Chinese American 48999 225976965 2008-07-16T08:20:19Z Sevilledade 5188193 Added the year based on the British source that is provided. {{Infobox Ethnic group |group = Chinese Americans |image = [[Image:TD Lee-med.jpg|79px|Tsung-Dao Lee]][[Image:Michelle Kwan.jpg|70px|Michelle Kwan]]<br><small>[[Tsung-Dao Lee]], [[Michelle Kwan]]</small> |poptime ='''3,565,458'''<br/><small>1.2% of the US population (2006)</small><ref name="Census2006">{{cite web |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/IPTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=01000US&-geo_id=NBSP&-qr_name=ACS_2006_EST_G00_S0201&-qr_name=ACS_2006_EST_G00_S0201PR&-qr_name=ACS_2006_EST_G00_S0201T&-qr_name=ACS_2006_EST_G00_S0201TPR&-reg=ACS_2006_EST_G00_S0201:035;ACS_2006_EST_G00_S0201PR:035;ACS_2006_EST_G00_S0201T:035;ACS_2006_EST_G00_S0201TPR:035&-ds_name=ACS_2006_EST_G00_&-_lang=en&-format=|publisher=United States Census Bureau|title=S0201. Selected Population Profile in the United States|accessdate=2007-09-28}}</ref> |popplace = [[California]], [[Hawaii]], [[Northeast United States]], [[Washington]], [[Western United States]] |langs = [[American English]], [[Chinese language|Chinese]]: [[Mandarin (linguistics)|Mandarin]], [[Cantonese (linguistics)|Cantonese]], [[Taishanese]], [[Fujianese]], [[Hakka]], [[Shanghainese]] ([[Wu language|Wu]]) |rels = [[Buddhism]], [[Chinese folk religion]], [[Christianity]], [[Taoism]] }} '''Chinese Americans''' are [[United States|Americans]] of [[Chinese people|Chinese]] descent. Chinese Americans constitute one group of [[Overseas Chinese]] and also a subgroup of [[East Asia]]n Americans, which is further a subgroup of [[Asian American]]s. 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, Indonesia, Philippines and Mexico. The inclusion of [[Taiwanese American]]s in the classification of Chinese American is somewhat controversial owing to differences of opinion as to the relationship of [[Taiwan]] to [[China]]. 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 American]]s are not included in those groups. 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 prospecting|gold prospectors]]. There were 25,000 immigrants by 1852, and 105,465 by 1880, most of whom lived on the [[West Coast of the United States|West Coast]]. Most of the early immigrants were young males with low educational levels from the [[Guangdong]] province.<ref name=historyworld>International World History Project. [http://history-world.org/asian_americans.htm Asian Americans]. Accessed 2007-07-07.</ref> 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. During the 1970's, the vast majority of ethnic Chinese immigration into the United States was from [[Hong Kong]] and followed by the [[Republic of China]] on [[Taiwan]] with relatively few immigrants coming from [[mainland China]]<ref>Yearbook of Immigraiton Statistics, Department of Homeland Security:2007 - Table 2 - Persons Obtaining Legal Permanent Resident Status by Region and Selected Country of Last Residence: Fiscal Years 1820 to 2007 - http://www.dhs.gov/ximgtn/statistics/publications/yearbook.shtm</ref>, which almost completely banned emigration for most of the 1960s<ref>http://www.compas.ox.ac.uk/publications/Working%20papers/Frank%20Pieke%20WP0524.pdf</ref>. The second group created a group of [[Taiwanese American]]s. During the 1980's, in part due to the liberalization of emigration restrictions in the mid-1970s, immigration from the [[mainland China]] became a larger fraction of ethnic Chinese immigration into the United States.<ref>Yearbook of Immigratoon Statistics, Department of Homeland Security:2007 - Table 2 - Persons Obtaining Legal Permanent Resident Status by Region and Selected Country of Last Residence: Fiscal Years 1820 to 2007 - http://www.dhs.gov/ximgtn/statistics/publications/yearbook.shtm</ref> ==History== {{main|Asian American}} {{main|Chinese immigration to the United States|Chinese immigration to Hawaii}} [[Image:Chinese railroad workers in snow.jpg|right|thumb|200px|[[China|Chinese]] railroad workers in the snow – 19th century]] Chinese immigration to the [[United States]] has come in great numbers. Similar to other [[Immigration to the United States|American immigration experiences]], Chinese immigration has resulted in both hardship and success. ==Citizenship== Legally all ethnic Chinese born in the United States are American citizens as a result of the [[Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Fourteenth Amendment]] and the 1898 [[United States v. Wong Kim Ark]] Supreme Court decision. Upon naturalization, immigrants are must take an oath of loyalty to the United States but are not required to formally renounce their former citizenship.