Immigration as a whole can be seen as the foundation of the New York city that we see today. There are people from tons of countries all around the world, each bringing their own culture to the Big Apple. The Chinese were one of the most prominent groups of immigrants early 21st century. They ultimately grew from 33,000 to nearly 500,000 in 50 years. Many of the Chinese did not simply come to New York because of the opportunities; the environment in China also pushed for emigration. For example, Chinas Open Door Policy, as well as fewer emigration restrictions, made it very easy for the Chinese people to leave and come to New York. The rapid growth of the Chinese population in New York City was not always the case. For example, during the Chinese Exclusion Act, which began in 1882, many Chinese laborers were not allowed to enter the country. The ones that were lucky to arrive before this act had a very difficult life, often being forced to take jobs that no one else wanted such as household servants and laundrymen. Although laws such as the Chinese exclusion act and the War Bride act were repealed directly after World War 2, the true “surge of Chinese immigration began in the 1960s due to the passage of the Immigration and nationality act also referred to as the Hart-Celler act of 1965” (page 122). The traditional quotas were lifted and Chinese immigrants coming into New York reached nearly 20% of all of the Chinese immigrants in the United States.
Chinese immigration is culturally different than most immigrant groups coming to America. Due to its size, people were emigrating from both sides of China which often caused language barriers as well as cultural differences within the Chinese community in New York City. In addition, because of this, financial backgrounds were very different; some people came with a lot of money and some couldn’t even afford to eat.
Just like all other immigrant groups, once the Chinese arrived in New York city, they clustered themselves together. People of the same origin like to stick together to preserve their culture and that is exactly what the Chinese did with the Chinatown development. The living conditions in China town were very inferior however it gave them easier access to jobs and services (130). This enclave clustered economy eventually led to social mobility for the Chinese people. The one problem with these types of clusters is that it very hard to move on to a job in mainstream New York City. Although many might think that the finances would hold them back, things like the cultural and language barriers would often restrict the workers in places such as Chinatown. Not everyone decided to move to the clusters. For example, people who came to New York City with more money were able to bypass mainstream clusters and buy their own homes in nicer areas such as Queens and Brooklyn.
Contrary to common belief, China town was not the only Chinese cluster in the greater New York City area. For example, Flushing clustered many Mandarin-speaking immigrants as well as people from mainland China. In addition, Sunset Park also became a cluster for many Taiwanese people who spoke Mandarin. Through clusters like these, the Chinese people were able to work together to preserve their culture and improve their economic and social status in the community.
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