Many
Chinese immigrants took the occupation of a shopkeeper, service worker, or farm
laborer. A popular occupation was a miner; two-thirds of the miners on the west
coast were made up of Chinese immigrants. Another popular occupation among the
Chinese men was to own a Laundromat. A white man would never go into the same
business because it was considered a job for the women but the Chinese didn’t
think of it the same way. The work was perfect for them because limited English
was fine and also, there wasn’t much required in order to start one ($75
- $200). The Central Pacific Railway Company played a huge role in employment
for the Chinese immigrants because they employed thousands when no one else
would; they helped build the first transcontinental railroad in 1862. Employers
loved the cheap labor the Chinese immigrants provided, "...he was apparently
impressed with Chinese workmanship. He believed the Chinese laborers were superior
to any other immigrant group. He found them willing, intelligent, accurate,
prompt, and skillful in their work" (Tsai 58). There were hardly any females in the United States. When there were 4018 men located in San Francisco, California in 1850, there were only 7 women. Women in general do not have many options but Chinese women were more restricted. They were to be at home dealing with whatever occurred to the family at home but there were no families in the United States. The Chinese immigrants were made up of young men who desired to make enough money to send home to their families. With this situation, many women turned to prostitution. They would be supported by secret organizations such as the Tong Society around the many Chinatowns created at that time.
In
the United States, there was much discrimination against the Chinese. At first,
they were welcomed into the country but as increasing amounts poured into the
country, many were infuriated. White men looked at them in disgust because they
were taking over their jobs since they were satisfied with lower wages (which
appealed to employers). Employers thought the Chinese were hard working and
honest. Therefore, they often used the Chinese workers as models for the black
slaves in the South. This created even more problems for the Chinese immigrants
because they were now also looked negatively by the blacks. There were many
different ways to attempt to rid the Chinese such as taxing them. For example,
they began to tax those who were unable to apply for citizenship. The Chinese
Exclusion Act put Chinese immigration to a stop for 10 years and this concluded
in a sharp decrease in the number of immigrants in the United States. With many challenges thrown at the Chinese, they were able to adapt to the American culture. Over time, families were created, tradition was held and a new culture was born. This was a culture that combined both Chinese values and American values.