Latest news with #ChineseExclusionActof1882
Time of India
6 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
‘Us' bashes ‘Them'
Attacks on immigrants in West & internal migrants in India extract big socio-economic costs In one variation of the trolley dilemma, you can stop a runaway tram and save five lives by throwing a heavy man on the track, but almost nobody likes this solution. It's because humans – despite all the gore in history – are not normally comfortable with violence. Yet, Charanpreet Singh was bashed up in Adelaide on Saturday evening. A few hours later, another Indian was brutally assaulted in Dublin. Both cases have the appearance of hate crime, which is a growing problem around the world. It might not be the age of peak hate against foreigners because something like America's Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which practically barred immigration from China for about 60 years, seems unthinkable today. But that could be the result of political correctness. Data from America – self-appointed guardian of democracy and liberal values – shows a 13% jump in hate crimes in the top 10 cities between 2022 and 2023. As Indians, we narrowly focus on attacks targeting Indians, whether in US, Canada, UK, Australia, or elsewhere, but other nationalities are equally targets of hate. In Jan, Nigeria issued an advisory for its citizens travelling to Australia. Let's not forget that internal migrants in India are often targeted by goonish groups. It is normal for people to be suspicious of the outsider – different in speech, appearance, garb, customs – and be reserved, but violence is hard to explain. What might trigger it? Toxic ideology was the culprit in Nazi Germany. Now, there are reactionary ideologues everywhere. Even Trump's Maga push relies on the vilification of immigrants. But as economist Michael Martell points out in a paper, hate is not the way to achieve national greatness. In fact, it has enormous social and economic costs. Martell cites the 2012 shooting at a gurdwara in Wisconsin that left six dead. Not a high toll at first glance, but its cost to society quickly added up. The gurdwara upgraded its security. Alongside, mosques and Hindu temples took note of the attack and spent on better security systems. Terrorised immigrants curbed their movement, affecting local businesses. And this was just one case of hate crime among many. The cumulative cost of fatal and non-fatal hate crimes in US, in 2019, was estimated at $3.4bn. The economic loss from all the hate crime around the world would be many times more. The social cost enormous. As a community leader in Dublin pointed out, immigrants are crucial for keeping services running. Even demographically young India needs Chinese manufacturing experts, and US needs Indian scientists and engineers. So, all countries – India included – must make an effort to dial down xenophobia. Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email This piece appeared as an editorial opinion in the print edition of The Times of India.
New York Times
27-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Live Updates: Supreme Court Releases Decision in Birthright Citizenship Case
American Wong Kim Ark in 1904. He was denied re-entry to the United States in 1895 due to the Chinese Exclusion Act. In August 1895, a young cook named Wong Kim Ark was about to disembark from the S.S. Coptic after a long journey home to San Francisco from China, when U.S. customs officials denied him re-entry. He was not a U.S. citizen, they said. Never mind that Mr. Wong had been born in San Francisco's Chinatown, not far from the port where he was now being held. The 14th Amendment's provision for automatic citizenship for all people born on U.S. soil did not apply to him, officials later argued, because he and his parents were not 'subject to the jurisdiction' of the United States at the time he was born. Rather than back down, Mr. Wong took his case to the courts — and won. In Mr. Wong's case, the Supreme Court affirmed in 1898 the constitutional guarantee of automatic citizenship for nearly all children born in the United States, a right that has deep roots in common law. That expansive understanding of birthright citizenship has been the law of the land since. The case decided by the Supreme Court was sparked by President Trump's effort to roll back the Wong Kim Ark ruling as part of its crackdown on immigration. On his first day back in office, Mr. Trump signed an executive order declaring that the government would stop treating U.S.-born children of parents who are undocumented or are in the country temporarily as U.S. citizens. The Trump administration's view was based on a reinterpretation of the 1898 decision, drawing on ideas from a small group of legal scholars like John Eastman, a lawyer known for drafting a plan to block congressional certification of the 2020 presidential election. Mr. Wong's case arose during a similar moment of heightened national anxiety around immigration. His parents were part of a wave of Chinese laborers who flocked to the United States starting in the mid-1800s in search of economic opportunities. Mr. Wong's father ran a grocery store in San Francisco's Chinatown neighborhood, and in an apartment above that store, his son Kim Ark was born in 1870. The growing numbers of Chinese workers on the West Coast soon gave rise to economic competition and virulent racism. Vigilante mobs regularly terrorized and at times even lynched these immigrants, who were often portrayed as unassimilable, inferior and disease-ridden. Federal laws reflected that bias as well, like the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which barred most Chinese people from entering the country and banned them all from becoming naturalized citizens. Mr. Wong became a test case pitting the Chinese Exclusion Act against the 14th Amendment, which was adopted in 1868, two years before his birth. It states that 'all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.'
