The Life and History of a first generation chinese american

UCLA ^ | // | Allan Lo

[wormsy]

My Life and History By Allan Lo

With hope for a better future, I embarked on a poignant journey. On May 10, 1976, I arrived at the San Francisco International Airport with Mr. Chiu. Mr. Chiu was my sponsor, and he was the only person that I knew in the U.S. In exchange, I promised him a three years work contract as a cook in his restaurant in Austin, Texas. I began a new life as an immigrant searching for the American dream. Mr. Chiu and I stayed in San Francisco overnight, In the following day, we flew to Texas.

I was born in Canton, China in 1954, shortly after the Communists took power. Like millions of others who disliked a chaotic society of political uncertainties, my family fled to Hong Kong. It was extremely hard for new settlers to survive in Hong Kong at that time. There was not enough housing and food for these people and the streets were full of homeless refugees. With limited job openings, life was miserable, and people were poor. As the first- born son, I had to fulfill the expectation of filial piety. At the age of twelve, I quit school and joined the workforce as a kitchen apprentice in order to support my family of eight. At seventeen, I was promoted as a chef. I wanted to leave Hong Kong so I answered Mr. Chiu's ad for a chef position in Austin. I was drawn with adventure. Since I was only nineteen years old, my parents worried that Mr. Chiu would treat me like “selling pig” in America. But my determination to go overcame their fear. After a meeting with my parents, Mr. Chiu returned to the US and began to process the immigrant papers. Finally, after three years of complicated and exhausted immigrant process, I was granted the visa. Mr. Chiu returned to Hong Kong and brought me to Austin. Austin was not the place that I wanted to live in the US. I always wanted to live in California. My staying in Austin was the exchange of immigration. After my contract expired, I drove to California and lived in Los Angeles until now. In 1983, I opened a small restaurant with a partner in North Hollywood. The partnership dissolved a year later and I ended up running the restaurant alone, but the restaurant was a success. In 1988, I sold the small eatery and opened an upgraded and formal dine- in restaurant in Tarzana. Everything was going in the right direction, until a strong earthquake erupted in Northridge on January 1994. Without earthquake insurance, and the help from FEMA, I lost almost everything, but I hung on to the business and then sold it in 1999. Afterward, I enrolled in Los Angeles City College and transferred to UCLA in the fall of 2002.

I am a first-generation Chinese immigrant to the U.S. I have experienced inequality, injustice and racial discrimination in this society. However, I had the opportunity to live the American dream; I have a home and business. I have been an immigrant most of my life; from China to Hong Kong and then to the U.S. History has played a crucial role, it not only intersects with my life, it shapes and inspires my understanding of my people.

My family's migration to Hong Kong relates to contemporary history. The Chinese political change in 1949 had a great impact to its people. Many Chinese were discontented with communism and tried to escape. They thought Hong Kong was the ideal place. For my parents, both came from the social working class, lacked an adequate education and were married at the end of World War II. They planned for a large family; not only because they loved children, but also for security. If the communists had failed to take over China, my parents would never have fled to Hong Kong, and I would probably have remained in China.

I grew up under British colonization. Historically, Hong Kong was a British colony; after the Opium War (1839-42), under the Nanking Treaty (1842), China ceded Hong Kong to England for 155 years. “Money” was the primitive interest for the British governing Hong Kong. They did not provide fair programs to the working class, for example, in education. British Hong Kong did not administrate a free education policy to the public until 1980. In the 6o's, as the population dramatically increased, many teenagers were turned away from public schools because of their age. The British government claimed that a child at the age of seven was qualified to enroll in Primary School. At thirteen, which was six years after Primary School, the children were obligated to take a grand examination in order to determine their placement in Secondary Schools. The ones who passed the test would receive the merit for further study. The ones who failed the test would be expelled while the rich looked for private schools. I was victimized under such educational policy. I was turned down the enrollment for Primary School because I was six months older. My parents ended up paying more money for my education in a Christian subsidized school. Low family income was to blame for why I quit school at a very young age, but the British government was also responsible. If there had been a free education for every child until the age 18, I would have able to finish at least high school.

