In Lisa Ko’s The Leavers, it can be seen through the lives of Polly and her son Deming how difficult it can be transitioning to a life with no remnants of one’s previous culture. For Polly, she moves to the United States from China, and for Deming, he moves in with a white family away from family for the first time. In both cases, the characters are forced into attempting to adjust to a new life vastly different than the one they had come accustomed to, and there are no resources to help them in their transition. To help ease this transition, neighborhoods such as Chinatown in numerous big cities have been established, with hopes of providing aspects of Chinese culture and life that America simply can’t.
The early history of Chinatown saw growth in two parts according to an article from the National Park Service, first by immigrants from the west coast who were pushed out by “mob violence and rampant discrimination”, and the “Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965”, which overturned the “immigration quota system” (U.S. National Park Service). This influx of Chinese immigrants left many coming to New York in hopes of living in a neighborhood that had aspects of their culture, leading to what would eventually become Chinatown. According to the Tenement Museum in NYC, Chinatowns’ setup was successful because the neighborhood was located “close to jobs and Chinese cultural intuitions” (Steinberg). This made the early Chinatown more attractive to those coming to the US, leading more to choose Chinatown as their new home, resulting in success for the neighborhood.
Chinatowns across the US have become quite prominent today, continuing to have an impact on those coming to the US from China. In a National Geographic article, Peter Ng describes why this is so, stating that when he lived in Chinatown, “there were only a couple of authentic Chinese restaurants” and that made “everyone come here” (Ng). By continuing to be one of the only places where aspects of life in China is prevalent, Chinatown has allowed itself to remain prominent, offering what others can’t. This continues to have an impact on those immigrating to the US, as Chinatown provides a place where the transition to a new life is smoother, ensuring that new residents don’t have to let go of all they once had, something that Polly and Deming didn’t always have the luxury of.
Works Cited
“Chinatown and Little Italy Historic District New York, New York (U.S. National Park Service).” National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, www.nps.gov/places/new-york-chinatown-and-little-italy-historic-district.htm.
Ng, Rachel. “Why Does the U.S. Have so Many Chinatowns?” Travel, National Geographic, 17 June 2021, www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/why-does-the-us-have-chinatowns.
Steinberg, Adam. “The Lower East Side and Chinatown.” Tenement Museum, 5 June 2014, www.tenement.org/blog/the-lower-east-side-and-chinatown/.
I liked your post, and Chinatown definitely played a big role for many of the characters in Ko’s novel. When Polly was thinking about leaving for Florida, everyone had told her to stay put, and that going to the outside was dangerous. If Polly was on her own she would have most likely left, but it was the people around who encouraged her to stay. Do you know of any other places in the US that create the community that Chinatown does? I feel like there must be areas where people from different areas flock to in the US to gain that sense of community again.
Great insight to the forming of Chinatown in NYC and across the U.S. and how it impacts Polly and many others. I didn’t know what originally had started to form Chinatown, although I figured it had to do with available jobs plus the culture of the area. And the person above me made an interesting point about other places in the U.S. For examp,e, Little Italy in NYC, plus there are huge sects of different blocks that are infused by one or two cultures.
Really great post! I have actually never been to Chinatown. I was not aware that this had originally been a town created by Chinese immigrants in historical America. I really like that their culture is integrated into ours by having these little towns where citizens are able to go visit and express Chinese culture. It is sad to me though that for a long time it was unacceptable for Chinese immigrants to disperse into other cities in New York, but now many Americans travel to Chinatown regularly.
As someone who loves to visit different cultural spots/neighborhoods in cities that I visit, I loved reading this context presentation detailing how Chinatown in NYC was created. This past summer, I visited New York City for the first time and made my way over to Chinatown. I had visited Chinatown in Washington D.C. and San Francisco many times before, but the authenticity of Chinatown in NYC was unlike any other that I had seen before. I felt like I had stepped into a different country once entering Chinatown in NYC, and that goes to show why so many immigrants moved to neighborhoods like Chinatown; they truly replicate where they are from.
Thank you for the information you provided! I can definitely see why it would make the transition easier by having a town that feels more familiar. It’s like buffer between China and the United States. When immigrants come home from often hard work in America, they have some tastes of home, as well as people who understand everything that they are going through in what “The Leavers” has proved to be a rocky transition.
Hi, I really enjoyed your post and how you explain how Chinatown was initially integrated into the United States, its impact on immigrants, and the prevalence today. I agree that it is important for immigrants to be able to identify some sort of their culture in. a foreign country, and areas like Chinatown offer some form of stability and familiarity for immigrants to still hold onto a piece of their home culture.
I enjoyed your post, it was very interesting learning about Chinatown and how this can connect to Polly. Polly moved from China to the U.S. and a place like Chinatown would make her transition much easier. The way Chinatown provides a smooth transition for new residents that do not have to let go of everything they once had is very amazing. And your statement “neighborhoods such as Chinatown in numerous big cities have been established, with hopes of providing aspects of Chinese culture and life that America simply can’t” was eye opening and was the biggest take away from your post for me.
