Ethnic Tensions (Fujianese & Cantonese)
In Chinatown, and in general, Cantonese people have a low opinion of Fujianese people. When interviewed about why, Antony Lee said that it was just something that he picked off from his father’s attitude. His father claimed that Fujianese people were usually uneducated due to immigrating later than the Cantonese. In addition, since their homeland was in the rural mountainsides, they were usually farmers who immigrated to America and thus were unlikely to see the importance of an education. Furthermore, Mr. Lee claims that Fujianese people always act like they’re better than you and whenever they speak, they only talk about how great they are or how poorly others are doing. In addition, Mr. Lee claims that they commonly are seen coughing up phlegm and spitting it in the middle of the streets; this makes Chinese people look uncivilized and ruins the reputation of Chinese people as a whole.
Ethnic Tensions (Other People)
One of the reasons many of the residents of Chinatown were drawn to the neighborhood is that most people here speak Chinese. This is seen by how most stores in Chinatown have both an English and a Chinese sign which which creates an atmosphere where immigrants are able to fit in better. However, in recent years, Mr. Lee talks about how he feels like there are many non-Chinese people moving into the neighborhood and how that is changing the flavor of the neighborhood. For example, one public school in Chinatown, Sun Yat Sen is a school that consists of mostly Black and Hispanic students. Many Chinese parents fear that their children will attend this school because there is not enough Chinese people attending the school and they think that their children will be influenced by other ethnicities.
Housing (or the lack of houses)
One goal of many Chinese people is to own a house by the time they die. For example, Xing Xing Chen expressed her disappointment that her daughter, a 28 year-old college graduate has still not purchased a house. However, according to census data, only 2% of the housing in Chinatown is single-unit. Many residents complained to us that they don’t want to leave the neighborhood but are unable to purchase a house unless they do.
