Taiwanese Americans
Taiwanese Americans are individuals of Taiwanese descent living in the United States, whose presence has grown significantly since the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965. This legislation facilitated increased immigration, particularly among Taiwanese graduate students seeking better economic opportunities. Many settled in ethnic enclaves, such as Flushing in New York and Monterey Park in California, which provided a familiar cultural environment. As of 2019, approximately 409,000 Taiwanese Americans resided in the U.S., with a significant majority being U.S. born or naturalized citizens. This community is characterized by a high educational attainment, with a college graduation rate well above the national average, and many are employed in management, business, science, and arts fields.
Culturally, Taiwanese Americans actively maintain their heritage through various organizations that celebrate traditional festivals like the Lunar New Year and the Dragonboat Festival. These groups also play a role in advocating for the political interests of Taiwanese Americans and influencing U.S. foreign policy regarding Taiwan and China. Overall, Taiwanese Americans contribute significantly to the American tapestry, both economically and culturally, while striving to preserve their unique identity.
Taiwanese Americans
The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 brought a surge of Asian immigration to the United States. From 1965 to 1980, many Taiwanese who came to the United States as graduate students decided to remain as immigrants because the economic opportunities were better in America than in Taiwan. Many of these immigrants settled in ethnic communities such as Flushing and Queens in New York and Monterey Park in California. The Taiwanese immigrants felt comfortable in these communities because within them they could speak their native language and interact with other Taiwanese immigrants.
In 1981, when Congress set a yearly quota of 20,000 Taiwanese immigrants, the characteristics of those arriving changed. The new immigrants typically had not studied in the United States and were less likely to speak English. The concentration of non-English-speaking immigrants in certain areas such as Monterey Park caused a backlash, spawning efforts to have English declared the official language in states such as California in the mid- and late 1980s.
As of 2019, about 409,000 Taiwanese Americans lived in the United States. Of this group, about 72 percent were either born in the United States or naturalized citizens. In 2013, the median age of this group was about thirty-five, and with a college graduation rate of 73.1 percent, a member of this group was much more likely to have completed higher education than was the average American. 41.1 percent of this group held master's or doctoral degrees, and 69 percent were employed in management, business, science, and arts occupations. Taiwanese Americans tended to be very prosperous, with median incomes well above those of the general population; 68 percent of them owned their own homes.
Throughout the history of Taiwanese immigration, organizations devoted to the social, economic, and political welfare of Taiwanese Americans have existed across the United States. Part of their social and cultural purpose has been to maintain Taiwanese cultural traditions among the immigrants and their descendants and to familiarize other Americans with those traditions. Therefore, many Taiwanese American organizations have introduced their communities to such cultural practices as eating moon cakes to celebrate the autumn festival, celebrating the Lunar New Year, and preparing rice dumplings for the Dragonboat Festival.
Taiwanese American organizations have also attempted to exert political influence in both the United States and Taiwan. In the United States, they have attempted to affect U.S. foreign policy toward China and Taiwan. They have organized demonstrations to protest overseas incidents that have affected Taiwan and have lobbied members of Congress to support Taiwan’s efforts to remain free of China.
Bibliography
Barkan, Elliott Robert, ed. Immigrants in American History: Arrival, Adaptation, and Integration. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2013.
Chiu, Kuei-fen, Dafydd Fell, and Lin Ping, eds. Migration to and from Taiwan. New York: Routledge, 2013.
Ling, Huping, and Allan Austin, ed. Asian American History and Culture: An Encyclopedia. New York: Routledge, 2015.
Passel, Jeffrey S., Neil G. Ruiz, and Abby Budiman. “How Many Taiwanese Live in the U.S.? It’s Not an Easy Question to Answer.” Pew Research Center, 8 Sep. 2021, www.pewresearch.org/decoded/2021/09/08/how-many-taiwanese-live-in-the-u-s-its-not-an-easy-question-to-answer/. Accessed 13 Nov. 2024.