An immigrant's take on Chinatown,identities,and ethnic tie

Read by Yang Yong, this is a small segment of the weekly literature program Ink&Quill.

Once excluded by the virulent immigration law implemented by the US government from the late 19th century until World War Two, the Chinese community is now not only one of the largest but also one of the fastest-growing ethnic groups in the United States. 

The racial stereotype of some American media often labels Chinese Americans as the "model minority," as they seem to seamlessly weave themselves into the patchwork of the American society. 

But, is this really the case?

To find out the answer, let's delve into the story of a Chinese immigrant, whose writing navigates the vicissitude of Chinatown; and whose own life experiences, is a story worth telling. 

Starring Jiang Wen,Yan Xiaopin, and Wang Ji, the multi-award winning TV drama "Beijinger in New York" portrays the everyday struggles of Chinese immigrants and the clashing of two cultures.[Picture: IC]

In 1994, the then China Central Television, the country's predominant state media, aired a TV series titled "Beijinger in New York." Based on a semi-autobiographical novel written by Glen Cao, the drama showcases the ups and downs of a young Chinese couple that strives hard to find a new life in the Big Apple. 

Once aired, the show soon became a national blockbuster whereas its source of material, the namesake novel, turned into a bestseller. 

But, did the show actually reflect reality? 

"It in fact does portray real life issues! Especially so when looking at the garment factory scene—where everything seems so accurate! When we migrated to the United States, garment factories were thriving. They looked for new workers almost every day. Though the wages were low, many Chinese still applied. " 

This is Zhao Sihong, a San Francisco-based writer, columnist and collector. Originally from China's Guangdong Province, she has been living in the United States for almost three decades. 

The photo offers the street view of Chinatown in San Francisco, California. [Photo: VCG]

"Our whole family migrated to America in 1988. Before we came to San Francisco, my husband was an engineer; me, a civil servant; whereas our daughter was still in kindergarten. My father-in-law was a patriotic overseas Chinese. To serve his motherland, he went to China when the Second World War broke out and returned to California when he retired. Following his return, he started bringing his three kids over, one by one. Then he helped us apply for US citizenship, because he believed that there were more opportunities that lay ahead. But you know, we had a rather easy life in China. Coming to America, we had to start everything from scratch." Zhao says.

Just like the young Chinese couple from the TV series "Beijinger in New York," without any tertiary education qualifications in the US, Zhao and her husband had no choice but to start building a new home from nothing. 

"I tumbled from being a civil servant to working as a domestic helper. I took the job because it gave me enough time to take care of my daughter. When we first arrived, we couldn't find the right school for her straight away. So she mostly was pretty edgy and upset. Around that time, my husband couldn't find a job, so the entire family was pretty on edge too." Zhao recalls: "Then a service company called International Chinese Affairs was looking for a secretary. I was picked out from over 200 applicants and then worked there for eight years."

The photo shows the buildings at the end of Waverly Place, Chinatown, San Francisco.[Photo: VCG]

Located in Chinatown of San Francisco, the company provided an all-inclusive package of operations for Chinese immigrants, ranging from immigration registration, property inheritance, to career placement and language training. 

Zhao lists some of her responsibilities:"One of my responsibilities was to find jobs for new immigrants. But a good job doesn't just magically appear. I had to try and search with all my might. I needed to maintain a good relationship with employers, such as restaurant owners, garment factory managers, or the heads of tech companies. So as long as there was a vacancy, I could be informed and recommend someone to fill it as soon as possible. But my main duty was related to paperwork, since I was relatively familiar with the laws and regulations in the Chinese mainland. I helped people get hired and sometimes even acted as a match maker."

A delivery man at Chinatown, San Francisco, California.[Photo: VCG]

According to Zhao's rough calculation, during her eight years working for the company, she dealt with almost a hundred people every day and played as a matchmaker for a staggering eight hundred lonely souls. 

As she observed, many immigrants were unfortunately stuck between their old and new lives. 

"Some new immigrants still buried themselves in their past lives; because while in China, they were used to command leadership roles. But when they came here trying to land managerial jobs, chances were slim for them because they didn't have locally acquired degrees. They therefore needed to swallow their pride and jump at whatever opportunities they encountered, while seeking for better offers."

For eight consecutive years, Zhao Sihong had dedicated her life in providing information and tips on housing, employment, language courses for the immigrant population, until…"Suddenly one day, I felt so worn out and exhausted. I couldn't cope with so many different requests on a daily basis. So I quit. But people still flocked to my former office looking for help. When they couldn't find me, they started posting notices in local dailies. The head of the newspaper 'SF Chinese Times' took it as an opportunity. The editors reached out to me and asked me to write about my experiences working at Chinatown for their paper."

