Do Han Chinese immigrants to the US develop a racial identity?

[fudanstudent]

Doing some research for graduate school and was lucky to find this website. Hoping someone can offer me some insight into this subject. Haven't had much luck with answers yet! Hopefully I'm not breaking any rules here.

 

Official censuses state about 92 percent of Chinese are of the same ethnicity: Han. So, within Han Chinese communities, ethnicity is not a characteristic by which people measure social status. When Han folks relocate to the US, how does the importance placed on ethnicity in America alter their identity?

 

Also have a survey if anyone is generous enough to take it.

[Randy W]

Doing some research for graduate school and was lucky to find this website. Hoping someone can offer me some insight into this subject. Haven't had much luck with answers yet! Hopefully I'm not breaking any rules here.

 

Official censuses state about 92 percent of Chinese are of the same ethnicity: Han. So, within Han Chinese communities, ethnicity is not a characteristic by which people measure social status. When Han folks relocate to the US, how does the importance placed on ethnicity in America alter their identity?

 

Also have a survey if anyone is generous enough to take it.

 

 

No, you're not breaking any rules. That is a question that should be of interest to our members. Welcome to the site.

 

What I've noticed in the U.S. is that 'Chinatowns' tend to be mostly Cantonese speakers, while the Mandarin speakers tend to settle in more diverse areas.

[HotBaozi]

It's important to point out that most Chinese who can speak Cantonese can also speak fluent Mandarin. For this reason, they are able to fit in more diverse Chinese cultures. While Mandarin dominates the spoken language of China, most Chinese who live outside Hong Kong and Guangdong provinces speak only Mandarin. There are many dialects in the rural regions of China that are known as local language, and unless someone grows up in that town or region, it is likely unrecognizable to anyone.

[Randy W]

The survey is about

 

Chinese Communities in the United States

 

Please take a look - my wife and I live in China, so we can't help.

[Allon]

Get hold Iris Chang's definitive book on Chinese in America.: The Chinese in America (2003)

 

There she will tell you why the Chinese migrated to where they stayed, and the number of different migrations that occurred in the same manner as any immigrant group. The Cantonese settled in western cities that had ports like Canton and HK (Guangzhou) had, SF, LA, Oakland and Seattle. (Don't forget Vancouver.) Settling in the city also depended on what types of jobs were available.

 

Compare the Han population in China to what it is in America may lead to nowhere.

 

Follow the language. 19 different ;languages and 54 different dialects of the main ones. If your ear is good, you can pick up that certain lazy Hunan dialect, even in ABC's. But I think you will find, the younger the ABC, the less they will even want to learn the old language. They will but, soon forget.

 

Would be interested in what you find.

[danb]

Hello, I looked at the survey. I tried to do the survey but since I am not Chinese I couldn't get pass the first page. I wanted to see the questions. Had to look up the word minzu to see what it meant. I wonder how important one's minzu in China is. Does it help get or prevent one from getting certain jobs in China? Say in local, state or national jobs. Does it even matter at all if say one was applying for a position at a place such as Baidu? Or say for a position in the communist party?

 

As far as my limited exposure to Chinese in America, here is what I have noticed. I live in the Northeast of the US. In the older Chinatowns there seems to be a much larger Cantonese and Hong Kongnese presence and many of the residents are older. Say in their sixties or seventies. Many of the younger ones seem to be from all over China not just the South eastern part. I don't think that many of the older Chinese in the restaurants speak Mandarin. Often when I visit Chinese restaurant I am puzzled why Chinese wait staff talk English to their Chinese customers. In the newer Chinatowns I think there are much more Mandarin speaking workers and they are younger.

 

As far as being an Han in the USA, how would I tell if I saw a Chinese person walking down the street in New York City if he was a Han or some other ethnic minority? How would I tell if that same person was walking down the street in Beijing? Does the language, the dress, the manners, customs, physical features or other things help one to differentiate theirs ethnic group? In the USA with the Chinese people that I have meet they do not seem to have a need to identify what ethnic group that they belong to. Just that they are Chinese. Except perhaps with people that are from Taiwan. They seem more likely to separate themselves from the mainlanders but I don't think that it separation per ethnicity. Good luck with your project.