I really enjoyed your context presentation. I think you are exactly right about why there are so many Chinatowns in the US. Since we really are so diverse here, it makes me happy that things like this are able to exist so that people can still be completely indulged in their culture somewhere. To someone else’s comment wondering, if there are other places in the US, the answer is yes. For the Hispanic culture, there are many around as well. An example is little village in Chicago.
Thank you for the informative context presentation! I had known very little about Chinatowns, and after reading your presentation, I definitely feel more knowledgeable about the various ones in the U.S.
Thank you for your insightful context presentation. Your research about New York Cities Chinatown was very interesting.
Thanks for your post! I am from New Jersey, so I have seen and known Chinatown for a long time. However, I never thought of it as a buffer to immigrants transitions, but I think that is a really cool point. This allows Chinese immigrants, who may not have any relatives in the United States, to have a base point. They can start out living here and get accustomed to their new life in America. Furthermore, if the Chinese immigrants come to Chinatown, they can learn English from those who might speak Chinese, and make this process easier. I really enjoyed your post and it enlightened me to think further about the importance of Chinatown. Great job!
Great context presentation! This post allowed me to put myself in Deming’s shoes. If I were him, I would definitely want to be in a place that felt very familiar and like “home”. As you mentioned in your post, Deming did not always have this luxury of living in a Chinatown. Instead, he moved into a majority white neighborhood with his white foster parents, making him feel like the “Other” in his new life. I am very glad that Chinatowns exist because I would want people who come to the U.S. from China to have a smooth adjustment. Ultimately, the United States is often described as a “melting pot,” in which diverse cultures and ethnicities come together to form the rich diversity of our nation.
I found your context presentation very interesting. I like that you showed described the struggles for Polly and Deming. I also found your research on Chinatowns across the United States to be very interesting to read. It gave me a lot of new information that I was not familiar with before.
I enjoyed your context presentation and the extra background information that was presented about ChinaTown. I will keep the information in mind while reading the second half of the book.
Hello!
Thank you for sharing this information on chinatowns in America. The formation of these and other ethnic enclaves have likely provided an amount of peace, and feeling of home for immigrants.
Thank you for this presentation! I especially loved your final statement “…Chinatown provides a place where the transition to a new life is smoother, ensuring that new residents don’t have to let go of all they once had, something that Polly and Deming didn’t always have the luxury of.” This is a good reminder for people planning a visit to New York City, San Diego, Chicago, or another big city that Chinatown is so much more than a historic destination to stop by but a place that is a home away from home for many Americans.
I enjoyed your context presentation! It was interesting to read about Chinatown and I gained a new perspective of how it can be a safe place for many immigrants. I also saw that it played a large role for characters in this story with Deming feeling foreign to it after years of being away and everyone telling Polly to stay put when she wanted to go to Florida.
Wonderful insight on how immigrating from a very culturally based country can impact one’s mentality when coming to the US! We as US citizens cannot understand the mental impact about leaving one’s home country and culture unless we were immigrants ourselves. It surely would have been very pleasing to see your own culture preserved in the new and foreign place you would move to back then. Great presentation!
I think this was a great presentation! I like how you compared Deming’s life to Polly’s. I also liked the information you provided about Chinatown, and how it is a bit easier for people from China to live there, because although they are living in America, it is nice having a piece of home there with them. I learned a lot of new information, great job overall!
Hello, I enjoyed reading your presentation! Your comparison between the lives of Deming and Polly was very good, and I like how you tied their experiences into the description of China Town. Your description of China town was very interesting!
Hi! I think you did a really good job with your context presentation! I really like how you tied in how moving countries effects a person mentally. I also like how you compared and contrasted the struggles of Polly and Deming. Overall, really great job on your presentation!
This was a great presentation and informational. I like the historical information that was given about Chinatown. It was something I didn’t know and can understand. I think more and more areas are being built for this same situation when immigrants come to the US so they can feel comfortable and have a good transition. More communities are starting to have more immigrant communities to help others transition into this new way of life.
Hello! I think it is really interesting how you chose to focus on Chinatowns. I think that Chinatowns, and culturally centered communities in general, are super important! I like how you included some of the history of these communities. Having places similar to Chinatowns are super important in making immigrants to America feel welcomed. Great job on your presentation!
Ethnic enclaves play a huge role in whether a person is deciding to move out of their own country. I find them extremely beneficial in the ways they help contribute to diversity in America. It would be nice to know one is surrounded by people who understands oneself the most.
This was a great presentation and it was really neat how you chose to focus on Chinatowns. I’ve never visited a Chinatown there are none near me, so it was cool to see what they’re like. It’s great to know that these places can offer chinese immigrants a taste of home when they are no longer completely surrounded by their own culture. Great post!
Great presentation! I love the focus on Chinatowns and how they have grown throughout the country over the years. I have been to many different cities and always find myself going through Chinatown at some point during my visits so it’s interesting to think about just how culturally significant it is to have them in these cities!
I loved reading this context presentation! It was super informative and really connected the dots to really life and the leavers for me. I think bringing up the impact and significance chinatown has for the Chinese community of America was a very interesting take and brought a lot of light to the subject.