An article from the local Chinese newspaper SF China Times annouces that Zhao Sihong has become one of their columnists on June 6, 1997.[Photo: Courtesy of Zhao Sihong]

Even though she had not had any professional training in writing, Zhao still gave it a shot. The first article struck a chord among the Chinese community, who encouraged her to write more. Another eight years past, Zhao Sihong had published over a million words worth of stories in her column, resulting in a two-volume book, The Road to Gold Mountain, or in Chinese, "Jin Shan Zhi Lu".

When asked where she sought her inspiration from, the author replies that she didn't need to mine for ideas, since the majority of the stories came from the cases she once dealt with at Chinatown.

Composed of various short stories, "The Road to Gold Mountain" charts the joys, sorrows, bitterness, and pains from many living in Chinatown. Flipping through the pages, readers are able to take an intimate glimpse into the Chinese American community, its microcosms, and mechanisms. From parenting to cross-racial marriages, many issues are discussed. As the writer examines the whimsical tales and complexities of each individual with care and compassion, the stereotyped "model minority" myth is dismantled. Just like many other ethnic minorities, Chinese Americans also face the same anxieties, culture shock, economic shifts and political struggles that many other migrants endure. 

The handwritten scripts of Zhao Sihong's writing result in a two-volume book, The Road to Gold Mountain.[Photo: Courtesy of Zhao Sihong]

In 2002, the Board of Supervisors of the City and County of San Francisco issued Zhao Sihong with a certificate of honour, commending her for her literary work that vividly depicts the immigrant experience in California. 

But in the eyes of Zhao, what she's mostly proud of is not her books, but rather, her readers.

"I founded a readers club whose members scatter across the Pacific Ocean. In 1998, an earthquake broke out in southwest China's Yunnan Province. When the news reached the Chinese community in San Francisco, we wanted to do something for our compatriots. So advised by Anna Chan Chennault, we established a charitable organization among my readers. The wealthier ones were asked to contribute funds while the strong ones to contribute labour. Initially, we raised funds for local non-profit organizations. Later, we started to raise funds for poor children and victims of natural disasters in China. To date we haven't stopped."

Zhao Sihong (left) with Anna Chan Chennault (right), a Chinese-born American politician who married a prominent World War II general Claire Lee Chennault,who also acted as the head of Zhao's readers club.[Photo:Courtesy of Zhao Sihong]

Zhao admits that compared with large-scale charities, her team has a rather humble beginning. But unlike other institutions, her team sets no threshold for donors. 

"People such as restaurant waiters, retired workers and barbers might face financial austerities, but they want to help others as well. Some of them can only afford to donate five dollars. No charity other than us can accept such small donations. But we accept their contributions. So in that regard, we rally the grassroots. After all these years, we have donated more than 250 thousand US dollars."

Since 2006, this readers club has shifted their focus from charity to helping relics return to China. 

"In 2005, the Chinese government invested money in calling for the return of lost or stolen Chinese relics overseas. People from the Xinhua News Agency commissioned me to write an article to see how Chinese immigrants would react to this news. So I talked with some local collectors, which made me realize how many historical relics and documents from China were stranded across San Francisco. Since I was a child, I was always drawn to antiques. So I decided to use this love for antiques in hunting them down. In 2016 when I went to Beijing, my team and I brought back 38 pieces of relics and donated them to the Capital Museum of China. "

Zhao Sihong(second from left) and her team donated documents to China Soong Ching Ling Foundation.[Photo:Courtesy of Zhao Sihong]

According to Zhao, over the years, she and her team have retrieved more than five thousand artifacts and brought them back home. 

"Among these five thousand pieces of antiques, a third of them come from personal collections or family heirlooms of my readers and fans. " She explains the source of the artifacts she and her team have brought back to China, "The rest of them are purchased by my team and me. We have donated them to various museums across China, including the National Museum, the National Library, the Capital Museum of China, and the Overseas Chinese History Museum, among many others. One of the underlying tenets of mine is that wherever I go, I donate some relevant relics."

From newspapers that were published during the Qing Dynasty, to an extremely rare vinyl record that recorded the public speech of Sun Yat-sen, forerunner of China's anti-feudalism revolution, the treasures that Zhao and her team brought back all help to fill in the blank history.　

When asked about her plan in the decades to come, Zhao Sihong says she and her team will carry on their task in helping victims of natural disasters and bringing back lost historical relics back to China. 

"Personally, I think making friends by writing feels amazing. Forming a readers club that can contribute to the society is a very rewarding experience. If everyone can do something for those in need, there will be some positive changes in terms of social norms. I am just throwing out a minnow to catch a whale. Hopefully, what we have done can influence others. "

Though living in the United States for years, Zhao says she never lost touch with her heritage and ethnic ties:"Every man has his own obligation and we are just acting from our duties."