<ref>[http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1753.html U.S. State Department]</ref> The [[People's Republic of China]] does not recognize dual citizenship and considers naturalization of an person as an American citizen to implying a renounciation of PRC citizenship. The [[Republic of China]] on [[Taiwan]] allows [[dual citizenship]], and it does not recognize the American naturalization, by itself, as renouncing citizenship. ==Major contributions== [[Image:StevenChu.jpg|thumb|Professor [[Steven Chu]] is among the several Chinese Americans to have won the [[Nobel Prize]]. The others are [[Tsung-dao Lee]], [[Samuel C. C. Ting]], [[Daniel Chee Tsui]], and [[Chen Ning Yang]].]] *Building Western half of the [[First Transcontinental Railroad|Transcontinental railroad]] *Building levees in the [[Sacramento River Delta]] *Developing and cultivating much of the [[heartland|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. 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== {{seealso|American Chinese cuisine|Chinatown|Chinese character tattoos|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.<ref name=c100>{{cite web|url=http://www.committee100.org/media/media_eng/042501.html |author=Committee of 100 |title=Committee of 100 Announces Results of Landmark National Survey on American Attitudes towards Chinese Americans and Asian Americans |date=2001-04-25 |accessdate=2007-06-14}}</ref> 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.<ref name=sfgate>{{cite web|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2001/04/27/MN199998.DTL |author=Matthew Yi, et al. |title=Asian Americans seen negatively |accessdate=2007-06-14}}</ref> The study did find several positive perceptions of Chinese Americans: strong family values (91%); honesty as business people (77%); high value on education (67%).<ref name=c100/> ==Demographics== <!-- Unsourced image removed: [[Image:Chinatown F.jpg|left|thumb|160px|San Francisco [[Chinatown]]]] --> {{seealso|Demographics of the United States}} The Chinese American community is the largest ethnic group of Asian Americans, comprising of 22.4% of the Asian American population. They constitute 1.2% of the [[United States]] as a whole. In 2006, the Chinese American population numbered approximately 3.6 million.<ref name="Census2006" /> 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. ===Locations=== {{see|List of U.S. cities with large Chinese American populations}} Cities with large Chinese American populations include [[Boston]], [[Flushing, Queens]], [[New York City|New York]], [[San Francisco, California|San Francisco]], [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]], [[Washington, D.C.]], [[Houston, Texas|Houston]], [[Plano, Texas|Plano]], [[Seattle, Washington|Seattle]], [[Chicago]], [[Philadelphia]], and [[Portland, Oregon|Portland]]. 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. ===Language=== [[Chinese language|Chinese]], mostly of the [[Cantonese (linguistics)|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]].<ref name="Lai">{{cite book | last = Lai | first = H. Mark | title = Becoming Chinese American: A History of Communities and Institutions | publisher = AltaMira Press | date = 2004 | isbn = 0759104581}}</ref> Over 2 million Americans speak [[identification of the varieties of Chinese|some variety of Chinese]], with the [[Standard Mandarin]] becoming increasingly more prevalent due to immigration from mainland China and Taiwan.<ref name="Lai"/> 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]].<ref>{{cite book | last = García | first = Ofelia | coauthors = Fishman, Joshua A. | title = The Multilingual Apple: Languages in New York City | publisher = Walter de Gruyter | date = 2002 | isbn = 311017281X}}</ref> In addition, the immigration from Fujian is creating an increasingly large number of [[Min]] speakers. Although Chinese Americans grow up learning [[English language|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. 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.{{Fact|date=January 2008}} ==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 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. 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, California|Monterey Park]] and [[San Marino, California|San Marino]] are both Chinese American communities lying geographically close to each other, they are separated by a large socio-economic and income gap. ===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 [[Festál#China: Chinese Culture and Arts Festival| Chinese Culture and Arts Festival]] is held every year. Other important festivals include the [[Dragon Boat Festival]] and the [[Mid-Autumn Festival]]. ==Politics== [[Image:Elaine Chao large.jpg|thumb|Secretary of Labor [[Elaine Chao]] is the first (and to date, only) Chinese American to serve in the federal cabinet. She is also the first Asian American woman and second Asian American in the Cabinet.]] {{seealso|Racism in the United States|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. 