Overseas Vietnamese

Many were displeased with the guanxi culture as well: misconduct normalized in forms of “unfair competition, academic corruption and monetary incentive” (Fu, 2013). People were encouraged to build connections for favor, as it is common for authorities to make decisions through personal connections; thus, close social network was vital to mending privilege, support and resources (Fu, 2013). Corruption was permeating all levels of Chinese society. Government officials typically do not abide by…

Last summer, I had an internship at the Chinese Culture Center in Chinatown. I mainly helped this non-profit organization to advertise its Chinatown Walking Tour, therefore, I got to learn about the history of Chinatown. The development of Chinatown deeply impressed me because it rose from oppression in American, and finally became the indispensable part in San Francisco by the contributions of millions of Chinese immigrants and Chinese American. Nevertheless, it was a laborious process because…

Mountain Hermits Gazing at a Waterfall A piece of work that really intrigued me was, Mountain Hermits Gazing at a Waterfall, made by Japanese artist, Hashimoto Kanetsu. The medium of this work is ink and color on a paper hanging scroll; the use of paper was quite common with artists because it is much more absorbent than silk, and allowed for spontaneous effects (“Technical Aspects of Chinese Painting” 1). The length of this scroll is rather long, about 5 feet tall, which is common for hanging…

AI Rackae+5 Rackae and I were going to Quincy Market in Boston, Massachusetts. We boarded the Amtrak and arrived in Boston at 3:45. After arriving, we walked approximately one mile to our destination. When we got to Quincy Market, we were approached by a man to take his photograph with the live street art. You know the ones that pretend to be statues by holding a pose for as long as possible. Rackae was more than happy to take the photo for him. After the photo was taken, we moved on. We had fun…

It is said that history repeats itself. To a variety of cultures sport has held similar meanings, during different historical periods. Today, sport is often referred to as just a game, but not many of us have dealt with obstacles of being an immigrant in America. Yep (2009) described how a playground in Chinatown San Francisco affected the Chinese immigrant community. The playground provided recognition, a sense of community and a sense of cultural pride to the Chinese immigrants. With the…

Canada is viewed as a land of immigrants, disregarding aboriginal peoples, and yet Canada has a history of racism. The Chinese entered Canada during different times and were greeted with different extremes depending on the social context at that point of time. The Chinese were welcomed during the gold rush in British Columbia as well as when needing labour to build the Canadian Pacific Railway. Then restrictive policies started to be placed such as the increasing tax and finally in 1923 the ban…

1. Of all the complaints that the Europeans had about the Chinese, which do you think was the most serious? Why? Soon, criticisms that the Chinese were muddying water needed to wash gold turned to a real worry that so much Chinese were coming as to not leave any gold for the Europeans. This is quite serious because then this gives the European miners a ‘chance’ to press taxes or an excuse to drive them off. This can also develop into accusations against the Chinese miners which they would have…

Immigration policies have long been controversial throughout various nation’s histories. In Australia, racial tensions have been omnipresent since the first Europeans arrived in 1788. Originally seen in early interactions with Aboriginals, Europeans committed countless atrocities in an attempt to clear out a land they believed belonged to no one (Fitzmaurice). As the native population in Australia decreased, the white population steadily increased thanks to the development of British migration…

Standards in Their New Lives In the novel The Joy Luck Club written by Amy Tan, four families of Chinese immigrants gather around a mahjong table. Jing-Mei Woo is to replace her mother’s seat at the table. After Jing-Mei’s mother passes away, it is her responsibility to take over the seat. Jealousy fills the group when comparing their daughter's abilities. Beauty is important to all of the daughters and their mothers. Superstition factors into their everyday lives controlling their…

After interviewing a close friend of mine, and listening to the interviews from my peers in class, I am deeply overwhelmed. This is because their case is very similar to Richard Rodriguez’s reading, Hunger of Memory, the Education of Richard Rodriguez. Rodriguez talked about assimilating into the American culture, and adopting English as his first language. He described how his family stopped speaking Spanish to him, and continuously promotes English language in the house. Initially, I see no…