Pick an ethnicity that lives on Long Island and discribe how the have adapted to life on long island - Essay Example

In Long Island, the presence of the Chinese people in the area can hardly remain unnoticed and their impact to the ever-changing culture of the island can never be understated. Historical Background Based on government data, the first Chinese settlers of the United States arrived in 1820. During the California Gold Rush of 1848, a significant number of Chinese workers increased to over a hundred in the hope of finding their fortune in a foreign land. Years passed, more Chinese were transported to the country to do menial labor in the household, in the industries and in large projects such as the Central Pacific Railroad (1863).

Practically, the early Chinese immigrants only sought for better economic opportunities in the New World; however, they were confronted with harsh discrimination and brutal treatment that they endured for decades (Zhao “Remaking” 39). The culmination of all the racism that the Chinese suffered occurred in 1882 when the Chinese Exclusion Act took effect. Until 1943, Chinese people were banned from immigrating to the ‘land of milk and honey.’ In the 70’s and 80’s, which is considered as the Second Wave of the Chinese immigration to the United States, citizens from Hong Kong, Taiwan and mainland China traversed the Pacific in search for a better life.

Through the years, issues on illegal immigration and the threat of deportation were faced by the Chinese in the US. In 1992, the Chinese Student Protection Act, sponsored by Representative Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) was enacted to grant permanent residency status to all Chinese nationals who came to the US on or before April 1990 (Zhou 55-61). Vis-a-vis with California, New York has been the haven of the Chinese in this western soil where they continually grew in number and gradually established their communities.

In fact, the New York Metropolitan Area has recently been hailed as the district outside Asia where the largest concentrations of Chinese populations reside. In 2008, there were approximately 659, 596 Chinese in the metropolis (Zhao “”The New Chinese” 41). Long Island’s Chinatown The Chinese Diaspora has stretched in the entire globe and reached almost all corners of it. In Long Island, such phenomenon can be affirmed through the myriad testaments that can be seen not only in the streets but also on how people live.

True to it, its diverse cultural environment has incorporated the Chinese Way, which can be perfectly gleaned from its ethnic enclave called Chinatowns. As vibrant as the one in Lower Manhattan and would be comparable to the one in San Francisco and Vancouver, the Chinatown in Flushing, Queens is the new home for Chinese businesspersons and workers. Until the 70’s, Flushing was mostly dominated by Italian and Greek nationals who left the place due to an economic downturn. As large groups of people departed from the area and the housing prices dropped, the Chinese immigrants, and the other East Asians, started to settle and prevailed in the area since the early 80’s until today (Tsui 53).

The busy Chinatown in Flushing is a fusion of the East and the West. There are American stores as well as Chinese stores, restaurants and supermarkets. In fact, one hotel in the area prides itself of its ‘distinctly Asian flair.’ Korean, Japanese and Vietnamese business enterprises can also be seen in the area. Another Chinatown can be located in the Sunset Park at Brooklyn. Purported to be one