A Comparison of Immigration: Chinese Peril
The Yellow Peril, the yellow plague, the yellow spectre, they were all names used to describe the immigration of Chinese immigrants coming from mainland in search of work and jobs. Arriving in the new landscape, most Chinese men took menial jobs as a way to support their families back home and enjoyed a comparatively wealthy way of life compared to back in China where they were treated horribly by their own government, taking their land, political instability and declining economic growth. The first wave of Chinese immigrants arrived from 1850 to 1890 where over 300,000 Chinese immigrants ultimately made the perilous journey, coming in search of “all kinds of labor, …show more content…
196). Cut to the 1990s, the claims of “Gam Saan” were still prevalent and with the promise of a better life, countless immigrants again traveled from China into the United States. One of the most important factors that were unique to the 1990s was the prevalence of the Communist party in the immigrant’s decisions to make the journey. With leaders like Deng Xiao Peng and Peng Zhen, a “tug of war” started between the villages and the Communist party. (Ho, 2014) Following the 1989 Tiananmen incident, the Chinese government tightened their control over the countryside, planning to build factories over villages in order to increase the rate of industrialization to catch up to Westernized powers. This can be juxtaposed in Ronald Takaki’s A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America, losing their land and positions in society due …show more content…
By adapting and thriving in a foreign environment, many of these immigrants were able to create a living and eventually thrive in society, which for very long time has tried to subjugate their ideas and place in the professional and social arena. In the case of immigration, it will continue to assist immigrants who seek a better quality of life seeking refuge in the United States. The immigration of Asian Americans will consolidate their place in the melting pot that is