中國的美國人拼圖 (The Chinese-American Jigsaw)

• History
• Culture
• Current Statistical Profile
• Authors and References

The content of the project focuses on the history and lives of Chinese immigrants from the time of initial immigration to present day Chinese-American narratives. Historical aspects reflect on topics such as patterns of immigration, push and pull factors, political and economic background, and integration in American society. Cultural transnationalism as seen in multiple metropolitan areas in the United States but more specifically in New York City, is discussed and analyzed. The investigation of the formation of iconic neighborhoods like Chinatown and Flushing allow for analysis to be made about the contributing factors of one of the largest immigrant groups in New York City. Effects of Chinese immigrant population booms are considered and followed in multiple industries and fields. Statistical information is also provided and are interpreted into graphs to give visual representation of numerical facts concerning the immigrant group. Textual support is provided as well as photography, video clips, and other such sources in a varied manner to portray different facets of the group’s history in several other forms of media. An interactive platform is included to assist viewers in fleshing out features of immigration which may have, otherwise, been overlooked. The project transcends multiple aspects in Chinese immigration to convey a complete, accurate, and fluid narrative.

Neighborhoods like Chinatown and Flushing, where Chinese immigrant groups are heavily populated, act as ethnic enclaves for newcomers. The Chinese communities in these neighborhoods lead lifestyles separate from those of the generally larger communities that surround them. They choose to settle in these particular neighborhoods because their atmospheres reflects their motherland, China. Restaurants offer familiarity and cultural festivities encourage celebratory unity. Also, markets and shops offer a similar variety of products as back home. The overall ambiance of the town or city emulates that of their motherland, and acts as a safe haven for them to speak in their mother tongue. It is worthy to note that living in an ethnic niche as such can both be an enhancement and an impediment to the integration process of immigrants.

 
 
Chinese immigrants have been known to network inside their communities. Individuals assist each other to progress economically and socially. The polarization theory applies to Chinese immigrants, structurally and supply-wise. The hourglass economic theory argues that foreign born Chinese residents are polarized when it comes to skill-based labor. Majority of the population is either highly educated with professional jobs in law, finance, education, technology, etc, or poorly educated with service jobs in the janitorial or the food industry.
 
 

 
 
The Chinese New Year dragon and lion dance is a well-known example of implanted cultural practice taken directly from China. This annual event, seen in many predominantly Chinese immigrant neighborhoods across the nation, is one example of transnationalism as exercised by one of the largest immigrant groups. The dance is part of a bigger event known as the Chinese Lunar New Year.
 
 

The Chinese immigrants are the second largest immigrant group in New York City today. In 2011, out of the 3,066,599 foreign born immigrants in New York City, 350,231 of them were Chinese foreign born immigrants, accounting for 11.4% of the total population.

Compared to other select groups in New York City, the Chinese foreign born population comes in second, accounting for 32%, after foreign born immigrants from the Dominican Republic, which account for 35%. Mexicans come in third, accounting for 17%. The pie graph helps visualize this data.

The two most heavily populated neighborhoods by Chinese immigrants in New York City today are Flushing in Queens and Bensonhurst in Brooklyn. Chinatown in Manhattan is also an ethnic enclave for Chinese immigrants.

As of 2011, there were 31,658 Chinese immigrants in Bensonhurst, accounting for 40.8% of the total foreign born immigrants in Bensonhurst. Sunset Park in Brooklyn also had a large number of foreign born Chinese immigrants, 27,647 people, accounting for 43.2% of foreign born immigrants there. In Flushing, Queens, also as of 2011, 31,571 Chinese foreign born immigrants were settled there, accounting for 49.4%. In Chinatown, as of 2011, 20,907 Chinese foreign born immigrants account for a whopping 78% of the total foreign born population there. Murray Hill in Queens and Dyker Heights in Brooklyn also had about 10,000 foreign born Chinese immigrants each in 2011. The tabulated data, along with the pie chart and map, help visualize this information better.

Most Chinese immigrants in 2010 entered as immediate relative members of U.S. citizens.
(Data collected from the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey and Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Immigration Statistics (OIS)).