Timeline of Chinese Immigration in the US
1785- Three Chinese seamen arrive in the US in Baltimore, Maryland (China Insight).
1790- The Naturalization Act restricts citizenship to only Caucasians (China Insight).
1848- The discovery of gold in Sutter's Mill in California results in an influx of Chinese immigration into the US (China Insight).
1864- Central Pacific Railroad Company attracts Chinese men to immigrate to take part in the construction of the first transcontinental railroad (China Insight).
1868- The Burlingame-Seward Treat is established between the US and China which allowed mutual emigration between both countries (China Insight).
1870- The Naturalization Act is approved; Chinese are restricted from obtaining citizenship and Chinese women with spouses in the US are prevented from immigrating (China Insight).
1870- First Chinese immigration influx in greater Boston, Massachusetts of laborers to work as strikebreakers at the Sampson Shoe Factory (Marino).
1874- First settlement of Chinese immigrants in Boston, Massachusetts locate in Ping On Alley (Marino).
1875- The first Chinese laundries appear in Boston (Hughes).
1882- Chinese Exclusion Act prevents Chinese laborer immigration for ten years, and denies the Chinese from becoming naturalized citizens (China Insight).
1890- The first Chinese restaurant in Boston, Hong Far Low, is established (Hughes).
1892- The Geary Act extends the Chinese Exclusion Act for the next ten years (China Insight).
1903- Immigration officials conducted a sweep of Boston's Chinatown during a funeral as an immigration raid (Kiang).
1906- The San Francisco earthquake destroys immigration records, which creates a new opportunity for an influx of Chinese immigration because "paper sons" could claim their citizenship with the loss of all official records and bring their families to the US (China Insight).
1910- Chinese businessmen begin to remodel old settlements into business centers (Hughes).
1919- The Chinese Merchants Association is established the Quong Kow Chinese School to teach Chinese to the immigrants' children (Hughes).
1925- Chinese wives of US citizens are denied entry (China Insight).
1928- The Goon Shee Association, the first Chinese-owned business in Boston, is built (Kiang).
1931- Chinese laundries become concentrated in central Boston (Kiang).
1945- The War Brides Act brings 6000 Chinese women into the US as wives of Chinese American servicemen (China Insight).
1949- US grants refugee status to 5000 well-educated Chinese after China initiates a Communist government (China Insight).
1953- The Refugee Relief Act offers unlimited immigrant visas to Chinese immigrants (China Insight).
1970- New Chinese immigrants settle around LA's Chinatown (China Insight).
1989- Tiananmen Square protests take place in China, resulting in George H. W. Bush's issuance of an executive order that allows mainland Chinese scholars, students, and their families to permanently settle in the US (China Insight).
2000- Chinese Americans in Boston population count: 19,638 (Kiang).
1785- Three Chinese seamen arrive in the US in Baltimore, Maryland (China Insight).
1790- The Naturalization Act restricts citizenship to only Caucasians (China Insight).
1848- The discovery of gold in Sutter's Mill in California results in an influx of Chinese immigration into the US (China Insight).
1864- Central Pacific Railroad Company attracts Chinese men to immigrate to take part in the construction of the first transcontinental railroad (China Insight).
1868- The Burlingame-Seward Treat is established between the US and China which allowed mutual emigration between both countries (China Insight).
1870- The Naturalization Act is approved; Chinese are restricted from obtaining citizenship and Chinese women with spouses in the US are prevented from immigrating (China Insight).
1870- First Chinese immigration influx in greater Boston, Massachusetts of laborers to work as strikebreakers at the Sampson Shoe Factory (Marino).
1874- First settlement of Chinese immigrants in Boston, Massachusetts locate in Ping On Alley (Marino).
1875- The first Chinese laundries appear in Boston (Hughes).
1882- Chinese Exclusion Act prevents Chinese laborer immigration for ten years, and denies the Chinese from becoming naturalized citizens (China Insight).
1890- The first Chinese restaurant in Boston, Hong Far Low, is established (Hughes).
1892- The Geary Act extends the Chinese Exclusion Act for the next ten years (China Insight).
1903- Immigration officials conducted a sweep of Boston's Chinatown during a funeral as an immigration raid (Kiang).
1906- The San Francisco earthquake destroys immigration records, which creates a new opportunity for an influx of Chinese immigration because "paper sons" could claim their citizenship with the loss of all official records and bring their families to the US (China Insight).
