Chinese Americans

The term “Chinese Americans” refers to Americans of Chinese descent. It also includes those with partial Chinese ancestry. According to the US census of 2010, the Chinese American population numbers approximately 3.8 million, accounting for about 1.2 percent of the national population. Half of them live either in California or New York. New York City has the largest Chinese American population of any city.
      The history of Chinese immigration to America dates back to the mid-19th century. Before the mid-20th century, Chinese immigrants mainly did low-paying jobs in Chinatowns across the country. Beginning in the 1950s, however, educated Chinese were able to break out of Chinatowns and contribute to the American economy in diverse fields such as science and technology, business, and politics.

Examples of influential Chinese Americans are Jerry Yang, a co-founder of Yahoo; Vera Wang, a fashion designer famous for designing dresses
for celebrities; An Wang, founder of Wang Laboratories; Elaine Chao, the first Chinese American cabinet member in American history.
     Today an even larger wave of Chinese immigrants is pouring into the US, especially on the West Coast and in the Greater New York area. Overall, Chinese Americans are highly educated and earn higher incomes when compared to other ethnic groups. Educational achievements of Chinese in the US are one of the highest among all ethnic groups. They also have
lower unemployment rates than the national average. Although Chinese Americans grow up learning English, many teach their children Chinese, too.
They are proud of their cultural ancestry and willing to preserve their language and cultural identity.

Stereotypes of Chinese Americans

In American history, there have been various stereotypes of Chinese Americans. What follows are some common ones depicted in the media.

(a) Chinese Americans are “foreign” and “unassimilated”.

(b) Chinese are alien predators.

(c) Chinese Americans are restricted to clichéd occupations.

(d) Chinese Americans are polite.

(e) Chinese Americans as a whole are a model minority.

These stereotypes are in fact distorted understanding or generalizations since they overlook the true complexity of the Chinese American community. Although some Chinese Americans are highly successful, there are many who are poor, unskilled and have low-paying jobs. Many Chinese Americans are born in the US, and they speak English with no accent. Chinese immigrants made great contributions to the development of the US rather than only benefited from it without having offered anything back in return. Although many living in Chinatowns of larger cities are still members of the working class, an increasing number of Chinese immigrants are well-educated mid- or
upper-class people who make their living in a wide range of white-collar professions.

the Monterey Peninsula蒙特雷半岛

It's a peninsula located in California, on the Pacific coast. It includes three cities, namely Monterey, Carmel, and Pacific Grove, as well as some other areas of Monterey County. Residents in the region are considerably wealthier than the national average.

The economy of the Monterey Peninsula is mainly based upon tourism. The region is famous for its coastal scenery, rich history and the diversity of marine life. It attracts a large number of visitors year-round, especially in summer. Most popular attractions include the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Cannery Row, and the annual Monterey Jazz Festival.

The New York Times Magazine《纽约时报杂志》

It's a Sunday magazine supplement included with the Sunday edition of The New York Times. It publishes feature articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors. The magazine is also famous for its photography, especially relating to fashion and style. It has a history of over 100 years. Its first issue was published in September 1896. Some of the popular columns in the history of the magazine are "On Language", "The Ethicist", "Consumed", and "The Funny Pages".

Chinatown

Chinatown refers to a Chinese community outside China. The Chinatowns in San Francisco, California, and Manhattan, New York, are among the oldest and largest Chinese settlements in North America. They were both established in the 19th century. Chinatowns around the world are not only residential areas of ethnic Chinese immigrants but also popular historical, cultural and tourist attractions. Their major industries include supermarkets, jewelry stores, tourism, and restaurants.

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