Tatler Asia
09-06-2025
- Tatler Asia
The living legacy of Chinatowns around the world
2. Yaowarat, Bangkok Above Bangkok (Photo: Mike González / Pexels) When King Rama I moved the Thai capital to Bangkok in the 1780s, Chinese traders resettled along the Chao Phraya River. Yaowarat Road became the spine of Bangkok's Chinatown, a gilded stretch of gold shops, shrines and shophouses where commerce and culture intertwined. For over two centuries, Yaowarat has remained vibrantly Chinese yet unmistakably Thai. Temples like Wat Mangkon Kamalawat draw worshippers, while street hawkers serve everything from bird's nest soup to Thai-Chinese fusion dishes with generations of culinary know-how behind them. Throughout the centuries, experts, industry insiders and influencers have made Yaowarat well-known. Gentrification has brought boutique hotels and speakeasies, but Yaowarat's spirit remains thick as fish maw soup. The older generation still sweeps storefronts at dawn, while the younger crowd turns family stalls into branded foodie empires. 3. San Francisco, USA Above San Francisco (Photo: Ricky Esquivel / Pexels) Established in the 1850s, San Francisco's Chinatown is the oldest in the US. Born from Gold Rush dreams and hardened by the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, the neighbourhood became a fortress against institutional racism. After the 1906 earthquake, the community rebuilt with ornate Chinese-inspired architecture, partly to attract tourists, partly to reclaim dignity. For decades, it was home to Chinese labourers, laundries and secret societies. Today, it's a bustling cultural hub, where Cantonese grandmothers haggle over bok choy and next-gen chefs serve Peking duck in sleek dining rooms. However, encroaching gentrification from tech giants has put immense pressure on the neighbourhood. But Chinatown's residents are reorganising, establishing cultural districts, protecting rent-controlled housing and resisting eviction. Here, the dragon still dances, and it still breathes fire. 4. Flushing, New York, USA Above Flushing (Photo: via Wikimedia Commons) While Manhattan's Chinatown was once the flagship, the real Chinese community boom has shifted to Flushing, Queens. Starting in the 1980s, an influx of immigrants from Fujian, Taiwan and mainland China transformed Flushing into a multilingual megahub. Unlike its Manhattan predecessor, Flushing is less performative and more lived-in. Here, you'll find regional Chinese cuisines rarely seen outside the mainland. Think Lanzhou hand-pulled noodles, Dongbei hot pot and Taiwanese shaved ice. Now, Flushing is rapidly expanding but faces the same gentrification threats as many of the other Chinatowns on this list. Malls, high-rises and luxury condos are appearing at dizzying rates. Still, the community is vocal: demanding infrastructure, transit investment and cultural preservation in the face of displacement. 5. London, Soho, UK Above London (Photo: Artūras Kokorevas / Pexels) The UK's first Chinese enclave started in Limehouse in the 19th century. It was initially home to sailors and working-class migrants. Post-WWII, however, many relocated to Soho, where Chinatown took root amid narrow streets and crumbling postwar buildings. From humbler beginnings, London's Chinatown evolved into a vibrant food and nightlife hub, with Cantonese roast shops, bakeries and later, pan-Asian influences. It's also home to community centres and Chinese-language newspapers that have helped generations settle and eventually thrive. Now, Soho's rise as a nightlife capital and tourist zone has brought soaring rents and a flood of chain restaurants. Yet local organisers are resisting whitewashing, ensuring that alongside the bubble tea and barbecue, the soul of Chinatown remains unmistakably Chinese and defiantly local. 6. Melbourne, Australia Above Melbourne (Photo: Pat Whelen via Pexels) Formed during Australia's 1850s gold rush, Melbourne's Chinatown is the oldest continuously inhabited Chinatown in the Western world. Early Chinese immigrants braved exclusion laws and rigid policies to form tight-knit communities along Little Bourke Street. Over the decades, it evolved from goldfield grit to Art Deco elegance, becoming a cultural landmark for both old and new generations of Chinese-Australians. These days, Melbourne's Chinatown still boasts traditional restaurants and lunar festivals. However, many young Chinese Australians are opening contemporary eateries, fashion boutiques and co-working studios, developing a stylish intersection of heritage and innovation.
