In The Transformation of Chinese American Communities, Zhou, Chin, and Kim discuss the changing circumstances of Chinese immigrants and the places they live.  One aspect I found interesting was the difference in the expectations of past European and Chinese immigrants.  It was said that European immigrants were expected to assimilate into mainstream American society quickly, and they did.  The Chinese immigrants, on the other hand, were banned from immigration, naturalization, and assimilation by the laws of the time.  For example, the Chinese Exclusion Act did not permit Chinese immigrants to come to the United States.  At other times, there were quotas on the number of immigrants allowed, and the number of Chinese immigrants was small compared to immigrants from other countries.  When Chinese immigrants were allowed in, they lived in Chinatowns with their own workplaces where they did not have to compete with natives.  This is different from today as well.  Now, Chinese immigrants and other immigrants come from different socioeconomic backgrounds with different levels of education.  These people live in various places from small Chinatowns to larger ethnic enclaves and global ethnoburbs.

One interesting link made was between what the ethnic neighborhoods do for immigrants.  As time goes on, middle-class immigrants are continuing to enter the country; however, they are able to go to not only cities but suburbs as well.  Still, ethnic communities, like Chinatowns, provide immigrants with what they need when they get here.  These neighborhoods are able to create an ethnic community and economy with strong capital and resources.  Still, the people in these places are still connected to the outside world.  They have links to back home; however, they use them as a way to intertwine their lives and culture with life in America.