research-the-broader-background-of-the-chinese-immigration-history-and-their-assimilative-experiences-cross-the-country

Most of the Chinese immigrants carried their American Dreams to this country. These

dreams have become both their goals and motivations for working hard and assimilation.

The purposes of this project is to research the broader background of the Chinese

immigration history and their assimilative experiences cross the country, then to conduct

interviews with a local Chinese immigrant and use his/her story as an example to

demonstrate an Atlantic Chinese-American’s journey to his/her American Dreams.

Some important Instructions:

First, to review Zhou’s book on Contemporary Chinese Americans to learn the

background information and Chinese immigrants’ experiences cross the country.

Second, to review my Instructions for the paper of Journey to American Dream to

understand the different patterns of assimilations.

Third, to search for online NJ census information to learn the Chinese immigrants in

Atlantic county as a whole (if such specific data not available, use Asian data instead);

and the Atlantic Chines Alliance Church and the Atlantic Huaxia Chinese school

websites.

Fourth, to search and review literature related to A) the Chinese culture/tradition that

affect the Chinese immigrants’ experiences; B) the types of American immigration and

the recent new development of American immigration policies; C) the casino industry in

the Atlantic City and the surrounding area, which has produced great impacts on the local

Chinese immigrants’ employment;

Fifth, to look for a Chinese immigrant as your interviewee. You can go back to the

setting you use for your ethnographic project to ask someone you met for an in-depth

interview, or search for a different study subject. You may think about your friends,

neighbors, co-workers, or anyone you know directly or indirectly who have had

experienced with your topic. If you run out of option, please contact with the instructor

as soon as possible. Some potential interview candidates may be available.

Sixth, to decide your topic: what journey your paper will focus on. For example, their

hard-working experiences? their education path? their community growth? their faith

development? or others? Your topic is based on the story of your interviewee. So you

can make your decision only after you know who you will interview with first.

Seventh, to develop a list of the interview questions that will help you write the section

III & IV of your paper (see the outline please).

Eighth, to write your reflection paper according to the Outline for the Research Paper.

You have to follow the outline to organize your discussion and list each section title and

sub-title in the beginning of your relevant discussion. The length is around 8-10 pages

with double space. Use in-text citations if your points are made based on the textbooks

or from outside sources, then attach a reference list at the end of your paper.

Interview questions an answers ( I already Interviewed someone)

1. What age did you come to the United States and why?

2. How was the process? What was the hardest part?

3. What inspired you to pursue a life in the United States?

4. What would you say has been the hardest part of adapting to American

culture?

5. How does the working or educational Environment compare from one

country to the other?

ANSWERS:

1. Lei Hou came to the U.S. to seek education in material science at the age of 24

at the University of New Hampshire

2. Applications to schools in the U.S. were very different, required a lot of writing

and each school had their different requirements in comparison to Chinese

educational structure, which only has one test that dictates where one can attend.

Schools in the U.S. focused on personal development. Most challenging was the

process of obtaining visa.

3. She wanted to experience a different world and country. She saw the U.S. as a

goal because of how developed and advanced the education system was and

resources are far superior than those in China.

4. It was very difficult to adapt to U.S. culture, she still has not adapted. “Chinese

culture will always be the major influence for me.” She learned to live in it, but

not change her culture to fit in.

She describes work in the U.S. has less people and is focused around completing

the task. While in China, there is a lot of delegating and politics (too much

drama). Safety protocols in the U.S. are better than in China.