Exploring New Waves of Chinese Migration in the Late 19th and 20th Century, and My Family's Story

In addition to coolie labor, racist immigration laws contributed to the increase of Chinese immigrants into Latin America. In 1882, the United States government enacted the Chinese Exclusion Act, the first law to specifically target immigration from a specific ethnic group. Consequently, Latin American nations became an alternative for immigration for some Chinese communities. Chinese-Latino communities quickly began to grow in countries such as Peru and Venezuela, with smaller groups in other Latin countries like Ecuador. However, Chinese immigrants often encountered discrimination and prejudice in Latin America, facing segregated living conditions and discriminatory laws.

My own great-great grandfathers immigrated from Canton, China, to Ecuador shortly after the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act. Seeking new opportunities in the midst of economic and social instability, Rafael Chan Lee Si, my grandmother’s paternal grandfather, came from Kwangtung (now Guangzhou), Canton, China. He settled in the coastal areas of Ecuador, married an Ecuadorian woman, and had ten children, one of whom I am named after, Clarisa. Below are the only photos of documents my grandmother still has in her possession. She was told this was everything Rafael had brought with him and received through his migration journey. We are still unsure what the Chinese text is, as well as who exactly is pictured.

In the 1940s, Rafael created a very successful soda bar and restaurant called Salon Chán, also known as Chán Chán. I've been told that Rafael was one of the first to master European-style ice cream in Guayaquil, where my family is from, and that he was a member of the Chinese Colony, then the leading Chinese association in town. My grandmother told me Rafael had to change his last name to “Durango” because the name belonged to a priest that helped sponsor his arrival. However, my cousin told me this change was involuntary; “Because of immigration laws, he changed his last name, so it was to be some sort of Spanish last name in order to be accepted into the country. It was a law in the city. The last name Durango is not originally Chinese, but the family took that last name. For example, there are many Chinese descendants who have the last name Cruz, which means cross in English but is cross in Spanish. The other last name is Diaz, which is also a Latino last name, but they had to take that last name to circumvent the immigration laws in Ecuador.” The reason for this name change is disputed in my family, but I think both possibilities reveal a lot about the need for assimilation among immigrants in “adjusting” to new spaces.

Chán Chán was “the place to go” in the city, attracting notable visitors like Pelé. Although photographs of these visits once existed, they are long gone. Chán Chán was ideally located just two blocks from city hall, making it a popular meeting spot, and it thrived for nearly half a century. My great-grandfather, Ramon, ran the business with his family until his death in 1986, when it was converted into a restaurant serving a mix of local Creole and Chinese cuisine. One popular dish, "3 en 1," combined fried rice, lo mein, and a fried wonton, and was highly demanded. The restaurant operated until 2001, when rising living costs and Ecuador's dollarization crisis made sustaining the family business unsustainable. Until that time, it was known as Res Chan.

My grandmother lived with Rafael in the back of the restaurant. She recalls how he would sit with her in the afternoons, play Cantonese music, and, on lucky days, enjoy biscuits or tea together when they could escape work demands. She describes Rafael as a cheerful, hard-working man and has tried to convey his “Chinese-accented Spanish,” though I can’t quite wrap my head around what it must have sounded like.

In my home country, Ecuador, my cousins have told me that Chinese cuisine is often considered a staple family-style food. This is partly because of the large portions and the strong love of rice among Chinese Ecuadorians. A popular dish, chaulafan—a fried rice typically mixed with protein like chicken, beef, pork, shrimp, or a combination—is especially well-liked throughout the country.

In a call with my cousin, who ironically goes by the nickname “Chino,” he told me “everywhere our ancestors went, they left for us a legacy of hard work and intelligence. Despite criminalization processes in those years, they bear great examples of resilience.” For me, Chino-Latino restaurants are so meaningful because they are a manifestation of my own ancestry, and are particularly significant in their success and contribution to local culture in New York City.

Consider working with students to do a similar activity to one I did. I found the story of my family history unexplained and missing from my history classrooms. In first tracing my family migration patterns, speaking with family members, and gathering primary sources, I was led to broader Global History. In gaining a better understanding of overarching gloabl history, I was able to better understand my family's place in it.