AllAfrica
05-06-2025
- Politics
- AllAfrica
Chinese student visa ban will keep US behind the curve
We don't need no education We don't need no thought control No dark sarcasm in the classroom Teacher, leave them kids alone Hey! Teacher! Leave them kids alone! – Pink Floyd And so it appears the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 (see here) was never properly rescinded. The US State Department released the following statement on May 28th: Under President Trump's leadership, the US State Department will work with the Department of Homeland Security to aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields. We will also revise visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications from the People's Republic of China and Hong Kong. Chinese international students are caught up in two Trump presidency fixations – to topple elite universities as leftist bastions and to wage economic war on China. The Department of Homeland Security has revoked Harvard's ability to enroll international students partially because the university was 'coordinating with the CCP on its campus.' The assault on Chinese international students is occurring concurrently with intensified sanctions on semiconductors and export restrictions on commercial aircraft components. It is difficult to decipher whether headline-grabbing Trump policies are expressions of America's long-term political direction or just this peculiar president chasing headlines and/or venting momentary frustrations. In recent weeks, Trump has suffered a series of setbacks. DOGE did not amount to much. The courts blocked Homeland Security from barring international students from Harvard as well as the president's emergency powers to implement tariffs. China is slow-walking restoration of rare-earth exports, likely in response to new semiconductor-related sanctions. While it all could be just Trumpian rage, the special focus on Chinese international students does have almost two centuries of historical precedent. Cases of Chinese American scientists accused of espionage, hounded for years by the FBI, bankrupted by legal expenses and ultimately exonerated by the courts are legion. Senator Joseph McCarthy's Red Scare originated as a panic in response to 'losing China.' Countless Americans were persecuted and blacklisted. Caltech physicist Qian Xuesen was deported to China, where he subsequently founded China National Space Administration (CNSA) and helped develop China's fission and fusion nuclear bombs. Revoking Chinese international student visas is just the latest expression of the 'yellow peril' which grips the Western world in times of anxiety and stress. Like a witch hunt, a case of yellow peril is only recognizable after the fever has passed – and after many 'witches' have been drowned in the river or burned at the stake. This current witch hunt is occurring at a moment of spectacular historical revelation and is, all things considered, very silly. Debating whether or not Chinese international students pose a security risk is a bit like General Motors debating how to protect its technology from BYD. The US is now behind the curve but refuses to accept it. In a stroke of infinite woke wisdom, Harvard chose a Chinese international student to speak at one of its graduation ceremonies. She delivered a generic 'let us all hold hands and sing Kumbaya' speech, which sounded a lot like President Xi Jinping's 'community with a shared future' to hypervigilant MAGA ears and insufferable Westernized elitism to status-sensitive Chinese ears. It was so Harvard, it hurt. MAGA haters accused her of being a CCP mole. Weibo (Chinese Twitter) haters accused her of mediocrity by dodging the gaokao (China's notorious college entrance exam) and getting into Harvard with internships and recommendations secured through family connections. Like most social media hate campaigns, none of these allegations have been substantiated. What this kerfuffle does reveal is that Harvard, once spoken of with reverence in China, is now mocked, fairly or not, as an institution for China's mediocre nepo babies. This comes on the heels of a delicious admissions/corruption/sex scandal involving Barnard College (which may or may not be Columbia University) and Beijing Union Medical College, perhaps China's most prestigious medical school. Beijing Union Medical College apparently admitted an undistinguished economics major from Barnard College because of her family connections. She committed the additional high crimes of claiming to be a Columbia University graduate, having an affair with her married physician boss and botching a procedure which resulted in