Chasing Dreams: Chinese Immigration and Parental Pressure

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Chinese immigration is very common throughout California. San Francisco is one of the top places for Chinese immigrants to migrate to. For Chinese Americans it is a big culture shock coming to America. It can be a very different for a Chinese American parents than for their children. Often Chinese immigrant parents put pressure on their children to achieve the American dream but children often find it hard to pleasing their parents and going after their own dreams. A perfect example of this is in the book Two Kinds by Amy Tan it explores the life of Jing-mei a Chinese immigrant child that lives in San Francisco California. Throughout the book Jing-mei’s mother puts constant pressure on her to be a child prodigy and achieve the American dream. …show more content…

Chinese Americans often had high hopes for what American could provide for them. In an article about the Asian American dream they said “The Asian American dream mirrored the traditional American dream: the overwhelming desire both to escape economic, social, and political hardship and to achieve a level of prosperity and success impossible in their homeland. Asian immigrants, like other immigrants, saw America as the land of opportunity and fortune. However, for them the American dream was divided into two distinct promises for the future. Some saw America as a place where they could earn money to support a family and future back in their home country, while others saw America as a place to secure a new, prosperous identity, both personal and national. Both of these promises were difficult to realize”(The Asian American Dream). This quote was enlightening because it showed the mindset of any Asia immigrant coming to America. Overall the American dream is an important part of any Chinese American lifestyle. Hopefully overtime everyone can achieve their version of the American dream. For Chinese American immigrants it will always be challenging coming to a new country but at the end of the day they do it so their children and them can have a better life. Even though their culture is different than ours, we can all agree everyone deserves a chance to work for a better

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