Spirit and Characteristic of the Chinese Perspective on History in the Chinese American Community

Asain Studies

The Chinese people place high regard on tradition, honor, and the ongoing nature of personal relationships to both of these cultural imperatives in order to establish their own identity in the world. When San Francisco was settled by coolie laborers during the 1850's and 1960's, the discrimination which they received encouraged them to band together into a china town settlement. The Chinese were able to create a replica of their homeland in the Chinatown. They were able to maintain their own cultural diversity within the boundaries, and they were able to escape, at least for a short time, the discrimination and harassment which faced them daily in the larger community.

According to the "Letter to Jen An, the writer discusses Chinese personal ethics, and the source of the Chinese identity of a worthwhile personhood. He writes that the Chinese philosophy is built around these 5 tenants:

Self-cultivation is a mark of wisdom

Charity is a sign of humanity

Taking and giving is the measure of decency

A sense of shame is the index of bravery

Making a name for oneself is the end / purpose of conduct.

The author goes on to discuss the difficulty of maintaining what he has learned as valuable and important while in the Chinese-American settlement. He wonders out loud if his life has meaning when it is not able to continue to practice these elements of Chinese identity. His life is governed by the opposition of others, and therefore he is not free to pursue a path that is uniquely Chinese.

The Chinese also hold the idea of personal honor in high regard. A life without honor is often considered to be a life that is not worth living. The writer used this analogy when discussing the role of honor to his Jen An.

"When a fierce tiger is in the depths of the mountain, all the other animals fear him. But he is caught in a trap, he too begs for bread. In light of these examples, bravery and cowardice are a matter of circumstances; strength and weakness depend on conditions. . . Once this is understood, there is nothing to be surprised on their behavior. If by failing to do away with himself before he is in the clutches of the law, a man is degraded to the point of being flogged, and then wished to recover his honor, has he not missed his chance?"

For a Chinese man, caught in the position of having lost, or disgraced his honor, the typical response would be to kill himself. However, the author laments about what happens to even the mightiest of animals, the Tiger, if he is caught in a trap, and unable to be who he is meant to be. Even the tiger is reduced to begging. Therefore, by application, the man who looses his honor may too be without recompense to recover his identity.

However, at the end of his letter, the writer remembers that some of China's greatest literary works were completed when the author fell into difficult circumstances. General Tzu wrote The Art of War after loosing a battle and having his feet cut off. Like the tiger in a cage, he was unable to live unimpeded by those around him, and had to beg for their assistance. However, it did not keep him from being truly Chinese, and making a lasting cultural contribution.

This final recognition, that even in the midst of captors or aggressors, the Chinese can be uniquely Chinese is the spirit which allowed for the creation of San Francisco's Chinatown. The majority of Chinese workers came to the country in the late 1800's under coolie contracts, which were similar to the legalized slavery practiced in the Southeast plantations. The Chinese were under contract to pay for their transportation through laboring, usually in the mines, or on the rail road projects. The Chinese were disliked because of their tendency to cloister together, and the xenophobic American attitude of manifest destiny shaped the attitudes and actions of the entire nation against anyone who would challenge the white settlers assumed right for land ownership, and domination of the country's natural resources.