For this project, I interviewed one of my closest family friends, whom I consider an uncle, and my aunt. Much of my understanding of Chinese-Latino history is rooted in pláticas—“informal conversations that allow people to share ideas, knowledge, memories, or consejos, and are also a methodological intervention increasingly used by Chicanx/Latinx scholars in their research,” as defined by Dr. Dolores Delgado Bernal. By sharing the pláticas I had with them, I hope to offer a deeper understanding of our rich history and culture, which is often overlooked and underrepresented.

My family friend immigrated to New York City as a teenager with his family, while my aunt was born and raised in Astoria and Jackson Heights. Like many immigrant families, both of theirs came in search of better opportunities and to pursue the American dream. During our conversation, we explored themes of belonging, culture, and the immigrant experience. They both hope that sharing their stories as first-generation Chinese-Latino New Yorkers will help others gain a deeper understanding of the Chinese-Latino diaspora. Please note that I did not censor any profanity in the oral history with my family friend, as it was important to preserve the authenticity of our plática.

Plática #1

Why did your ancestors leave China and settle in the Dominican Republic?

My grandfather was around nineteen to twenty one years old. He left around 1950 in the aftermath of World War Two. He was a newlywed. He went alone with other men, got on a boat and off they went.

I believe Cuba was one of the first countries in the region to import Chinese laborers. This is in the aftermath of banning African and Native slavery, a practice you see replicated in all the Americas. See West Coast settlement, USA for example.

When did they immigrate, and from where in China did they come?

Canton region. Almost everyone came from one specific county in Canton, Enping. The coastal regions were the earliest migrants. In the DR most migrants were from the same village/region. There was one Taiwanese lady, this would be in the 1980s. I made a friend that was Hakka. His family made tofu. Hakka people are famous for tofu making apparently. They are an interesting people. They apparently were migrants from the North, long ago, who moved to the Canton region. They fought wars with the “native” Cantonese people at one point. Oh, that one Taiwanese lady I mentioned earlier was the only person I knew that spoke Mandarin. Nobody speaks Mandarin. Anyone in my family who does learned after moving here.

Did they live in communities with many other Chinese Latinos?

Many did live in the same neighborhood. After I left, they apparently made it an official Chinatown and put up some tacky Chinesey gate. If you search “Chinatown Santo Domingo” you will see it. I lived a couple of blocks from there. I don’t remember how many Chinese people lived there. There is probably a record somewhere because they invited everyone to the weddings… well, each family would get at least 2 invites.

How did Chinese immigrants, like your ancestors, contribute to their local community in Latin America?

I can speak of my family. At some point everyone came over from China—great-grandparents, grandparents, etcetera. My grandmother told stories of making pilones to sell on the street, which are small red colored sugar suckers on a paper stick. My great grandfather, adoptive actually, had a little money, which would explain why he was able to migrate away and start a business.

My mother had to labor for my grandparents’s supermarket at no pay. They were mean people… One of the reasons my grandparents were so nasty is they wanted my father to work for them too. My father wanted to go to medical school instead, and he did. They hated that. Challenge to their authority I guess.

Schooling in the Dominican Republic was very cheap so my father could go without parental support. However, to buy books, my mother worked on the side to make money. She sewed clothes, she made flowers out of paper and sold them on the street. My mother came from a poor family so she has been working full time since age twelve. No school.

What challenges or hardships did Chinese immigrants face in the DR?

I’m not sure. There were no pogroms or anything serious. There was casual racism of course. One thing about Hispanic cultures is they refer to everyone by their race. I just saw an article about Barcelona describing how they say “I’m going down to the Chinese’s.” Imagine if instead of saying “I’m going down to the 711” you say “I’m going down to the Indians.” It’s not viewed as offensive and in modern terms they call that a “microaggression” because it’s so annoying.

Anyway, this is one reason why being referred to as “el chino” is so annoying. It’s in the language. People here in New York do it still. “Chinese” is the wrong translation actually. It would be “chink,” which is exactly the same way “negro” became the n-word in English. Remember it was the Spanish who started this whole racial caste system in the Americas. The American dollar itself was based on the Spanish dollar for example.

