China and the United States have had a very interesting relationship throughout the decades, one that has gradually emerged from that of Chinese exclusion, to the welcoming of certain Chinese, now seen as beneficial. Wei Li, author of “Beyond Chinatown, Beyond Enclave: Reconceptualizing Contemporary Chinese Settlements in the United States,” explains the utilization of politics as a means to manipulate the Chinese population, both historically and presently.
Li gives much detail regarding the influx of Chinese into the U.S.; he divides Chinese immigration patterns into six time periods, from pre-1882 to the present. In each period of time, there has been some type of political influence; furthermore, these influences have come to “…indirectly impact the types of resulting immigrant settlement patterns.” The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 reigned for 61 years, creating a tumultuous environment for the Chinese that had already immigrated to the U.S. The Exclusion Act caused the Chinese immigrants to recoil from the hostility being tossed at them, resulting in the emergence of Chinese ghettoes.
When the Exclusion Act was repealed in 1942, the ghettoized Chinese communities were relieved of many restrictions, and were legally free to participate in the mainstream market. It is in this way that the Chinese rose from the ghettoes and instead of forming communities as a means of protection from external forces, they voluntarily chose to live in enclaves, bolstering the beginnings of economic prosperity. The Immigration Act of 1965 further opened the doors of the U.S. to especially talented Chinese, who would serve as an asset to the economy.
It is in this way that political influence and immigrant settlement patterns are inextricably linked. Throughout every time period, I noticed one common theme emerge: fear. The Chinese Exclusion Act came at a time when competition was fierce in the U.S.; the Gold Rush was in full swing, and the Chinese miners were seen as a threat by white miners who were eager to claim all the wealth of any one area. The Exclusion Act was repealed when the U.S. was on the eve of joining WWII; the Chinese quickly became allies in the wake of Pearl Harbor, where public disdain shifted to the Japanese. Fear has motivated each political action, be it fear of economic failure, limited resources, or external terror. When the “Monster Houses” were constructed in Silicon Valley, by wealthy Chinese who favored sprawling “multigenerational lots,” two pieces of legislation were passed to set limitations on the housing that could be built. Whites in the area feared change and difference from the status quo–in implementing policy against change, the Whites were able to assert their dominance and quell their fears.
