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The Success of Taiwanese Immigrants

Decent Essays

Some Background behind Taiwan
Taiwan, a small island on the coast of Mainland China, after WWII was occupied by the KMT, led by Chiang Kai-Shek along with his followers fled to Taiwan due to the loss of the Chinese Civil War. The U.S financially backing the KMT, due to their fight against communism during the Cold War Era, led to massive industrialization in Taiwan and political tension between Taiwan and China. Thus during the 1950s and on, Taiwanese people, mostly students, started to immigrate into America and try to assimilate into the American lifestyle. Taiwanese Americans, a good majority with a middle class background, came into the U.S for higher education, but then decided to stay or migrate whether because of family that was …show more content…

Chen and Foner (1987) state that the higher educated and skilled Taiwanese people with a middle class background often have the resources to move into a wealthier neighborhood, Chen talks of San Gabriel, CA, while Foner writes of Flushing, New York, and create their own enclave, but not limited to only Taiwanese, other Asians and minorities had also moved in. Chen talks of how Taiwanese suburbs would see the Taiwanese equivalents of a coffee and donut shops, but also the supermarket had a Taiwanese equivalent, in the book there was a picture of a chain supermarket, Ranch 99. Foner and Chen talk of how, in Foner’s case, Flushing, New York, economy escalated due to the money that was being put in by the Taiwanese immigrants and the enclave started to be populated with all sorts of white-collar businesses and banks. Chen talks of how San Gabriel, CA, was home for many Taiwanese Americans who were affluent in the technology industry causing a boom in the area, allowing for traditions, such as the Lunar New Year parade to go on. Gu writes that the Taiwanese faced harsh discrimination in wages, for they were paid less even though they were more educated than their white counterparts. Gu also states that women were more unfairly treated in wages than me, but less women

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