Anyway, there was a lot of casual racism. When I went out the street urchins had a song “chino malangueta come mierda con paleta” which roughly translates as “chink something something eats shit with chopsticks.”

Were there specific jobs that Chinese Latinos predominantly worked in?

Restaurants, jewelry stores were common. We sold silver, gold-plated, silver-plated. There were some Peruvian bronze bracelets at one point. These are the jobs you do when you can’t speak the language.

Education was available though, and the second generation would speak Spanish well and gain skills—engineering, medicine, etc. In fact, the first Chinese engineer in the DR was named Angel Chez.

Did your family maintain Chinese cultural traditions while integrating into the Dominican/Latino community?

Yes and no. One example of no is how we used forks. Even my grandparents. I asked why once and they said because they were made fun of, but I am not sure. Everyone tries to assimilate as best they can. You dress like everyone else. You speak as best you can. Like all immigrants, the children always learn the language easily and the adults struggle with vocabulary and accent because they are too busy working and or the brain doesn’t take it in as easy when you’re old.

My father was mostly raised by some poor old lady and the street, not my grandparents, who were probably busy working. He did not speak Chinese. He only learned at the age of twelve when my grandparents sent him to Macau. He got into a lot of fights. I think the cultural revolution may have started then.

In your opinion, what significant contributions have Chinese Latinos made to the Dominican Republic?

The legacy is probably in the descendants that still live there. There were not that many who lived in the capital. Maybe a few thousand? After a while most of the original people left for the USA—my family went to New York, Miami. Some went to San Francisco but those were technically war refugees. I don’t keep in touch with them.

How have perceptions of Chinese Latinos in the Dominican Republic and America changed over the years?

I’m not sure there’s enough of a diaspora to form a big Chinese-Latino community. My grandfather used to belong to some association from the village, so they’d have an annual dinner. Almost everyone there was Chinese-Dominican. Heck, they even invited some Dominican consul over.

Have you noticed shifts in attitudes or awareness of the Chinese Latino community’s history?

I don’t think there’s any awareness at all. It was three generations and it dies with me. Well. My cousin in Miami has children and she married a Dominican, so it continues with her.

In my own family, it’s pretty much done. One of my cousins knows a little bit. My other two cousins I don’t know as well. I don’t even think they know. I mean, they don’t even understand Chinese, so what’s one more language they don’t understand?

How has your family’s Chinese Latino background influenced your identity and sense of belonging in New York City?

We work in Washington Heights which is predominantly Dominican. Despite my complaints of casual racism, I think there is an opportunity for allyship because Dominicans and Asians are roughly at the same social status level in the United States. There’s professionals with schooling, and there's a working class that labors in kitchens and factories.

Racism is a natural tribalism but it can sometimes weaken with exposure. Once you see people as, well, individuals, you can fairly call them, say, assholes if they deserve it. Then again I don’t want to run away with this line of thought because it is annoying to see people use the “everyone's a little bit racist” to excuse bad behavior.

When I first came to the USA I felt very very Dominican. This faded as the years passed and I became more and more Americanized. It bothers me sometimes when people just see me as Chinese. I don’t know why. It feels like someone trying to claim 1/99th Cherokee blood.

The thing is, I was born in the DR and I went to school there until the 7th grade. That’s enough to learn a lot of things and form half of an identity. It is muddled because I came to the USA right in the middle of this identity formation. I think growing up in a poorer country gives one a different perspective than American born people in many things, and that’s more important than any “Chinese-Latino” thing. Water was not potable, you had to get bottled water or boil it. Electricity was not stable so you had to get food every day. “Wet markets,” with the stink of chicken feces and blood.

I was twice a minority. I’ve always been a minority. Maybe that explains an automatic habit of identifying with the underdog in stories. Bleeding heart liberal and all.

What cultural traditions or practices from both Chinese and Latino cultures did you observe growing up in NYC? How were these traditions celebrated or preserved?

Latino bits are mostly in the food. My parents have been eating plantains for breakfast for example. I refer to garlic as “ajo” with my mother. I don’t even know how to say it in Chinese. I asked my sister and she can’t remember either. “Alicate” or wrench is another word I prefer to use in Spanish.