My decision to become a chef was not because I liked food. I wanted to learn a profession that I would be able to survive outside of Hong Kong. While in the process of immigrating to the US, I had a job offer as a Chinese chef at the Singapore Hyatt. I flew to Singapore and worked there for a year before my migration to the U.S. The years in Austin, Texas were mainly work. Mr. Chiu saw me as his property that he brought from Hong Kong; I was an indentured servant rather than a professional chef. I knew that although I was a new immigrant, I could not reply on anything from Mr. Chiu. Despite the fact that I had neither relatives nor friends who live in the US, I needed to create a future of my own. When the contract with Mr. Chiu was over, I left Texas for California.

Before my migration to the U.S., I heard many good things about what the Chinese called the “Gold Mountain.” America was the land of freedom; an abundant society with diversity, Americans fought injustice for the Vietnamese people. The Americans who lived in Hong Kong were extremely wealthy and generous. They lived in big houses with pools and chauffeurs. No wonder people lined up in the Hong Kong American Consulate applying for a visa. After living in the U.S. for many years, I found out that America is still a land of opportunities, but racial inequality and discrimination still exist.

I am grateful for my ancestors who paved a way for new immigrants like me. Like my ancestors who came to America as menial labor during the nineteenth century, I came to America to sweat to earn a living, but I was never titled as a “coolie.” In addition, upon my arrival, I did not go through the detention and interrogation at Angel Island. In fact, I immigrated to the U.S. under the Fifth Priority, which is “professional and skillful workers.” I am also indebted to those men and women who were diligently petitioned to Congress, to end The Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882. Further, the 1952 Walter-McCarran Act allowed first-generation Chinese Americans to apply for citizenship, and the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act removed the last barriers to Chinese immigration.

Today, Chinese-Americans are doing relatively well. They are generally seen as hard-working professionals or small business people, with stable families. Indeed, the most recent census data indicate that they have median household incomes and educational levels higher than their White counterparts. However, discriminations still exist, especially for the new settlers; their knowledge of the system is limited, in addition, language is also a problem. Although the 1990 Immigration Act allows foreign investors granting of permanent residency; with one million dollars investment in large cities, or half of a million dollars in rural areas, the majority of immigrants is the lower middle class. In the future, first, I will strive my best to finish the college education. Then, I will devote my time and effort to assist new immigrants to accommodate their new lives.

[wormsy]

I have mixed feelings after reading this article.

On one hand, I admired this guy for his courage in migrating to "the land of opportunities". When I compare myself with my forefathers, I admire their courage to just give up everything and migrate to a new place. I dread and could never imagine being a nomadic immigrant for the most part of my life.

On the other hand, I detest his attitude to blame the system and claim injustice and inequality. We all have certainly experienced times when we are forced to take career decisions that we don't like. Surely this could happen in one's homeland as easily as a foreign land. Somehow, we all make choices in life and should take responsibility for the choices we made.

[Nateman]

They were lucky not to have state run schools! The money saved in property taxes allowed them to send their kids to schools that depended on keeping the parents happy and paying the bills by actually teaching the kids something useful. Not the politically correct junk taught here.

[Texas_Jarhead]

I'm with you; 40% like, 60% dislike.

[iThinkBig]

I dunno, Chinese people are just like that in general. Of course he was discriminated against, especially just after the Civil Rights movement. It took time to really take root. I grew up in the 70's. As kids we always made fun of different races. I am not saying I am proud, I am only saying how times have changed in a good way.

As far as only being able to be a chef, it says he went to college so he most likely could have changed professions but seemed to make money running restaraunts.

[Quix]

I didn't read him as blaming the system as much as human nature--and probably not the majority of people he met.

I thought he had plenty more positive things to say than negative.