Then to Now
Migrations within China were as common as they were with any country as well as Chinese immigration out of China. Though for similar push and pull factors as the original great wave of Chinese immigration into America in the 1850's after the gold rush, in modern times "35 million" Chinese live outside of their home country in at least "130 countries" including America (Wang). After the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882, Chinese migration had slowed but it was the civil rights movement with the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 and that allowed for a new wave of Chinese immigration into America free from limitations based on racial oppression. This new rush was one of reunited loves, families brought back together and Chinese youth searching for freedom and "social justice" (Wang).
How Things Have Changed
Wealth and education are the center of push and pull factors when researching migration but alternative migration factors of the modern time included escape from political persecution, new family acts like the One-Child policy for a means of population control, as well as instability across the greater Asian area from new American-Chinese foreign policies and "ethnic cleansing" in Vietnam (Wang). Other push factors included the rise in "communism" and totalitarianism in China itself (Chinsen). More pushed immigrants out of China than the original pull factors such as job opportunities in mining, labor and entrepreneurs. Though that did not limit immigrant motivation to internal forces pushing them out of China but a even more opportunities than that of previous waves. Immigrants could join any work force and education was more plentiful which opened up a new group of immigrants of intellectuals like engineers and scientists in search of "advanced degrees" (Wang).
Modern Patterns
Before World War 2, "eighty-percent" of the Chinese population in the United States was found living in Chinatowns in major cities throughout the United States (Wang). These Chinatowns remained isolated and under the radar of the American public until after World War 2. Following the war the United States became radically more open and tolerant of others, beginning emigration "from the Chinatowns" spread across the United States into new neighborhoods (Wang). The poorer end of the new waves of postwar immigrants moved into the Chinatowns while the wealthier immigrants moved into new neighborhoods, establishing "so-called new Chinatowns" (Wang). Chinese immigrants are attracted to Chinatowns because of their affordability and as the price range varied from city to city that would make other cities, like "Boston", a better candidate for residency for immigrants because it was cheaper in comparison (Chinsen). But as time went on in Boston, as was the case for many Chinatowns, Chinatown became increasingly more expensive as downtown expanded around it and soon there was a constant battle over land with developers, this was seen specifically when homes were taken due to eminent domain for the Boston highway for Chinatown had very little "political power" (Kiang). In the modern age, more and more Chinatowns were swallowed up into the greater urban areas. The attraction to Chinatown as a primary settlement still exists, it's a great starter point. In fact Chinatown has a "growing Vietnamese" population in addition to the traditional Chinese (Chin). Immigrants also traveled to the county and settled based on family "chains" where family members would base their new location on where other family members had lived before them as more generations immigrating to America (Chinsen).
Chinese American Culture
The Chinese had always made a large impact on the American culture and despite being on of the first racial minorities to be discriminated against when nationalism increased in the American mind, it was the steady current of Chinese immigrants and the easy access to "traditional and popular cultures" through mass communication and fast travel that allowed a "Chinese America" to be formed that was diverse and ever changing (Wang). The influence from such immigrants created on the culture was as prevalent in America "as it was in China" (Wang). But being Chinese is important no matter where they live and immigrants used many ways to embodied their Chinese traditions and cultures through many ways of celebration, arts and food.