Chinese people can vary in their beliefs, practices and language. Depending on where they are from and the dialects they speak, the differences can be subtle to outsiders.
Many of the oldest and largest ethnic Cantonese communities in Portland and other American cities have dissolved as residents moved beyond Chinatown’s boundaries to live and work in mainstream society.
Chinatowns
Chinatowns are ethnic enclaves where Chinese people live, work and play. They are shaped by their history and the social services they offer. They are also a source of pride and cultural identity for their residents.
Early on, Chinatowns provided immigrants with the social support networks they needed to stay connected in the United States and back home. Family associations called huiguan organized district-based organizations that performed many of the functions that government agencies and charities would later fulfill, such as finding jobs for new arrivals, caring for the sick and poor, and arranging for the bones of the deceased to be sent home.
Currently, Chinatowns are facing a number of challenges. They are losing residents and businesses that rely on tourism for their livelihoods. And many are struggling to adapt to a changing world that is moving away from cash-only payments and into the digital age. Despite these challenges, many residents remain committed to preserving and revitalizing their communities.
Immigrants
The initial waves of Chinese immigrants emigrated due to war, poverty, and social upheaval and mainly settled in Southeast Asia, North America, and Australia. They were typically engaged in physical labor and often stayed together as distinct neighborhoods known as Chinatowns.
More recently, following Mainland China’s reform and opening up in 1978, Chinese have chosen to live abroad for work, education, family, or retirement. Their aspirations are higher than the previous generation and they tend to be better educated. They are also more likely to be professional workers and less likely to be employed in clerical or service occupations.
However, despite the increase in professional Chinese immigrants and their relative wealth, prejudice against them remains present worldwide. Its prevalence is evidenced by the COVID-19 pandemic and Trump administration’s zero-tolerance policy towards Chinese immigration throughout 2020 and 2021. Using an inductive, computational approach, this study analyzes news articles about Chinese immigrants in European newspapers, unveiling four primary frames that influence societal attitudes towards them: Failed Integrators, Targets of Political Attack, Disruptors of Social Safety, and Crime.
Culture
Chinese culture encompasses many aspects of everyday life including food, style, language, marriage, music and morality. Traditional values based on Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism have shaped China.
Chinese people are often very bonded to their groups. Family is highly valued and major decisions such as career choices are made on a group basis. For this reason, Chinese people are very sensitive to criticism or irreverence about their political leaders and policies.
In the past, the idea of China as a nation was shaped by the idea that Chinese people were a homogenous group, unified with one cultural and linguistic heritage. But the reality of immigration has changed that paradigm. In cities, rural-urban migration has brought together communities from across China and produced forms of diversity that did not exist during the collectivist period. The same holds true in many American communities where there are significant numbers of Chinese residents. These communities are also shaped by their own Chinese culture.
Education
The Chinese community is noted for its austerity, toughness and business acumen and it makes a substantial economic and social contribution to the countries in which it lives. In Latin America, it is most concentrated in Peru (60,000), Venezuela (50,00), Paraguay (40,00) and Brazil (140,000).
Confucian culture underpins Chinese society and it has shaped education for centuries. It shapes teaching methods, educational values and the social fabric of learning environments.
Moreover, the family’s role in Chinese education illustrates the deep connection between culture and learning. The family provides the foundation for academic preparation and instills values such as perseverance and respect for authority.