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.<ref name="Kerry">{{cite web|url=http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Front_Page/FI16Aa01.html|title=Asian-Americans lean toward Kerry|publisher=Asia Times|date=[[2004-09-16]]|accessdate=2007-09-22}}</ref> 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 (politician)|Gary Locke]] who became the first Chinese American governor in U.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]]. During the [[Cultural Revolution]], Chinese Americans, like all [[overseas Chinese]], generally speaking, were viewed as [[capitalism| capitalist]] traitors by the [[People's Republic of China]] [[government]]. This attitude changed completely in the late 1970s with the reforms of [[Deng Xiaoping]]. Increasingly, Chinese Americans were seen as sources of business and technical expertise and [[capital]] who could aid in China's [[Economic development|economic]] and other [[International development|development]]. ==American-born== {{main|American-born Chinese}} ==Notable Chinese Americans== :''See [[List of Chinese Americans]].'' ==See also== {{Chinese American|state=uncollapsed}} ==References== {{reflist}} ==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 * <cite>The Chinese in America: A Narrative History</cite>, [[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 [http://www.press.uillinois.edu/epub/books/chen/toc.html electronic book] * [http://www.leadershipadvice.com ABC Struggles in the Church] * ''On Gold Mountain: The One-Hundred-Year Odyssey of My Chinese American Family'', Lisa See, 1996. ISBN 0-679-76852-1. See also the website for an exhibition based on this book [http://www.apa.si.edu/ongoldmountain] from the [[Smithsonian]] Asian Pacific American Program. ==External links== {{commons|Category:Chinese Americans}} * [http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/IPTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=01000US&-qr_name=ACS_2005_EST_G00_S0201&-qr_name=ACS_2005_EST_G00_S0201PR&-qr_name=ACS_2005_EST_G00_S0201T&-qr_name=ACS_2005_EST_G00_S0201TPR&-ds_name=ACS_2005_EST_G00_&-reg=ACS_2005_EST_G00_S0201:016;ACS_2005_EST_G00_S0201PR:016;ACS_2005_EST_G00_S0201T:016;ACS_2005_EST_G00_S0201TPR:016&-_lang=en&-redoLog=false&-format=Census Factfinder Chinese Americans 2005 American Community Survey] * [http://www.moca-nyc.org Museum of Chinese in the Americas] * [http://www.c-c-c.org Chinese Culture Center & Chinese Culture Foundation of San Francisco] * [http://www.ocanatl.org Organization of Chinese Americans] * [http://www.chsa.org/ Chinese Historical Society of America] * [http://www.asiansinamerica.org/directory/dir_e_ch.html The Asians in America Project - Chinese American Organizations Directory] * [http://www.paperson.com/history.htm "Paper Son" - one Chinese American's story of coming to America under the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882] * [http://www.pbs.org/becomingamerican/ Becoming American: The Chinese Experience] a PBS Bill Moyers special. Thomas F. Lennon, Series Producer. * [http://cprr.org/Museum/Chinese.html Chinese American Contribution to Transcontinental Railroad] - Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum * [http://www.EITC.org Emerging Information Technology Conference (EITC), organized by several Chinese American organizations] * [http://www.yellowbridge.com/people/whoswho.html Famous Chinese Americans] Comprehensive list of famous Chinese Americans organized by professions. Includes short biographical notes and Chinese names. * [http://www.cina.org/ Chinese Information and Networking Association (CINA)] * [http://www.nwchp.org/ Northwest Chinese Professionals Association] * [http://web.pdx.edu/~lorz/index.htm The Yung Wing Project] hosts the memoir of the first Chinese American graduate of an American university (Yale 1854). * [http://www.camla.org Chinese American Museum] {{Asian Americans}} {{Overseas Chinese2}} [[Category:Chinese American history]] [[Category:Americans of Chinese descent]] [[Category:Chinese Americans| ]] [[Category:Ethnic groups in the United States]] [[Category:Overseas Chinese groups|Americans]] [[de:Sino-Amerikaner]] [[fr:Sino-Américains]] [[id:Tionghoa-Amerika]] [[ms:Orang Cina di Amerika Syarikat]] [[zh:华裔美国人]]