her boss/paramour arguing with the head nurse for 40 minutes while a patient remained drugged-out on the operating table. While applicants to American universities will surely collapse as Trump makes getting a US degree a high-risk proposal, Chinese international students studying in the US last year were already 25% below their 2019 peak. The reputation of American universities has been on a downward trend as China quickly figured out that the students who went overseas often did so to avoid the rigors of preparing for the gaokao. Many employers have found overseas graduates entitled and not as rigorous as local grads. This ire is not just directed toward graduates of middling institutions but all the way up to the likes of Harvard and Barnard College (which, for the record, is technically part of Columbia University but has its own admissions office and all Barnard grads should know not to claim the technicality – c'mon lady). There is a growing understanding that China's universities, especially elite ones, produce (or at least admit) higher-caliber graduates given admissions through objective examination, which has no room for nonsense like feeding orphans in Tanzania or excellence in ridiculous sports like squash. Like many things, China is getting in front of the curve. Consider the following two tables of university rankings. In the Nature Index, which tracks the number of publications in 146 top scientific journals, 16 of the top 20 universities are Chinese while three are American. In the Times Higher Education rankings, which weighs multiple factors with faculty and research 'reputation' the most important, only two of the top 20 are Chinese while 13 are American. 'Reputation' is subjective by definition and a lagging indicator. Over time, the Times High Education rankings should converge with Nature Index rankings as students and faculty realize that Chinese universities are running away from the pack in research output – in both quantity and quality – especially after Trump threw wrenches into research funding and the pipeline of graduate students. For naysayers (and there are legion), Nature Index conclusions have been confirmed by similar studies conducted by Japan's National Institute of Economic Policy (NISTEP), the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI), Ohio State University, numerous multinational investment banks, Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) if not the global economy where China has taken over and dominated industry after industry. China's labor market, students and online trolls have cottoned onto the corruption, posturing and mediocrity at the heart of American elite education (see here). Trump is merely putting the final nail in the coffin. While the Chinese have been getting with the program, what have Americans been doing? The MAGA mob are high-fiving and back-slapping each other – take that Harvard and SeeSeePee Chinese students – as they indulge in momentary delight that foreigners and egghead elites have been taken down a peg. Elite parents stroke their chin and smile imperceptibly, mentally calculating that little Timmy's Ivy League chances just increased by 9.3537%. Both reactions are defeatist, nihilistic and an exercise in self-harm. Chinese international students pay full tuition, making up a sizable portion of many university budgets, subsidizing grant and work-study programs. As mediocre as they may be domestically, elite American universities still hold Chinese international students to a high academic standard, setting a benchmark of excellence. American universities could go the way of American car companies, consigned to eternal mediocrity for lack of international competition. If America or Americans dispense with their denial and grow a pair, they would get in front of the curve. An American STEM PhD-inclined high school junior (yes, they do exist) should ask themselves what the state of science will be like in 10 years, about the time they will be finishing their PhD programs. The trend lines are merciless. By 2035, China should have at least lapped the US in research output, perhaps multiple times if international graduate students abandon the US en masse. China will likely be the center of all important scientific inquiry. To not have access is to be permanently on the outside. Any forward-thinking policymaker in Washington should recognize this eventuality and devise programs to send tens if not hundreds of thousands of American students to China. But of course, forward-thinking policymakers do not exist in Washington. That, however, does not prevent individual Americans from recognizing the obvious.
