Second- and Fourth-Generation Chinese American
My mom immigrated from China. My dad’s family has been in America for over a century. Both histories meet in my family.
I’m both second- and fourth-generation Chinese American. My mom immigrated from China. My dad’s family has been in America for over a century. I grew up with both histories in the same home.
In many ways, I still feel like an immigrant child. I grew up surrounded by other Chinese Americans, eating a ton of Chinese food, and hearing Chinese proverbs in English. I felt culturally affirmed in almost every way except language.
My dad’s side changes a few things about my upbringing. At home, we spoke almost exclusively English. The few bits of Mandarin I do know, I mostly learned after I turned eighteen.
I grew up with five cousins on my dad’s side, but my dad grew up with dozens. So my family is very large, although scattered across all of California.
My dad’s side also gives me access to an incredibly rich part of Asian American history. I grew up hearing stories from my grandparents and my dad about growing up in an America that seemed so different from the one I knew.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve developed a deeper appreciation for my relatives’ stories and lived experiences, and for the Asian American history they’re part of.
The Chinese American diaspora has shifted so much. Large-scale immigration from mainland China resumed in the late 1970s and grew a lot through the 1980s and 1990s. My mom is part of that newer wave, while my dad’s side comes from the older Toisanese community. Those different histories meet in my own family.