One Modern Chinese Immigrant Story

Guest blogger: Christine Lee, third-year law sudent, University of San Francisco

My uncle leads an envious life, one that is more than what many middle-class families can ask for. He lives in a beautiful, multi-million dollar home in Fremont, California, and runs a successful business with over 100 employees based in Silicon Valley. He has a great marriage, and his daughter currently attends one of the top high schools in California. They often cook together as a family, and enjoy delicious meals made with home-grown vegetables from their impressive outdoor garden. However, this picture does not tell the full story. My uncle, who became a naturalized U.S. citizen just four years ago, arrived in this country speaking barely any English twenty years ago, with a lot of ambition but not much else. His life today has been the result of many years of determination, hard work, talent, and luck.

My uncle’s immigrant story began in 1993. Newly married in Taiwan, he and my aunt were keen to explore business opportunities in computer technology in the United States. They first entered the United States on a 3-month tourist visa, which they extended for another 3 months, and used this time to rent a small place in Milpitas which served as both their home and office.

For the first 2 to 3 years, my uncle and aunt flew back and forth between Taiwan and the United States on tourist visas each time. Because they were Taiwanese, and could not speak English well in the beginning, they were only able to get business building computer boards for Chinese companies. The Chinese clients were extremely demanding, and my aunt recalls working till 2 am on many nights to meet the client’s quotas. My aunt tells me these first few years were extremely tough, and she often asked my uncle to return to Taiwan because she disliked the U.S.

I asked my uncle and aunt if they ever felt discriminated against. Surprisingly, they said no. My uncle believes any “discrimination” he faced was due to language barriers that prevented him from being able to communicate well. He says he picked up English as part of the business, and my aunt took adult English classes. My cousin had to take a driving test recently, and my uncle tells me that the lady in front of my cousin was a new immigrant from China, who could not speak English and had a very difficult time communicating with her driving test examiner. Not surprisingly, this lady failed her driving test but immediately tried to sign up for the next available slot. My uncle shakes his head as he tells me this story, saying “it’s tough” and he remembers what it was like not understanding much English in the beginning.

In 1997, the business became stable enough and my uncle was able to set up an office in the U.S. My uncle and aunt were then able to obtain an employment preference visa as managers for the company, and they started hiring U.S. citizen employees. This was also the year my cousin was born. My aunt still did not feel comfortable in the U.S., and chose to give birth to my cousin back in Taipei. My cousin was raised by my aunt’s parents in Taiwan during the first two years of her life, as my aunt and uncle continued to devote themselves to the business.

My uncle and aunt brought my cousin to the U.S. in 1999, after she turned 2 years old; this was when my aunt began to spend more time in the U.S. My uncle and aunt are extremely happy that they raised my cousin in Fremont, where she has exceled in school and made many close friends. My uncle and aunt spend most of their time with other Taiwanese families, and they still communicate in Mandarin Chinese at home and with their friends.

My uncle and aunt were granted LPR status in 1999. They became U.S. citizens in 2009; this took longer than usual because my uncle flew very frequently to Taiwan and could not meet the 5 year residence requirement earlier. My uncle says that he originally became American out of necessity because he found it a huge hassle to fly in and out of the U.S. without an American passport. However, as the years went by, he started to feel that America was his home. As my uncle says, “once your home is here [in the U.S.], you will naturally want your home to do well”.

My uncle says that if he had stayed in Taiwan, he would not have had any time to spend with his family. He believes there is a better work culture and quality of life in America than in Taiwan. My aunt feels the same way, and barely goes back to Taiwan anymore. When I ask them about the value of immigrants in the U.S., they believe that the influx of the best and the brightest from around the world has helped the U.S. to stay competitive and innovative. My uncle concluded that this country is made up of immigrants, and says he is proud of be a part of the U.S.

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