Throughout history, Chinese community has maintained a close-knit culture that is rooted in traditions and a strong sense of identity. They have built a variety of organizations for mutual support and created specific neighborhoods known as Chinatowns.
Early immigrants faced exploitation and discrimination, so they formed benevolent societies and secret societies called tongs. They also worked hard to build a better life in America.
Chinatowns
In the modern era of urban renewal and gentrification, Chinatowns have been struggling to maintain their cultural identity. They face challenges from outsiders who seek to transform their neighborhoods and exploit the non-white residents’ racial identity for profit. In a time of rising anti-Asian racism and hate crimes, Chinatowns serve as refuges for many Chinese Americans.
As a result, community activists in Chinatowns have been using their only resource—their people—to fight gentrification. They form neighborhood-based organizations that mobilize their members to defend against exploitation. In their struggle against outsiders, they have learned to recognize the strategies that developers use to manipulate their neighborhoods. They have seen how the same tactics that exploit nonwhites for economic gains in college admissions and the workplace can be used against their own communities. They have also found that gentrification is a threat to the integrity of Chinatowns as well-established places for immigrants to live and thrive. It can lead to the loss of housing, small businesses, and cultural heritage.
Immigrants
Since the first waves of immigration to the West, Chinese Americans have survived blatant racial discrimination and emerged as a successful visible minority. Patronized, welcomed, alleged, despised, excluded and disliked, they have persevered in their endeavors to build a better life for themselves and the nation.
In the early days of immigrant America, many Chinese fought back against discrimination with a series of self-reliant, community-based organizations, known as tongs. They developed laundry businesses, filled domestic service needs in white homes, and built restaurants, fisheries and leather goods factories.
Compared to the overall foreign-born and native-born populations, today Chinese immigrants are significantly more likely to be highly educated. They are also more likely to obtain lawful permanent residence through their work, and to hold management positions. This Spotlight uses pooled 2014-18 ACS data to highlight key facts about the Chinese immigrant population in America. See the full dataset here..
Community Organizations
Providing social services, Chinese culture and community events, the CCBA serves members at all stages of life. Its programs help youth and adults pursue their goals in family, work and education while preserving their identity as a Chinese community.
For example, a group known as Garden of Hope provides support to victims of domestic violence in the Chinese immigrant community in New York City. The group provides counseling and care, crisis management, social assistance applications, and other services.
Other NGOs address health issues and promote Chinese culture. For example, the CBCAC has been involved with promoting Chinese culture through arts and crafts, dance and music. Its volunteer groups have participated in cultural activities at the Festival of Nations, Schenectady Museum Festival, First Night in Albany and other local festivals and in libraries and schools. The organization also has a chorus, artists and sports groups. Its members participate in events at SUNY, RPI and Siena colleges, and in grade school social studies classes.
Family Life
For many Chinese Americans, community life revolves around family. Older Chinese Americans often live with their adult children and grandchildren, and it is not unusual for three generations to share the same home.
As Chinatowns become more gentrified, small mom-and-pop businesses are losing business and moving out of the neighborhood. The disappearance of these vital cultural centers threatens the complex ecosystem that is Chinatown.
Although there are differences in how each family is run, most Chinese families place a high value on family. The Fong family, for example, tries to instill a sense of morality within their children and stresses that success comes only through hard work and perseverance. However, they struggle to prevent their American culture from invading their family’s Chinese values. This is especially challenging when it comes to the pursuit of wealth and capitalist ventures. Traditionally, the Chinese value sons more than daughters. This belief is reflected in the way that Chinese women are expected to conduct themselves during pregnancy and childbirth.