[amberjack1234]

I can't help you much either. We have met a total of 6 Chinese people personally in our little town. The wife did get to very basically know 4 of them a long time ago. There were 4 Cantonese and two Hongcongers. Four of the Cantonese folks owned two restaurants and the 2 Hongcongers were doctors. As far as telling them apart, as we meet Asian people on the street, the wife tells me that she can not tell where any of them are from and not just Chinese either. I am always picking on her to ask them where they are from. Of course that goes over like a ton of bricks. That is why I am always doing it. Some people confess that they can tell but I am not so sure about that.

 

Sorry, I have to own up to the fact that I did not look at your survey. I guess I am lazy!

[Doug]

Looks like a survey for our spouse. Maybe 001.com? Are they still around?

[Dennis143]

Doing some research for graduate school and was lucky to find this website. Hoping someone can offer me some insight into this subject. Haven't had much luck with answers yet! Hopefully I'm not breaking any rules here.

 

Official censuses state about 92 percent of Chinese are of the same ethnicity: Han. So, within Han Chinese communities, ethnicity is not a characteristic by which people measure social status. When Han folks relocate to the US, how does the importance placed on ethnicity in America alter their identity?

 

Also have a survey if anyone is generous enough to take it.

Your survey is in English. So, I suppose you're targeting only Chinese residing in the US who are fluent in both speaking and reading English; otherwise, the survey should be in Chinese.

[Randy W]

 

Doing some research for graduate school and was lucky to find this website. Hoping someone can offer me some insight into this subject. Haven't had much luck with answers yet! Hopefully I'm not breaking any rules here.

 

Official censuses state about 92 percent of Chinese are of the same ethnicity: Han. So, within Han Chinese communities, ethnicity is not a characteristic by which people measure social status. When Han folks relocate to the US, how does the importance placed on ethnicity in America alter their identity?

 

Also have a survey if anyone is generous enough to take it.

Your survey is in English. So, I suppose you're targeting only Chinese residing in the US who are fluent in both speaking and reading English; otherwise, the survey should be in Chinese.

 

 

 

The modern generation IS fluent in reading and writing English. I saw the English exam at the University when I taught there - they are REQUIRED to be able to read and write English at roughly a newspaper level.

 

The older generation that most of us married into, however - well. I get to help our grandson with any English or even homework involving Pinyin.

[Allon]

 

As far as my limited exposure to Chinese in America, here is what I have noticed. I live in the Northeast of the US. In the older Chinatowns there seems to be a much larger Cantonese and Hong Kongnese presence and many of the residents are older. Say in their sixties or seventies. Many of the younger ones seem to be from all over China not just the South eastern part. I don't think that many of the older Chinese in the restaurants speak Mandarin. Often when I visit Chinese restaurant I am puzzled why Chinese wait staff talk English to their Chinese customers. In the newer Chinatowns I think there are much more Mandarin speaking workers and they are younger.

 

As far as being an Han in the USA, how would I tell if I saw a Chinese person walking down the street in New York City if he was a Han or some other ethnic minority? How would I tell if that same person was walking down the street in Beijing? Does the language, the dress, the manners, customs, physical features or other things help one to differentiate theirs ethnic group? In the USA with the Chinese people that I have meet they do not seem to have a need to identify what ethnic group that they belong to. Just that they are Chinese. Except perhaps with people that are from Taiwan. They seem more likely to separate themselves from the mainlanders but I don't think that it separation per ethnicity. Good luck with your project.

 

My .02

 

The first migrations of Chinese to the US were from Canton and HK, so naturally they would generally be older. But there are many young "Cantonese" coming to America. The second migration came from areas around Fujian, a Mandarin speaking region.

 

--- Chinese in America by Iris Chang