Chinese bits, I don’t participate in any of those things because I don’t know them. My grandparents kept a shrine to the ancestors. They did the chicken sacrifice, poured whiskey on the ground because my great grandfather liked whiskey. Oranges. Incense sticks. Sometimes she used candles instead. I used to collect wax from those candles in a mold and make new things. Grandma would yell at me.

Can you share memories or stories about significant events or gatherings within the Chinese Latino community in NYC (if any)?

That annual dinner. Also I guess all the weddings we had when my uncles and aunts got married. It’s almost the same people you see every time. The newer generations don’t really know each other.

One time I was watching some random food recipe. Maybe yaniqueques which are a fried flour fritter, plain or filled with cheese or meat. In the comments I saw a name and I knew who she was. She had to be my aunt’s friend. I asked to confirm, and it was her.

Have you visited Chinese Latino restaurants in NYC? What role do you think they play in preserving cultural heritage, if any?

There is one that is still open, pretty well regarded, Sabrosura. I only went back to the DR once. When I did the line split in two—one for visitors, and one for citizens. I explained to the man that I was born in the Dominican Republic but I hadn’t kept any paperwork active and it was a long time and that I now had an American passport. He was so excited and said “of course you’re Dominican!” and kept saying some word “pica pollo” which I didn’t understand at all. We smiled and went through customs and immigration.

Later our friend told us that sometime in the 90s or 2000s Chinese migrants started making fried food chops—fried chicken and tostones were the main fare. The trick with tostones is you have to double fry them. Fry once, bam bam splat, then fry again.

Any closing thoughts?

Culture is who you are. The United States focuses a lot on race because for many people race is culture. This is of course not the case when you see Gen one and a half, Gen two Americans with foreign-born parents.

People resist thinking this because you are reminded of how different you are growing up by cruel schoolyards. This is a sort of internalized racism that makes you think race is so important, because it's what made you different as you grew up. Nature vs nurture is of course a very old argument. Sometimes they catch some monsters that seemed to have perfect childhoods, for example. The reason I mention this is in case it helps any young people growing up struggling to figure out who they are. Your experiences shape who you are and how you behave towards others. Your schooling and parents have ingrained thoughts in you at an early age that you don't question.

If you speak several languages, try counting from 1 to 10. When you're tired I will bet you revert to the language you were first taught to count, even if you barely speak it now.

Plática #2

Why did your ancestors leave China and settle in Ecuador? When did they immigrate, and from where in China did they come?

From my understanding and from what my mother has told me, her grandfather left China because they were starving as well as overall poverty, and were looking for new opportunities. I believe our ancestors are from Canton and I’m not positive about the date. I am assuming the early 1900s. From my understanding, they did not live near many other Chinese Latinos in Guayaquil.

What challenges or hardships did Chinese immigrants face in Ecuador?

Obviously, they were discriminated against and ridiculed because of the way they looked. They were also bullied in school and society for being “different.” I feel like the discrimination was typical for those who didn’t fit into the mainstream demographic.

Were there specific jobs that Chinese Latinos predominantly worked in?

From what my mother has told me, many were engineers, but most Chinese immigrants worked in the food industry specifically in the kitchen. They were also confined to low wage jobs.

Did your family maintain Chinese cultural traditions while integrating into the Ecuadorian/Latino community?

Yes. My mother was forced to attend a Chinese school when she was very young because the other schools didn’t want to accept her. However, she never spoke Cantonese at home. She was raised by her grandfather who was ethnically Chinese, so he tried to instill a lot of traditional “Asian values” in her, like a strong work ethic and family values.

My mother’s family prepared and ate a lot of Chinese food. Her family owned Restaurant Chán which served a hybrid menu of Chinese and Ecuadorian cuisine. I visited a few times during my childhood. It was a fairly large and very well known and respected establishment in Guayaquil. I loved that I could order anything on the menu for free. Breakfast in Ecuador is a big thing. We’re talking steak, eggs, rice and beans for breakfast. It’s glorious.

How have perceptions of Chinese Latinos in Ecuador and America changed over the years?