1910- Chinese businessmen begin to remodel old settlements into business centers (Hughes).
1919- The Chinese Merchants Association is established the Quong Kow Chinese School to teach Chinese to the immigrants' children (Hughes).
1925- Chinese wives of US citizens are denied entry (China Insight).
1928- The Goon Shee Association, the first Chinese-owned business in Boston, is built (Kiang).
1931- Chinese laundries become concentrated in central Boston (Kiang).
1945- The War Brides Act brings 6000 Chinese women into the US as wives of Chinese American servicemen (China Insight).
1949- US grants refugee status to 5000 well-educated Chinese after China initiates a Communist government (China Insight).
1953- The Refugee Relief Act offers unlimited immigrant visas to Chinese immigrants (China Insight).
1970- New Chinese immigrants settle around LA's Chinatown (China Insight).
1989- Tiananmen Square protests take place in China, resulting in George H. W. Bush's issuance of an executive order that allows mainland Chinese scholars, students, and their families to permanently settle in the US (China Insight).
2000- Chinese Americans in Boston population count: 19,638 (Kiang).
Immigration Motives
Chinese immigrants came, and presently still come, to America for a new beginning in life. Today many Chinese Americans either settle where other family members settled or for the familiar cultural settings of Chinatown (Chinsen). The economic hardships of rural China served as push factors for many Chinese to leave their homeland and seek new opportunity in America. Many Chinese immigrants came to the US because of the abundance work opportunities mentioned by family ties who had previously immigrated. The initial pull factors that were present in the US that appealed to the Chinese were occupation-related with the building of the first transcontinental railroad and the discovery of gold deposits throughout the nation. Specifically in the greater Boston area, the initial Chinese laborer immigrants arrived as strikebreakers of the Sampson Shoe Factory. However, several first generation Chinese immigrants arrived in Boston with no family ties, and started working in the factories or anywhere they could obtain a job. As more and more immigrants arrived, they settled in enclaves which later became an established cultural community in Boston, notoriously known as Chinatown today. Though many settled in America for job opportunities, some arrived seeking refuge from the Chinese government but had fears that the strict American government would begin to represent the one they were leaving behind. To this day, Chinese immigrants still come to America with familial ties being a main pull factor.
Chinese immigrants came, and presently still come, to America for a new beginning in life. Today many Chinese Americans either settle where other family members settled or for the familiar cultural settings of Chinatown (Chinsen). The economic hardships of rural China served as push factors for many Chinese to leave their homeland and seek new opportunity in America. Many Chinese immigrants came to the US because of the abundance work opportunities mentioned by family ties who had previously immigrated. The initial pull factors that were present in the US that appealed to the Chinese were occupation-related with the building of the first transcontinental railroad and the discovery of gold deposits throughout the nation. Specifically in the greater Boston area, the initial Chinese laborer immigrants arrived as strikebreakers of the Sampson Shoe Factory. However, several first generation Chinese immigrants arrived in Boston with no family ties, and started working in the factories or anywhere they could obtain a job. As more and more immigrants arrived, they settled in enclaves which later became an established cultural community in Boston, notoriously known as Chinatown today. Though many settled in America for job opportunities, some arrived seeking refuge from the Chinese government but had fears that the strict American government would begin to represent the one they were leaving behind. To this day, Chinese immigrants still come to America with familial ties being a main pull factor.
The Significance of Ping On Alley
According to this plaque in Chinatown, this alley was the first place Chinese immigrants came to settle in once they had arrived in Boston, which is true in some aspects. However, this has become some what of an "urban myth" (Kiang). The majority of the Chinese immigrants primarily began work in the Sampson shoe factory in North Adams as soon as they arrived in the 1870's from San Francisco, where they had originally first immigrated to from China, in response to a strike by the former workers (Marino). Once their contracts ended, many of the Chinese workers moved over to Ping On Alley, where they settled for their first few days out of the factory (Kiang).
According to this plaque in Chinatown, this alley was the first place Chinese immigrants came to settle in once they had arrived in Boston, which is true in some aspects. However, this has become some what of an "urban myth" (Kiang). The majority of the Chinese immigrants primarily began work in the Sampson shoe factory in North Adams as soon as they arrived in the 1870's from San Francisco, where they had originally first immigrated to from China, in response to a strike by the former workers (Marino). Once their contracts ended, many of the Chinese workers moved over to Ping On Alley, where they settled for their first few days out of the factory (Kiang).