Michael Tirado, Assignment 1
Guangdong is a province that spans a fairly large area of China. It is located on the southern edge of the massive country. Guangdong is neither a city nor its own country; it is a province (as previously stated) that encompasses several Cantonese regions including its capital city, Guangzhou, which was formerly known as Canton. Guangdong is geographically unique in China for its 3,368 kilometers of coastline, the Pearl River Delta formed by rivers from all over the province, and, unfortunately for its residents, a typhoon season.
More notably, this province was the origin of the maritime Silk Road and is generally known as an area busy with commerce and industry. Its capital city, Guangzhou, is the political, economic, scientific, and cultural center of the region. The Canton fair is held here, which provides major opportunities for international trade. Guangdong takes part in traditional Chinese events such as the Spring Festival and Lantern Festival. The Pearl River Cruise, however, is something largely exclusive to Guangdong, as it tours the region’s third largest river and is a must-see attraction for tourists. Also, the Guangzhou International Food Festival and the Yangjiang Kite Festival are prominent and area-specific events to be had in Guangdong.
New York City is a collection of five boroughs of New York State. It is located on the northeast coast of the United States. Staten Island is the most suburban borough, and Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Queens are generally second in urban areas to the fifth borough, Manhattan. Together they make up the most populated city of the United States of America. Notable characteristics associated with New York City include esteemed theater performances on and off Broadway, extensive mass transit systems, and a wide variety of fashions and cuisine.
These two areas of the world are approximately 8,000 miles apart – yet, somehow, they are connected. Of course, the natural question to be asked is, how are New York City and Guangdong, China linked? In a word, Chinatown. New York City’s Chinatown is located in Manhattan and is essentially the largest sampler or representation of the Chinese culture outside the country of China itself. Walking the streets of this area of lower Manhattan will showcase the architectural atmosphere, cuisine, and, of course, people that have some degree of history with China.
But Chinatown is more than just the home of the majority of Chinese New Yorkers. It is an example – Chinatown represents the idea that culture is mobile. With a little human effort, the ideas and traditions of a group of people that have been formed and preserved in one place, perhaps for centuries, can be upheld somewhere other than that place. It is remarkable to think about. Of course, assimilation does not always come without difficulty(in the example of Chinatown, the Chinese Exclusion Act), but it is still very, very possible.
Perhaps what makes New York City most noteworthy is that it is a mix of many different peoples and their ethnicities. One will find many, many different types of people here and, similar to the concept of the United States, all these different peoples are united under the title of “New Yorker.” There even exist various cultural areas, such as Chinatown and Little Italy, which directly present elements of lands far from the northeast coast of the United States. For a large span of history, people of these lands have decided to pursue opportunities provided by the economy of New York and left their homes, often bringing with them little more than the values and traditions instilled into them by their original cultures. Over time, the ideas brought over manifested themselves in the daily lives of these immigrant citizens, giving them a “new homeland”. In this manner New York City is introduced to the flavors of different regions via its foreign citizens. So, Guangdong offers a culture and New York City offers a new home – and people are the medium of this transaction.
Andrew Chen is a second-generation American, and more specifically, New Yorker. He lives in Queens and attends the City College of New York. Andrew is a Chinese-American – his parents emigrated from the Guangdong region of China. Both grew up on farms and had visions of a more successful future: Andrew’s paternal family was rather average and sought better opportunities, while his maternal family was well-established but did not wish for future generations to be farmers. Suddenly moving to New York was not an easy experience. Andrew’s father both attended high school and worked as a bartender to support his four-member family, and Andrew’s mother struggled immensely with learning English (neither had known any of the language upon entering high school). Both did well enough to get into college, however, and that was where they met. The Americas did indeed offer better opportunities to this family, as Andrew’s father became knowledgeable in computing and likely would not have been able to do so in Guangdong.
Andrew’s parents began new lives in New York with a goal in mind – to ensure that the generations they could have (and did) spawn would grow up to be skilled in a profession that was not simple agriculture. So far, they are accomplishing their goal: Their offspring is studying in college. They uprooted themselves, essentially for his sake, and sprouted a new family tree 8,000 miles from their original home. When they did this, they indirectly accomplished another feat – by successfully establishing themselves in the United States, Andrew’s parents showed their Chinese relatives in Guangdong that something better was very possible. They were the first members of their immediate or extended families to immigrate, and by doing so effectively they inspired other family members in Guangdong to do the same. Thus, some of Guangdong, China is in New York City.
And so, the cycle of immigration continues. Perhaps relatives of Andrew’s that remain in China will arrive here one day. Immigrants constantly broaden the spectrum of culture by bringing new things to new places, which meshes different civilizations together and creates a remarkable hybrid. Basically, Andrew is Chinese and American.
Source for information on Guangdong:
“Guangdong Travel Guide: Tours, Map, History, Attractions, Climate, Cantonese Cuisine.” Guangdong Travel Guide: Tours, Map, History, Attractions, Climate, Cantonese Cuisine. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Feb. 2014.
