History of Chinese Americans in Dallas–Fort Worth

The Dallas-Fort Worth area has a population of Chinese Americans.

History

The first person of Asian descent listed in the Dallas city directory is J.L. Chow; he began boarding at the Central Hotel in 1873. He opened the "Chow Chow Laundry" in 1874; it was located at 904 Elm Street. Additional Chinese residents came in the wake of a strike at Houston & Texas Central (H&TC). Most of the Chinese immigrants came from Southern China. Some Chinese established businesses such as laundries, and others worked as cooks and domestic servants in residences of white Dallasites. There were 15 Chinese laundries in Dallas by 1886. The city had 43 Chinese, including 41 laundry owners and workers, one physician, and a domestic servant, by 1891.[1] Chinese people had been listed in city directories with the marker "Chinese".[2] According to the 1900 U.S. Census Dallas County had 22 ethnic Chinese.[3] A local directory published the same year stated that there were 25 ethnic Chinese in the City of Dallas. The number decreased, and the city had three Chinese living there by 1913.[4]

By 1900 there was a grouping of businesses owned and operated by Chinese in the Downtown Dallas area. Stanley Solamillo, author of "From Half a World Away: The First Chinese in Dallas: 1873 - 1940," wrote that the frequency was "roughly the same" compared to the frequency of businesses owned and operated by Asians in Downtown Dallas in 2007.[5] The businesses were spread throughout Downtown instead of being concentrated in a "Chinatown," and there were other Chinese businesses in Oak Cliff and South Dallas.[1] A propaganda campaign against the Chinese laundries occurred in 1894 when negative articles appeared in The Dallas Herald and The Dallas Morning News.[2] By 1896 the Chinese business operations diversified, but the Chinese businesses continued to operate businesses despite the propaganda campaign. By 1900 four laundries remained, and other businesses included groceries and restaurants.[6] By 1910 three Chinese restaurants were in Dallas, while no grocery stores were operated by the Chinese, and the number of businesses decreased after that point.[4]

About 10 to 30 ethnic Chinese arrived in Dallas in the 1930s, making the second wave of immigration.[7]

Esther Wu, a former editor of the Dallas Morning News, stated that Chinese immigration began in Richardson in 1975. Since then the Chinese community has expanded to the north.[8] In the mid-1980s, most Chinese K-12 students in the DFW area resided in Richardson.[9] By 1991 Chinese professionals were settling in Plano.[10] According to the 2000 U.S. Census, 5,762 ethnic Chinese lived in Dallas County. In 2001 Esther Wu interviewed Fay Joe, a man from Shanghai who had emigrated to Dallas in 1939 in the wake of the Second Sino-Japanese War.[7]

Geography

Plano, along with Houston, has one of the state's two major settlements of Chinese Americans.[11] The 2010 U.S. Census stated that there were 14,500 ethnic Chinese in Plano. Out of the cities with 250,000 and more residents, Plano has the sixth largest percentage of ethnic Chinese, making up 5.2% of the city's population. Charlie Yue, the executive vice president of the Association of Chinese Professionals, stated that he estimated that about 30,000 Plano residents are Chinese and that many "don't participate in government activities, like the census."[9] As of the 2000 U.S. Census, of the foreign-born residents of Plano, 17% originated from China.[12]

Richardson also has a Chinese immigrant community.[13] In 2010 over 15% of the people in Richardson are ethnic Chinese. The D-FW China Town is located in Richardson.[14]

Institutions

North Texas has over 60 ethnic Chinese cultural organizations. Most of them are headquartered in Plano and Richardson.[9]

The Dallas Chinese Community Center (DCCC; traditional Chinese: 達拉斯華人活動中心; simplified Chinese: 达拉斯华人活动中心; pinyin: Dálāsī Huárén Huódòngzhōngxīn) is in the D-FW Chinatown. It includes English as a second language (ESL) classes and 20,000 books written in Simplified Chinese; the center imported some books from China.[14]

Education

In 1991 the Plano Independent School District (PISD) began a Chinese bilingual program for preschool and kindergarten students developed by Donna Lam. It is one of two Chinese bilingual programs in the State of Texas, along with the one established by the Austin Independent School District. It was established after Chinese professionals began to settle Plano.[10]

Many Chinese parents in Plano enroll their children in supplementary schools, where they get additional mathematics education and Chinese language education.[9]

HuaYi Education (华裔中文学校; 華裔中文學校; Huáyì Zhōngwén Xuéxiào); "Ethnic Chinese (non-Chinese citizen of Chinese ancestry) Chinese language School") is a Chinese language after school program located within a shopping center in Plano.[15][16] Its students are mostly Asian American students enrolled in the Plano ISD. It has Mandarin Chinese classes, advanced reading lessons, mathematics lessons, and ping pong programs.[15]

The University of Texas at Dallas in Richardson, as of 2012, has almost 1,000 Chinese students. It has a program to recruit students of Chinese origin.[9]

Economy

As of 2011 the Chinese restaurants catering to ethnic Chinese are mainly in Plano and Richardson.[8]

Religion

As of 2012, there are six Chinese churches in Plano.[9]

Transportation

As of 2016 the Taiwanese airline EVA Air operates a shuttle bus service from Richardson to George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas so Dallas-based customers may fly on its services to and from Houston.[17]

Notable people

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 Solamillo, p. 17 (Archive).
  2. 1 2 Solamillo, p. 18 (Archive).
  3. ↑ Solamillo, p. 19 (Archive)-20 (Archive).
  4. 1 2 Solamillo, p. 20 (Archive).
  5. ↑ Solamillo, p. 16 (Archive).
  6. ↑ Solamillo, p. 19 (Archive).
  7. 1 2 Solamillo, p. 22 (Archive).
  8. 1 2 Brenner, Leslie. "Best in DFW: Chinese restaurants" (Archive). The Dallas Morning News. March 9, 2011. Updated February 10, 2013. Retrieved on September 22, 2014.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Kripke, Pamela Gwyn. "Why 30,000 Chinese People Call Plano Home" (Archive). D Magazine. June 2012. Retrieved on September 27, 2014.
  10. 1 2 Meyers, Jessica. "Rare Chinese bilingual program highlights Plano schools’ diversity" (Archive). The Dallas Morning News. November 4, 2011. Retrieved on September 22, 2014.
  11. ↑ Railey, Kimberley. "Cornyn seeks to lure Chinese Americans to GOP" (Archive). The Dallas Morning News. September 3, 2014. Retrieved on September 22, 2014.
  12. ↑ Brettell, p. 64.
  13. ↑ Brettell, p.56.
  14. 1 2 Light, Nanette. "Three decades later, Dallas Chinese Community Center still heart of Asian culture" (Archive). The Dallas Morning News. February 21, 2014. Retrieved on September 22, 2014.
  15. 1 2 Light, Nanette. "Editor's Note: Plano program connects kids to Chinese culture" (Archive). Neighbors Go Plano. The Dallas Morning News. Published October 5, 2013. Updated October 4, 2013. Retrieved on October 29, 2013.
  16. ↑ Home page. HuaYi Education. Retrieved on October 29, 2013.
  17. ↑ "Dallas – Houston – Dallas Free Shuttle Service Schedule." EVA Air. Retrieved on February 29, 2016.

Further reading

External links

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