ethnic identity in Flushing. These Chinese immigrants feel comfortable with communicating with both Chinese immigrants, and Americans. Ms. Huang immigrated to Flushing with her parents in 2006 from Hong Kong. Ms. Huang chose to follow a hybrid ethnic identity. She stated “that since I’m now living in the United States, it would make sense to embrace American traditions, but I don’t want to forget where I came from, so I still follow Chinese customs and traditions as well.” Another informant, Ms. Chan that I had found through Ms. Huang also chose to follow a hybrid ethnic identity. Ms. Chan gave me some examples of how she had been acculturated by American culture since immigrating to Flushing, Queens. She stated that she will celebrate both American and Chinese traditions, socialize with both Americans and Chinese immigrants, eat both American and Chinese cuisines, and purchase both American and Chinese products. I had also asked Ms. Chan if she favored one culture over another, and she replied, “No, that is impossible, I love both countries, and to choose one over another would be considered disloyalty on my part”. I found a behavior of ethnic identity amongst older Chinese immigrants in Flushing is the preservation of Chinese culture.
These immigrants keep their Chinese cultural perspective when dealing with tradition, and people. In their homes, only Chinese furniture are allowed, and the furniture are usually arranged according to the belief of Feng Shui, which is a Chinese practice of creating harmony with the surroundings in order to balance the good and bad spirits. These immigrants only work in Chinese businesses, and most of them only communicate in Chinese amongst other Chinese peers. This group of immigrants is most similar to the earlier Chinese immigrants who had first arrived in the United States. They feel as if they have nothing to learn from the United States, and believe the United States only serve as a place to create an economic foundation. They are very isolated from the other societies, and often times fear other
Americans. Mrs. Yang is a senior citizen from mainland China. I had asked her, “How has American culture influenced your life style?”, and she replied that it has not affected her life much since she immigrated to the United States in 2003. She told me that she still considered herself Chinese at heart as opposed to American. I asked her to give me some examples of how she attempts to preserve her culture, and she stated that she chooses to only celebrate Chinese holidays, only eat Chinese cuisine, only watch Chinese television stations, chooses to only socialize with other Chinese immigrants, and only shops at Chinese businesses. I have come to acknowledge that Chinese immigrants in Flushing have utilized their cultural and economic resources to meet the obstacles they have faced.
In the past, Chinese immigrants were needed for mining, railroad construction, and agriculture. In the early 20th century, these immigrants started to move away from the rural areas and moved to cities such as New York to find work in ethnic communities. The development of Chinese ethnic communities was a way of avoiding confrontation with white laborers who often made it difficult for the Chinese immigrants to find work. In the mid-20th century, the Nationality Act of 1965 made it possible for Chinese immigrants to reconnect with families, and through these family resources, many immigrants obtained jobs in the Chinese Ethnic Economy (Wong, 1997). Today in Flushing, Queens, many immigrants still depend on family connections already established here to find work. The purpose of the Ethnic Economy still hasn’t changed for many Chinese immigrants because these immigrants lack the communication skills required to obtain jobs in American societies. The Chinese Ethnic Economy was similar to the Underground Economy in Philippe Bourgois’, In Search of Respect, in terms of making more money than structure had
allowed. The ethnic identification behavior varies amongst Chinese immigrants in Flushing, Queens. Amongst my informants, I have noticed the trend that people from Hong Kong or Taiwan were already more westernized than mainland Chinese immigrants, so they were more likely to identify themselves in a hybrid ethnicity manner. Immigrants from mainland China were less westernized; therefore, they placed their traditional Chinese beliefs and cultures on a pedestal higher than that of the American culture. I believe what could be done next is to explore the reasons for immigration from the next generation of Chinese immigrants. Today, China’s economy is strengthening rapidly, and mean while, our American economy is steadily declining. If the American economy continues to plunge, I wonder if it will alter the motives for Chinese immigration in to the United States. My prediction is that the Chinese immigrants who choose to immigrate to the United States, despite a down-ward spiraling economy, are choosing to immigrate here for political reasons. I also predict that these Chinese immigrants might assimilate more openly in to American culture, because their motives for immigrating may not necessarily be based upon economic reasons. It would be very interesting to see the results of this research, and I would love to see if my predictions were valid.