Yao Ming in the USA - Case Study Example

Asian Immigrants Introduction An immigrant is a person that moves to live in a new country on a permanent basis. The person may have been motivated by various factors, some of which may be personal while others are environmental. Many incidents have been reported about cases of civil war that have forced people to move to other countries so that they can find peace and other essential of life. Life in a new country is often not very easy, one has to start getting adopted to a new culture, quite different from that which he has been used to. New friends have to be made, language and places of stay; all things are sometimes in a kind of disarray. For this reason, the new immigrant has to take time learning about the things needed to make life meaningful. In many instances, new immigrants sometimes face different kinds of hostilities from people in the new country. However, the need to find a secure place, away from the troubles in the original country makes them persevere and make their lives more meaningful. The United States has seen many people from different nations moving in to seek permanent residence. Most of them have been motivated by the hope of finding new opportunities in life and achieving their dreams. This paper examines the case of Yao Ming the basketball player, who is an immigrant in the United States, having moved from Asia. Historical background of the Asian American Immigrants Asian immigrants have experienced many difficulties in the past; it is important to note that these people have always been in a territory that would later belong to the United States, all the way since the 16th century. It is important to note that in the recent decades, developments and trends in immigration have drastically changed the popular outstanding and composition of who the particular Asian Americans are. These transformations of the Asian Americans and of the United States itself have been a result of the various amendments in the legislations made, including the McCarran-Alter Act that was made in 1952. It is believed that these transformations, in as much as they brought many changes in respect to the particular aspect of the real Asian American immigrants, it kept hold of the quota system, which effectively outlawed all kinds of immigrations from Asia. After the 1965 immigrations Act, it is believed that the number of Asian immigrants increased significantly. The fact that the new system preferred the relatives of those Asian that had been living in the United States, eventually, became a motivator to the number of people that started visiting the United States again from Asia. In the first place, this preference had been aimed at reducing the numbers of Asians going to the United States. After the particular enactment of the Immigration Act in 1965, the demographics of the Asian Americans changed significantly. This Act was very significant replacing the exclusionary rules of immigration as had been previously stipulated in the old Chinese Exclusion Act as well as its successors. The new rules that came into existence after 1965 set across-the-board various immigration quotas for all countries; in this new development, the United States borders became open for many of the Asians that were willing and able to go to the United States and seek permanent residence. This development was the first one, coming after a very long time since nearly a century ago before this enactment. It is important to note that immigrations by the Asian Americans were not very easy, they were deeply affected by the war, which the United States was involved in between 1940 and 1970. Most of the immigrations during this time favored some kinds of family reunification, in which the relatives of the Asian that had moved to the United States before. This move can be said to have been instrumental in attracting highly skilled professionals and experts that have been essential in the development of the United States in various ways. Additionally, the World War II is said to have been a motivator of the immigrations to American from countries like Philippines, India and China. However, in as much as many people moved to the United States in search of better opportunities in life, many faced various difficulties that they endured. Many of those that managed this transition have ended up becoming successful people in the United States, running highly successful social and economic institutions. One of the people that moved to the United States to become successful in his endavour was Yao Ming, who is renowned as one of the highly successful basketball players in the United States, after having migrated from the China. Yao Ming Yao Ming was born in 1980 in China, enjoyed a highly successful and professional basketball career while playing for Houston Rockets that belonged to NBA (National Basketball Association) until the time of his retirement from the sport. By the time he was quitting and retiring from the career, Yao is said to have been the most active player, and the tallest in the National Basketball Association. In fact, as of 2014, Yao is said to have been one of the tallest person living, reaching a height of up to 2.29. Yao started playing basketball as a teenager, during which time; he played for a club in China, called Shanghai Sharks. In this team, he featured for the senior team, where he played for a total of five years featuring for CBA (Chinese Basketball Association). In his final year, he won the Championship. All the way in his career, Yao was phenomenal, helping the teams he played for to win major championships not only in China, but also in the United States. Moving to the United States The skills and height advantage for Yao began attracting people beyond China, who though that he could make an important ion the sport. This saw his movement to the United States in 1998, where he played and sought to become an immigrant, something that would see him becoming an American citizen. Just like with other people, life in a new country is not always easy; for this reason, Yao is said to tried all his best in order to manage the challenges that faced him in the process of succeeding in his career. One of the things that stood in his path was the new culture that he was being exposed to. He was forced to learn the culture of the United States in the process of being successful. This was an important milestone in the fact that it was detrimental for his success in basketball. One of the things that made Yao to be very successful in his basketball career is that he got involved with people that helped him to be assimilated to the culture of the United States. This was important because, it increased his confidence for playing, something that made him the most successful basketball in the NBA from China. Yao said that in the course of the spot, he found himself playing with people that were two-three years older than him. These people became important mentors, helping him to know and understand the cultural values of the United States including language. Overall, life in the United States has not always been easy from the time of changing of the immigration in 1965. The United States, like any other country has its own cultural preferences that people moving in from other countries have to be used to, Zia, in his analysis, explains that all through the history of the United States, Chinese and Asian immigrants have veered from the positive to the negative and vice versa. More often than not, these two images have established in stereotypes, which many people moving to the United States as immigrants have had to confront. It is important o understand, according to Zia that in general, Asian Immigrants has been a model minority, who have attained success in different areas because of their inherent cultural attributes. Zia explains that this stereotype is merely a myth. Many sociologists and other analysts have postulated that many Asian Americans are highly likely like other Americans to have gotten education at various levels. Most of them have advanced their educational backgrounds; their families are stable with little rates of separation and divorce. Conclusion According to Hellen Zia, the entire aspect of modern minority is often laden with various political and social meanings that emerged from its creation. This thinking is said to have emerged after the end of the World War II, while some people that moved into the United States as immigrants have become successful in various ways, they have had to overcome different challenges along the course of their lives. Moving in any country involves first learning and understanding the cultural aspects of the people in that country, and learning how to integrate and live in it in the best way possible. Having all this in mind, one can successful live a comfortable life in the new country and create his welfare; in this case, the story of Yao Ming provides a good example of people that have managed to be successful in the United States, offering lessons that can be essential in understanding how to live in a foreign country. Read More