Time Out
29-05-2025
- General
- Time Out
This NYC food tour shares the real stories of Chinatown
Chinatown has a special place in Chloe Chan's heart. Born and raised in New Jersey, Chan and her family would make regular visits to Manhattan's Chinatown, picking up goods from local marts and eating at local restaurants—Chan even took piano lessons from a teacher in the area. After graduating from New York University with a degree in public health, she sought ways to stay involved in her community. So she signed up to be a volunteer tour guide at the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA). Around the same time she started, Anna Huang also began, having previously worked as a tour guide in Boston's Chinatown. The two became friends while working as docents at the museum, giving tours to corporate clients and participating in special events. Eight months in, they began training to give tours outside of the museum and to host historical walking tours around Chinatown. But just as they got certified, the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the city, effectively turning the area into a ghost town. 'Everything is always open, especially Chinatown,' said Chan as she recalled the early days of the pandemic, mentioning that whispers of the virus had reached the area in January. 'It was such a hub for nightlife, and people always go after a night of drinking. It was really jarring to see.' Overnight, restaurants, bars and small businesses closed in the area, many for good. Alongside concerns for public health, the Asian-American community faced a rise in AAPI-hate due to racial stereotyping and misinformation. In light of this, Chan and Huang decided they could use their shared historical knowledge to combat racism and bring about a positive change in their community. 'We thought this was a teaching moment where we could draw parallels against history because this is not the first time we've gone through something like this,' said Chan, citing the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 that restricted immigration into the United States, which particularly impacted Chinese immigrants. 'That's what the museum really prepared us for—this moment where we could be of use to the community.' And so at the height of the pandemic, the two formed the Mott Street Girls (MSG). The name holds a double meaning—one that alludes to one of the most popular streets in Chinatown, while the acronym of the business, MSG, nods to the umami flavor compound commonly used in Asian cuisine. Their mission? To make Chinese American history and culture more accessible through public tours, education via social media and working with local community organizations. Differentiating themselves from other tour guides, particularly those led by outsiders with questionable sourcing, Chan and Huang leveraged their shared heritages and skill sets to create tours for the community, by the community. 'Being second-generation Chinese Americans, we've experienced what it's like to be a marginalized group in the community, faced certain barriers and we lived through COVID," said Chan. "We [are] the best candidates to tell the stories of our community.' Currently, the volunteer-based tour company hosts two types of tours with slots available every other week. Putting what they learned from the museum into practice is the Relive Life Under the Chinese Exclusion Act tour. Their most popular option, the tour guides attendees through what life was like for Chinese Americans when they first arrived in the United States, from the barriers they endured to the eventual creation of Chinatowns across the country. Meanwhile, Flavors of Old Chinatown Food Tour tells the story of the community through its food. While other tours focus on what's buzzing, be it famous restaurants or where to get the best bubble tea, MSG's food tour focuses on small, mom-and-pop stores. Stops include the area's oldest tofu shop and businesses that opened up post-pandemic. Yet, both Chan and Huang are careful to center the people behind the food. 'During COVID, a lot of people heard statistics about Chinatown—the revenue that people lost and how many businesses closed. But you don't develop that deeper relationship with the community until you hear their stories, right?" said Chan. "Actually, step inside their stories, engage with the owners and taste a bite of their most famous dish. That's what we wanted to do with our tours: tell authentic stories of the people that have lived, worked and made a life for themselves in Chinatown.' Five years later, MSG's mission has expanded to fortifying Chinatown for years to come. Incorporating social justice into their business, each tour highlights current issues affecting the community, from lingering effects of COVID-19 to the construction of the world's tallest mega jail in the area. MSG's website acts as a resource with interactive guides that map shops, bakeries and tea shops in both Manhattan's Chinatown and Flushing, plus a backlog of over 60 articles that tell the stories of businesses in the area. The company has collaborated with other nonprofits and community boards, including Send Chinatown Love and Run for Chinatown. They also began working with local institutions, including Poster House, with a coming tour with The Met on the horizon. On their social media, Chan and Huang highlight Chinatowns found around the world, showcasing communities in Calgary, Canada, and Incheon, South Korea. And while Chan is regularly asked if MSG plans on hosting tours outside of Manhattan's Chinatown (New York has nine Chinatowns in total), Chan knows that her mission is here.
