Welcome to Chinatown!
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Have you ever visited a Chinatown in a major city? It can be an unforgettable sensory experience! Play the video to the right, and see for yourself. Then return to the story. You have just spent the day in San Francisco's Chinatown. Take a piece of paper and write a one-page narrative essay about your experience. Effective descriptive writing must involve the senses. What did you see and hear during your virtual visit? Although video cannot transfer smell, how do you imagine the various areas of Chinatown smelled? Include as many sensory details as you can; it makes a piece of writing much more vivid for the reader. If you get stuck at any point, simply replay the video for inspiration. |
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Waves of Immigration There have been waves of Chinese immigration throughout America's history. The first wave occurred in the early 1800s, when China suffered through a series of floods, famines, droughts, and wars. At the same time, gold was being discovered in California, which caused America's famous gold rush. Many Chinese citizens decided to try their luck working in America. At first, America eagerly let in the Chinese immigrants because the building of the transcontinental railroad needed many workers. Woolen mills and shoe and garment factories also needed cheap labor. Because many Chinese immigrants lived near each other, both out of choice and also because of discrimination, Chinatowns began springing up in major cities across the country. |
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The Struggle for Democracy Today, many Chinese immigrants come to America to live in a Democratic nation. China is a Communist society. You may know about the famous pro-democracy demonstration in Tiananmen Square in June 1989, when hundreds of citizens and students lost their lives for their beliefs in democracy and human rights in China. You can learn more about China's Democratic movement by embarking on a Riverdeep Xcursion. Print the start page. You will need it to record your answers to the guiding questions. Then, click on Chinese Dissidents on the right-hand column to begin your virtual journey. (A dissident is someone who disagrees with an established religious or political system.) |
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| Ironically,
America has not always lived up to its ideals when it comes
to the treatment of Chinese immigrants. After America's economy suffered a downturn in the mid-1800s, Chinese immigrants began to be seen as a threat to American workers.This led to a series of federal acts discriminating against Chinese immigrants. In 1862, American ships were forbidden to transport Chinese immigrants to the United States. In 1882, the Chinese Exclusion Act stated that Chinese without family connections in the United States could not enter the country. The last of these anti-Chinese laws was repealed in 1965.
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More Links
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Related Resources
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