Chinese Communities

CHINESE COMMUNITIES In the United States, Chinese folklife has enabled Chinese immigrants and their descendants to create and sustain major communities in cities such as San Francisco, New York, Washington, D.C., Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Seattle, Houston, Oakland, and Los Angeles. During the last half of the nineteenth century and the first half of the twentieth century, traditional Chinese religion, festivals, foodways, and pastimes helped bring strength and cohesion to these communities in an often hostile environment. At the same time, these customs and practices-in that they seemed alien to many non-Chinese Americans-contributed to a widespread perception that the Chinese were unable to assimilate. During the latter half of the twentieth century, however, as the nation gradually became more open to diverse cultural traditions, the folklife of Chinese communities helped Chinese Americans contribute to and enter mainstream American life.