The Formation of Chinatown

每年，大量的人决定移民美国。据估计，2013年，中国有147000人移民美国和早期居住者一起的移民形成了现在的唐人街。唐人街形成的主要原因可分为两种类型，文本就介绍一下这两种类型即社会的外部力量和内部力量。

Every year, a large number of people decide to live in America. It is estimated that in 2013, there are 147,000 people in china imigrating to America and the early habitant form a Chinese phenomenon- Chinatown. 

The major reasons of the formation of Chinatown can be divided into two types, external pulling force and internal force of society. 

The external pulling includes a series of anti-china Chinese exclusion policies, the anti-china emotion existing in American society and the phenomenon of racial discrimination. Since the discovery of golden in California in 1848, a large number of Chinese people who went to the United State as workers became miner in mine located in West Coast and mountain area of America. After the majority of gold layer was been exploited, the competition between Chinese workers and native workers became serious. After gold fever in LA, most Chinese workers, almost up to a hundred thousand, went to complete the construction of Transcontinental Railroad. But this project was finished in 1869, which made the workers on this program lost their jobs. Consequently, they should found a way to make a living. A part of workers become the employees of white farmers in California. The major part of Chinese workers were separated to the middle, the east and the south of America. A large number of Chinese workers had a toe into industrial cities. However, in this kind of city, because of the lack of professional techniques and unfamiliar with English, most Chinese workers was rejected by the labor market. As the result, they had to do the jobs that white workers were unwilling to do such as washing, grocer, restaurant, car wash. These kinds of service industry is the major area that Chinese community made a living in the early age. In 1870s, with the recession causing by the civil war, some leaders blamed the decrease of salary on Chinese workers because they worked very hard and had a very large tolerance about the low salary and hard work. The anti-china policy that American took also promote the formation of Chinatown. The Chinese Exclusion Act, which was signed by President Cheseter A. Arthur, restricting free immigration of Chinese laborers to America for ten years. (Wong) The American government use these method to protect their people’s profit. On the other hand, these solution made hundreds of thousands of Chinese workers have a very tough time in America. They have to union to protect themselves. 

Gradually, Chinese workers are restricted to go into America. Besides, those Chinese people who had been in America had been attacked and humiliated by Americans. They consider that Chinese workers took up their jobs, making them jobless. Besides, due to different races, white people consider that they are superior to other races. We have to admit that America is more developed than china. Consequently, white people has racial superiority. Besides, chinese workers were always do the jobs that are easily disrespected by Americans even themselves did it. Because of the discrimination, Chinese people encountered a lot of difficulties in America. In these kind of anti-china atmosphere, Chinese people in America had to find a place to locate and protect themselves. This is the rudiment of Chinatown.

Internal force of society includes the culture of china and economic complex. To be specific, it consists of language complex, motherland complex, psychological complex. Living in Chinatown where the majority of habitants are Chinese, so Chinese people can communicate with each other with local accent, which will make their daily life more convenient. English is a total different language to Chinese, so it is very difficult for them to learn from scratch and most of them are not well educated. As the result, in Chinatown, it will be really great that chinese can talk using native language. In particular, most of chinese people are from Guangdong province, whose dialect is Cantonese. When using Cantonese in America, they will have a feeling that their relationship is as close as relatives and are willing to help each other in daily life.  In addition to that, working in a Chinese store instead of a foreigner one, the relationship between employee and employer will be much closer, especially they are all in foreign land. Their situation is similar so their feeling will be more similar and can understand each other better. They are from the same race. Consequently, they will not discriminate each other. 

Besides, the most important reason is that the economy development in Chinatown absorb the labor of Chinese workers in America. They can make a living in America, where is unfriendly to them in other places. They will not pick on employee just like some white people do, so they can have a chance to survive in America. After adjust to the environment, they will have the ability to pursuit their American dreams. Many people who arrived at America can have a chance to take a break and have a time to get familiar with the environment. What’s more, they can use the resource and experience that old men have to live in America quickly. Since they come from the some country, most of them are willing to prevent them from many unnecessary troubles, which is very useful as well. If someone was treated unfairly, they can find helps in Chinatown as well. Chinatown become the second home for chinese people. The people in Chinatown is more trustful compared to the white people outside. 

Until 1943, the Chinese Exclusion Law was abolished and chinese people made a big contribution in the second world war. These reasons make American people had a good impression on chinese people gradually. And more and more well-educated chinese people study in America and worked in mainstream society instead just being workers. The external reason of the formation of Chinatown disappeared gradually. At the same time, the Civil Rights Movement happened in 1960s made the society more tolerant to chinese people. These reasons arises the change of Chinatown. More Chinatown appeared in suburb. The chinese people in the Chinatown is upper class instead workers in the old days. 

The life is very tough at the beginning of living in America, but chinese people find their own way to survive on this dreamland. They use their wisdom and hardworking to produce more opportunities for their springs and win respects from other races. 

Wong, Kent, and Elaine Bernard. "Labor's Mistaken Anti-China Campaign." New Labor Forum. Vol. 7. 2000.

51Due网站原创范文除特殊说明外一切图文著作权归51Due所有；未经51Due官方授权谢绝任何用途转载或刊发于媒体。如发生侵犯著作权现象，51Due保留一切法律追诉权。