An American-born Chinese or "ABC" is a person born in the United States of Chinese ethnic descent, a category of Chinese American. Many, but not all, are second-generation (parents who are naturalized U.S. citizens) born after the U.S. Immigration Act of 1965 relaxed limits on immigration from East Asia.
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Culture
ABCs were found to assimilate as rapidly into the American culture as other previous generation immigrants, such as the Irish and the Italians. They also were less likely to speak Chinese. In some first-generation households, ABCs may be able to speak the Chinese dialect of their parents, but may not know how to read or write Chinese. The majority of American-born Chinese are native English speakers, with some bilingual to varying degrees with Chinese. Usually, only the children of immigrants speak Chinese daily at home. Some parents have taken steps to ensure their children retain ties to their heritage, such as sending them to Chinese school. The connection ABCs have with the Chinese culture is varied, depending very much on the area where they live. The coastal areas on both sides of the United States tend to have strong Chinese communities, due to large Chinese populations and continuing immigration from Chinese speaking countries, allowing ABCs to maintain stronger connection with Chinese culture. In middle America, where Chinese communities are more sporadic, the ABCs assimilate into the mainstream more quickly. Assimilated latter generation Chinese Americans may often adopt a broader pan-Asian American identity. The large Asian American population in Hawaii is an example of such a community. One institution well-known among ABCs is the Overseas Chinese Youth Language Training and Study Tour to the Republic of China, a summer program sponsored by the ROC government whose official purpose is to teach overseas Chinese (namely those with family connections in Taiwan) about Chinese culture, but is almost always known as "the Love Boat" because it is commonly seen as an opportunity to establish romantic attachments with other ABCs.
Representations in media
United States
- See also: Stereotypes of East Asians
Traditionally, American-born Chinese have not been well-represented in mainstream media in the United States. Martial artist Bruce Lee, a native of San Francisco, is the foremost icon of middle America's view of Chinese people. Before Bruce Lee came onto the scene, Asians (women in particular) were mostly viewed as docile, obedient, and feminine. Asian men were regarded as asexual and powerless but hard-working as servants. Lee broke some of the stereotypes by demonstrating that they can be tough and masculine; but in opening new doors, he created new stereotypes. This time, the stereotype was that all Chinese men know Kung Fu or other forms of martial arts. Although their characters may be heroes in movies, they never seem to "get the girl" at the end. Surprisingly, some American-born Chinese believe in these stereotypes of Asians, due to their disconnection with their Chinese culture. There are few American-born Chinese actresses who become famous for their work. Examples include Lucy Liu, who starred in the Charlie's Angels movies and the television series Ally McBeal.
Asian countries
Many American-born Chinese have settled in Asia to pursue careers or education. Locals often stereotype them as being rich and arrogant, and having a poor command of Chinese, an image which is reinforced by their portrayal in serial television dramas; however, many have contributed significantly to the development of the entertainment industry as musicians, actors, or VJs.[1] A non-exhaustive list includes:
Criticism of the term
Some criticize the term for deemphasizing American nationality. By using "Chinese" as the noun, and using "American-born" to modify it, the nuance is that the person in question is not really an American, but just a Chinese person who happens to be born and/or living in the United States. In light of the stereotype of the "perpetual foreigner" in the US, it is argued that terms that reinforce this notion must be used with special caution. [1] In contrast, with the terms "Chinese American", or "American of Chinese descent", the focus is on the "American-ness" of the person.
See also
- American-Born Confused Desi (ABCD)
- Demographics of the United States
- Jook-sing
- List of Chinese Americans
- Model minority
- Race
References
- ^ Ito, Robert. "Stuck in Asia, dreaming of Hollywood", New York Times, 2007-02-11. Retrieved on 2007-02-14.
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