Many people have the misconception that Latinos are a race and not an ethnic group. This is difficult for people whose ancestors hail from Peru, Bolivia, Dominican Republic and Ecuador. You can look Chinese, speak Spanish and still also be Ecuadorian. I feel like there is more of an awareness these days about Chinese Latinos in general. I always felt that people in America weren’t really aware of Asians in Hispanic countries. It’s not like it is taught to us in school. I often hear comments like, “why do these asian people speak Spanish?” Most history classes don’t talk about Asian migration to Latin countries. Well, if you study history you’ll realize why people left China and why they ended up in certain countries, like how only certain countries opened their borders to China during specific time periods.

Have you noticed shifts in attitudes or awareness of the Chinese Latino community’s history?

I feel like people are finally sharing their experiences with the world. I was always aware of Chinese Latinos, because my mother was Chinese-Latina, but I never felt other people were aware of them. You never saw them on television, in magazines, in theaters, in mainstream media so I don’t think people really cared to ask about their story. I feel like now there are more interracial marriages and as a result people are more open to discuss being a product of mixed ethnicity. I think it is more common to have multicultural families in this day and age and that is definitely going to have an effect on society.

How has your family’s Chinese Latino background influenced your identity and sense of belonging in New York City?

Spanish was my first language at home which really came in handy because I grew up in Queens. When I was younger people only saw me as Asian looking so I feel I identified more with my Asian background even though I spoke Spanish, ate Latin food at home and went to Catholic School. The school was mostly Eastern Europeans, Greek and Irish students. It wasn’t till I was in junior high school where I was surrounded by more Hispanics that I started to feel more comfortable talking about my Ecuadorian roots and people seemed much more accepting. As I got older I felt comfortable blending into both Hispanic and Asian communities, but mainly because I am able to speak the languages. I feel people wouldn’t be as accepting if I couldn’t speak the language or if I didn’t know the customs.

What cultural traditions or practices from both Chinese and Latino cultures did you

observe growing up in NYC? How were these traditions celebrated or preserved?

We celebrated all the holidays, and all the food traditions that go along with them. My mother is pretty superstitious because of her Chinese side, so we did a lot of things to prepare for the lunar new year. For example, we didn’t clean our home on New Year’s Day. We didn’t wear brand new underwear on the New Year that was yellow in color. We were told to avoid the number four, and never leave our bags on the floor, otherwise, our money would leave us. We were told to never stab our rice with chopsticks. We were also told to not compliment a baby with comments like how beautiful they are, because it will tempt the gods and demons to take the baby away. Just a few. My Latina side was mostly influenced by my Catholic upbringing, so all the religious holidays and traditions that went along with them.

The thing about traditions and cultural celebrations is that it’s way more fun if there’s a community involved. It’s ok to celebrate Lunar New Year with just 4 people but it’s just not the same as going with the family to Chinatown and partaking with a whole community. Lunar New Year was never acknowledged in my school. So it was just like this separate thing my family and I would do. It didn’t feel like a real holiday to anyone other than our family.

Can you share memories or stories about significant events or gatherings within the Chinese Latino community in NYC (if any)?

My mom and great aunt who lived with us both belonged to the Chino Colonia, the Chinese Latino Society in New York City. They had breakfasts, dinners, banquets and other social gatherings throughout the year. When I was fifteen years old, I was asked by the organization if I wanted to enter a Chinese Latino Beauty Pageant. I was the only one who looked Asian so I think that really helped my chances. Haha. The first place contestant didn’t speak anything other than Spanish and she was gorgeous! I remember thinking and feeling like I was the only legit Chino Latino in that contest. I feel like a lot of people feel forced to pick a side, and that’s just not the case for me. I am both Latina and Asian. I got to stand on a float and represent my heritage at the parade on 5th Avenue. I can’t remember what parade, but it was legit a big one.

Have you visited Chinese Latino restaurants in NYC? What role do you think they play in preserving cultural heritage, if any?

Of course I have. The cuisine is unique and always brings me back to certain childhood and adolescent memories.

Any closing thoughts?

The Chinese-Latino community is loud, proud, and here to stay!