The Chinese Experience in America

Tsai, professor of history and chairman of the Asian Studies Program at Arkansas Univ., takes a comprehensive look at the history of Chinese immigrants and Chinese-Americans in the United States, beginning with the arrival of Chinese railroad laborers in the 19th century. He presents a well-supported analysis of how the Chinese became targets of racial prejudice and victims of exclusionary labor laws while surviving and, in some cases, thriving in Chinatown ghettoes. In fact, not until the U.S. and China became allies during World War II did Americans' attitudes toward the Chinese turn favorable. Tsai also describes at length the changing roles of Chinese women in society and concludes that although recent Chinese immigrants have gained access to previously restricted jobs, racial barriers still exist. (December)