Essay on Chinese Americans - 974 Words

Chinese Americans nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The focus of our group project is on Chinese Americans. We studied various aspects of their lives and the preservation of their culture in America. The Chinese American population is continually growing. In fact, in 1990, they were the largest group of Asians in the United States (Min 58). But living in America and adjusting to a new way of life is not easy. Many Chinese Americans have faced and continue to face much conflict between their Chinese and American identities. But many times, as they adapt to this new life, they are also able to preserve their Chinese culture and identity through various ways. We studied these things through the viewing of a movie called Joy Luck Club,†¦show more content†¦First, Chinese Americans preserve their ethnic identities through holidays. One of the biggest holidays is the Chinese New Year. The Chinese New Year is different from the regular New Years in that it relies on the moon cycles instead of the western cal endar, so it falls on different days each year. There is a lot of preparation that goes into the Chinese New Year. People start cleaning their houses and decorating them with spring couplets on the twentieth day of the twelfth moon. Spring couplets are short poems written on red scrolls of paper in black. A popular New Years tradition in the United States is the exchanging of red envelopes containing money, which are called hong-bao. Most families spend this holiday celebrating together because this holiday, above others, emphasizes family and family ties. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Another way that Chinese Americans preserve their identities is through their weddings. The traditional Chinese wedding procedures are known as the â€Å"Three Letters and Six Etiquettes.† Chinese American weddings in America do not really follow all of the old traditions, but there are still aspects that are preserved. Large engagement parties are still held, at which the traditional roast pig is served. Also, at many Chinese American weddings, the traditional tea ceremony is still performed. This is where the bride and groom offer cups of sweet tea to their families, and are offered envelopes with money or jewelry in them inShow MoreRelatedDifferences Between Chinese And Chinese American1085 Words   |  5 Pages- What are the differences between Chinese American, and Chinese-American? The two terms seem similar to each other since it contains two nationalities, Chinese and American; however, there are different meanings between the four words. Chin ese American is an American citizen, who prefers being an American to a Chinese man while having a Chinese ascendancy. 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