Abstract
From 1875 until 1943, various policies increasingly circumscribed the free movement of Chinese immigrants into and within the United States. These efforts had a profound and lasting impact on the Chinese diaspora in the Pacific Northwest and divided the Chinese community into two distinct classes: laborers and a privileged class that included merchants. The authors of this research article argue that merchant businesses served a critical and multifaceted role in the formation, development, and decline of rural Chinatowns and in the lives of Chinese Oregonians who used the businesses to facilitate resistance and community persistence. Attaining officially recognized merchant status offered certainty and stability, as well as social and mobility, providing immigrants and their families with opportunities for prosperity in a largely unwelcoming land. The Wing Hong Hai Company Store (永同泰) in The Dalles (姐里阜) and the Wah Chung and Company Store (和昌) in Ashland each played important roles in the maintenance of Oregon’s Chinese diaspora communities. On the surface, they bought and sold goods and services; in reality, these transnational establishments did so much more as they navigated the waters of Chinese exclusion.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.