Chinese American communities are found in large cities and suburbs throughout the United States. They celebrate their culture with foods, festivals, language, and traditions and maintain ties to the homeland through local and national newspapers.
About half of all Chinese Americans reside in California and New York. They are also concentrated in other metropolitan areas and university towns.
Chinatowns
In many cities, Chinatowns have Chinese restaurants and a variety of other businesses catering to the community. They are popular destinations for tourists who want to enjoy the food and culture.
In the past, when anti-Chinese sentiment was rife, Chinatowns provided an escape from nativist violence. The infamous lynching of 17 Chinese men in 1871 helped create the political climate that led to the formation of Chinatowns around the country.
Today, Chinatowns have become cultural centers and serve as an important resource for those seeking information about Chinese history. They also provide a meeting place for family members who live far away from each other. They are also home to a wide range of business owners and cultural groups that work to promote the community’s interests.
Ethnicity
During the California gold rush in 1849, tens of thousands of Chinese migrants moved to urban areas and formed self-reliant neighborhoods known as Chinatowns. They operated retail businesses, served as laborers for railroads and in agriculture, and opened family-run restaurants. Hostility to the community and restrictive laws led to a decline in immigration after 1882.
Early Chinese immigrants developed strategies for preserving cultural heritage and integrating with American society. They established associations, cultural festivals and language schools.
Today, Chinese communities thrive in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and many Latin American nations including Peru, Venezuela, Colombia, Panama and Brazil. Overseas Chinese make up a significant segment of the population in these countries and contribute to their economies. They also are a force in their own communities with many of them having become leaders, doctors, business professionals and teachers.
Education
The Chinese community has a higher level of education than the overall foreign-born and American-born populations. In addition, they are more likely to be employed in professional jobs, especially those related to banking and finance.
In addition to their business acumen, the Chinese are renowned for their austerity and toughness. They also possess a great deal of pride in their cultural heritage.
Despite the vast differences between China and the United States, educators in both countries have shared pedagogical ideas at times throughout history. For example, American pragmatist Dewey’s concept of community education was borrowed and applied by Chinese educators. The CSAUS’s weekly meeting is an example of this community education intervention. This meeting enables members to gain formal political education about government policies and the influence of such policies on their lives, as well as non-formal science and health knowledge that facilitates learning and living in society.
Religion
Although it is impossible to count the number of Chinese who practice religion because of official hostility, scholarly research indicates that China has a large religious community. This includes a wide range of Buddhist, Taoist and folk beliefs and practices.
Early historical China was a fertile time for the development of religious ideas and practices. Confucian philosophy promoted the notion of a moral Heaven that rewards the good and punishes the evil.
During the Han period, popular religion was centered on local deities such as trees, rocks, streams and lakes (often depicted in animal or hybrid animal-human forms), dragons believed to inhabit bodies of water, and spirits of the dead that could be propitiated through offerings of meat or grain. Divination was accomplished by reading cracks in the shoulder bones of buried deer or sheep and through a variety of omens.
Employment
In 2023, 63 percent of Chinese immigrants age 16 and older were in the labor force. This is higher than the overall immigrant and native-born population. Over 80 percent of Chinese employees are in the restaurant, food services and traveler accommodations industries.
In America, the early Chinese community was a bachelor society, but with the repeal of the Exclusion Act in 1943, many Chinese began to start families and become more integrated into American society. This led to more women joining the workforce and a greater emphasis on family values.
A number of community organizations serve the Chinese population in the United States. These organizations provide educational, advocacy, service and organizing programs that support the community’s justice and equality goals. Some examples are the Chinese American Forum, Homecrest Community Services and the Hotel Chinese Association of USA.