Zhou Min: From “Outsiders” to Model Americans
Published in Lianhe Zaobao
(Singapore) on 14 March 2011
by Zhou Min (link to original)
(Singapore) on 14 March 2011
by Zhou Min (link to original)
Translated from
by Edward Seah.
Edited by Heidi Kaufmann.
On March 9, American President Barack Obama officially nominated the current secretary of commerce, Gary Locke, as the United States ambassador to China. I was very excited at the news.
The Obama cabinet currently has two Chinese-Americans: Former Washington Governor Gary Locke is the 36th secretary of commerce; Nobel Prize winner Steven Chu is the 12th secretary of energy. The American Congress also currently has two Chinese-American representatives: David Wu and Judy Chu. In addition, the U.S. Senate has the first and only Chinese-American senator, Daniel Akaka. The majority of Americans did not have much of a reaction toward the emergence of these people and their holding of key positions in government service, but to Asian-Americans, it is an achievement of which each and every one of them should be proud.
Gary Locke will be the first Chinese-American ambassador to China for the U.S. To Asian-Americans, this is another historical first.
It was only a century ago that there was a Chinese Exclusion Act (1882-1943) that excluded Chinese-Americans from American society in many areas. This is because we look more like our distant relatives from China than we do Americans. We were looked upon as aliens or citizens who were not loyal to the country. For a long time, we have been treated as “outsiders” and not Americans.
Even now, we always have to put in extra effort to prove that we are “loyal” Americans. We have made tremendous progress through education, the path of least resistance. As an ethnicity, we are presently one of those with the highest degree of education: More than half of Chinese-Americans have at least a college degree, whereas the ratio for Americans is less than 30 percent; nearly half of Chinese-Americans have high-salaried professional jobs, mainly in the scientific, engineering, medical, financial and legal sectors.
The Symbol of Citizen Rights Receiving Protection
From the perspective of a Chinese immigrant, Gary Locke is the symbol of the American Dream come true. A Chinese immigrant’s American Dream is three-fold: living in his own house, becoming his own boss and sending his children to Ivy League colleges.
Gary Locke’s grandfather hailed from a village in the southern part of China. He was excluded by the law and society in America, but he persevered to make a living for himself and his family by doing odd jobs. Gary’s father was also born in China. He improved himself to become the owner of a provision shop; [they] became a middle-income family, and he sent Gary to Yale University. This helped Gary establish a financially stable career in the legal sector and later on in politics.
From the perspective of a Chinese-American, Gary Locke was a symbol of citizen rights having received protection. Because Chinese-Americans have long held onto the sustained fear and worry of unfair treatment, becoming a politician is not a common choice among them. In many aspects, 21st century American society is very different from that of the time before the influx of Chinese immigrants 30 years ago.
Children of Chinese immigrants who were born or grew up here have more choices to do the things they want than ever before, just like any other American. An example such as Gary Locke gives new hope to a great number of Chinese-Americans of careers in areas they have never thought of before. The familiar faces in the political arena has made politics a viable option for younger Chinese-Americans who have always wanted to shake off the image of the quiet and humble “model minority” geek.
Therefore, in another 10 years, I will not be surprised by xenophobic pundits complaining that there are “too many Chinese” vying for civil service jobs. In fact, I would not care about these complaints!
President Obama’s vision is global and far-reaching. Obama’s ambitious goal is to take America’s weak economy to recovery and help Americans go back to work once again. He is very clear that the U.S. cannot be hostile toward China, the world’s second-largest economy. He nominated Locke not only because he is a Chinese-American, but also because he has the necessary qualifications, experience and leadership qualities, as well as the ability to establish a good relationship between China and the U.S.
As for China’s possible response, China, which is sensitive about job titles, may feel that this is a demotion for Gary Locke. They would probably be wondering why a secretary would put down his own work to take orders from another minister (secretary of state)? China would probably be happy, however, thinking that this is a friendly gesture from a world superpower to strengthen their bilateral and equal partnership.
Do Not Take Model Americans as the People of China
In reality, the Chinese leaders had been familiar with Gary Locke when he was the governor of Washington, D.C. At that time, Locke went to China often to garner the support of big corporations like Boeing and Microsoft. He more than doubled Washington’s exports to China to $5 billion (U.S.) a year.
Will they take Locke as a Chinese? Why not? There is a common saying: “Once a Chinese, always a Chinese — the descendants of Yan Di and Huang Di.” I, however, think that they are wrong; Gary Locke is not the Chinese that people in China thought him to be. He is a model American.
Looking forward, Gary Locke’s ambassadorship to China may eventually land him in the White House. Former U.S. President George Bush, Sr., was once the U.S. ambassador to China. Jon Hunstman, who will soon resign as the ambassador to China, intends to run for the 2012 presidential election as well. Who knows — the next U.S. president could be Gary Locke! It is not far-fetched to think that Asian-Americans may become presidential electoral candidates in the near future.
Just as an African-American becoming president did not mean the end of racism, the breakthroughs that Chinese-Americans make in politics do not spell a fixed negative impression for Asian-Americans. Chinese-Americans and Americans who look like Asians continue to be in unclear positions, neither black nor white, neither “Americans” nor “Asians.”
The relationship between China and the U.S. will continue to affect how society looks at Chinese-Americans. Some fixed impressions in history like the “Yellow Peril” and the “China Threat” will still permeate modern American society. The headlining Vincent Chin murder case (he was a Chinese-American who in the ‘80s was mistaken as a Japanese and was beaten to death by an angry Michigan car industry worker), and the case of nuclear scientist Li Wenhe being suspected in the ‘90s of being a spy for China are such examples.
