Banker at Coast Federal Bank

This a photo of my grandpa working at Coast Federal Bank in Downtown LA. My grandpa paved the way for the rest of my family members to come to America. This photo is representative of what he believe was the “American Dream”. Born in China, he left for Taiwan during the Chinese Revolution of 1949 in hopes of economic and educational freedom. The rise of Deng Xiaoping and the CPP in 1978 forced him to immigrate to the United States as he was part of the large wave of Chinese immigrants that moved due to international politics. With the help of his sister who married a U.S. citizen, he started his new life in Koreatown where he worked as an entry-level banker. From there, he was able to help the rest of my family members get through the immigration process.

My grandpa’s immigration to the United States is similar to the immigrations trends that were caused by politics. His initial motivation for wanting to leave China was to seek better educational opportunities in Taiwan, where he thought his freedom wouldn’t be threatened. However, due to China’s communist campaign that crept and threatened Taiwan, my grandfather decided to take the risk of going to a foreign country to start a new life. Although he had a family member in California already, his journey was not easy because of the language barrier and the lack of financial stability. They were low-income and their lack of fluency in the English language made it difficult to find jobs and feel financially comfortable. However, over time, he learned to save money and thrived on the opportunities that America offered.

My grandpa’s experiences illuminate the struggles that many immigrants overcame, whether it was economic, financial, etc. and how these experiences led to expectations for the next generations. Many immigrants come to the United States with no understanding of the English language and little to nonexistent financial backing to start a new life. The different processes of acculturation for his (the immigrant) generation, my parents’ generation, and my generation explain the education-oriented mindset that they always emphasize and push for my sister and I.

Keywords: Immigration, International Politics, Acculturation