Between the 1970s and the 1980s, a wave of Chinese workers immigrated to the United States, in hopes of building a better life for themselves and their children. The hardships they faced were challenging and unexpected. Using photographs and first person stories, We Built New York: Honoring Chinese Workers showcases Chinese Americans in New York City, many of whom worked in factories in the garment industry. Their contributions are essential to the fabric of New York and the country as a whole. This month, which is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, we’re highlighting their immigrant experiences.
We Built New York is a project of LaborArts, The National Writers Union, Workforce Development Institute, and Remember the Triangle Fire Coalition. Photographs by Matthew Septimus. For more information, visit: National Writers United Service Organization
More From We Built New York: Honoring Chinese Workers
Eddie Chiu "I came to America in 1980, from a long line of political leaders. My family came from the rulers of the ancient Song Dynasty. In 1948, we were chased by Maoist soldiers from China to Hong Kong. When…
Agnes Wong Agnes Wong was an activist in the International Ladies’ Garment Workers Union for more than 30 years. Born in Guangzhou, China, she moved to Hong Kong as a child and came to New York with her husband in…
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Rocky Chin "'You arrived on July 4th - standing up!' That was how mother described my birth in 1947. My breech-birth arrival was cause for celebration. That it happened to fall on Independence Day, accompanied by fireworks in the Nation’s…
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Duen Yee Lam Born 1945 in Macau, Duen Yee Lam’s family moved to Hong Kong when she was ten years old . She is one of five children, and often had to take on adult responsibilities when she was 12…
Connie Ling "My name is Connie Ling, and I came from a Chinese family living in the Philippines. My father was very strict-all of the kids had to work hard in the family store after school. The store was in…
Biao Chen "I was born in Taishan, Guangdong, China in 1939. My grandfather and ancestors went back and forth from China to the US, so our family had five generations in America… My father worked in Guangzhou, managing a factory…
Bonny Ng Mui Leung & Cindi Sai Leung "We were born in Vietnam. Our family was from China, but our parents had businesses in Vietnam. We were a very big family of ten children; six girls and four boys.…
Betty Fung "I was born in 1939 in Enping, Guangdong, China. During the Sino Japanese war, my family moved west to Guangxi, and my little brother was born there. When the war ended, the family moved back home to Guangdong.…
Alice Ip (as told to Ruth Sergel) “Everybody came here with a dream” Alice grew up in Hong Kong with six brothers and sisters. Her father had one of the first cars in Hong Kong. He repaired cars and gave…