Our fellow Asian-Americans must continue to prove that they are faithful Americans, especially during a time when the Sino-U.S. relationship is in the spotlight.
The Obama cabinet currently has two Chinese-Americans: Former Washington Governor Gary Locke is the 36th secretary of commerce; Nobel Prize winner Steven Chu is the 12th secretary of energy. The American Congress also currently has two Chinese-American representatives: David Wu and Judy Chu. In addition, the U.S. Senate has the first and only Chinese-American senator, Daniel Akaka. The majority of Americans did not have much of a reaction toward the emergence of these people and their holding of key positions in government service, but to Asian-Americans, it is an achievement of which each and every one of them should be proud.
Gary Locke will be the first Chinese-American ambassador to China for the U.S. To Asian-Americans, this is another historical first.
It was only a century ago that there was a Chinese Exclusion Act (1882-1943) that excluded Chinese-Americans from American society in many areas. This is because we look more like our distant relatives from China than we do Americans. We were looked upon as aliens or citizens who were not loyal to the country. For a long time, we have been treated as “outsiders” and not Americans.
Even now, we always have to put in extra effort to prove that we are “loyal” Americans. We have made tremendous progress through education, the path of least resistance. As an ethnicity, we are presently one of those with the highest degree of education: More than half of Chinese-Americans have at least a college degree, whereas the ratio for Americans is less than 30 percent; nearly half of Chinese-Americans have high-salaried professional jobs, mainly in the scientific, engineering, medical, financial and legal sectors.
The Symbol of Citizen Rights Receiving Protection
From the perspective of a Chinese immigrant, Gary Locke is the symbol of the American Dream come true. A Chinese immigrant’s American Dream is three-fold: living in his own house, becoming his own boss and sending his children to Ivy League colleges.
Gary Locke’s grandfather hailed from a village in the southern part of China. He was excluded by the law and society in America, but he persevered to make a living for himself and his family by doing odd jobs. Gary’s father was also born in China. He improved himself to become the owner of a provision shop; [they] became a middle-income family, and he sent Gary to Yale University. This helped Gary establish a financially stable career in the legal sector and later on in politics.
From the perspective of a Chinese-American, Gary Locke was a symbol of citizen rights having received protection. Because Chinese-Americans have long held onto the sustained fear and worry of unfair treatment, becoming a politician is not a common choice among them. In many aspects, 21st century American society is very different from that of the time before the influx of Chinese immigrants 30 years ago.
Children of Chinese immigrants who were born or grew up here have more choices to do the things they want than ever before, just like any other American. An example such as Gary Locke gives new hope to a great number of Chinese-Americans of careers in areas they have never thought of before. The familiar faces in the political arena has made politics a viable option for younger Chinese-Americans who have always wanted to shake off the image of the quiet and humble “model minority” geek.
Therefore, in another 10 years, I will not be surprised by xenophobic pundits complaining that there are “too many Chinese” vying for civil service jobs. In fact, I would not care about these complaints!
President Obama’s vision is global and far-reaching. Obama’s ambitious goal is to take America’s weak economy to recovery and help Americans go back to work once again. He is very clear that the U.S. cannot be hostile toward China, the world’s second-largest economy. He nominated Locke not only because he is a Chinese-American, but also because he has the necessary qualifications, experience and leadership qualities, as well as the ability to establish a good relationship between China and the U.S.
As for China’s possible response, China, which is sensitive about job titles, may feel that this is a demotion for Gary Locke. They would probably be wondering why a secretary would put down his own work to take orders from another minister (secretary of state)? China would probably be happy, however, thinking that this is a friendly gesture from a world superpower to strengthen their bilateral and equal partnership.
Do Not Take Model Americans as the People of China
In reality, the Chinese leaders had been familiar with Gary Locke when he was the governor of Washington, D.C. At that time, Locke went to China often to garner the support of big corporations like Boeing and Microsoft. He more than doubled Washington’s exports to China to $5 billion (U.S.) a year.
Will they take Locke as a Chinese? Why not? There is a common saying: “Once a Chinese, always a Chinese — the descendants of Yan Di and Huang Di.” I, however, think that they are wrong; Gary Locke is not the Chinese that people in China thought him to be. He is a model American.
Looking forward, Gary Locke’s ambassadorship to China may eventually land him in the White House. Former U.S. President George Bush, Sr., was once the U.S. ambassador to China. Jon Hunstman, who will soon resign as the ambassador to China, intends to run for the 2012 presidential election as well. Who knows — the next U.S. president could be Gary Locke! It is not far-fetched to think that Asian-Americans may become presidential electoral candidates in the near future.
Just as an African-American becoming president did not mean the end of racism, the breakthroughs that Chinese-Americans make in politics do not spell a fixed negative impression for Asian-Americans. Chinese-Americans and Americans who look like Asians continue to be in unclear positions, neither black nor white, neither “Americans” nor “Asians.”
The relationship between China and the U.S. will continue to affect how society looks at Chinese-Americans. Some fixed impressions in history like the “Yellow Peril” and the “China Threat” will still permeate modern American society. The headlining Vincent Chin murder case (he was a Chinese-American who in the ‘80s was mistaken as a Japanese and was beaten to death by an angry Michigan car industry worker), and the case of nuclear scientist Li Wenhe being suspected in the ‘90s of being a spy for China are such examples.
Our fellow Asian-Americans must continue to prove that they are faithful Americans, especially during a time when the Sino-U.S. relationship is in the spotlight.