Zhang Zhaohong: Report on overseas Chinese in the Phoenix area of ​​the United States

Zhang Zhaohong: Report on the overseas Chinese in the Phoenix area of ​​the United States 1. Overview of the overseas Chinese community: At the beginning of the 20th century, Phoenix City already had the Deng family, the Yu family, the Huang family, etc. The Chinese ancestors in...

1. Overview of the overseas Chinese community: At the beginning of the 20th century, there were already Deng, Yu, Huang, etc. in Huanghuang City. The kinship groups organized by local surnames by the Chinese ancestors were initially intended to help each other and defend against foreign aggression. According to official records, in 1940, the total population of Phoenix was 65,414, but the number of Chinese was only 431, accounting for 0.66% of the total. There were so few Chinese in this city, but they faced racial discrimination at that time. To oppose this phenomenon, we could not use direct resistance. Therefore, in 1937, the local Chinese people spontaneously celebrated the National Day of the United States for the first time, stating that "we are doing this to express our sincere support for the United States because we were born here, grew up here, and live here." In 1939, local merchants established the "Chinese Business Association" to organize Chinese people to celebrate the Fourth of July as the National Day to express their identification with the United States and to oppose racial discrimination at the time. The "Chinese Chamber of Commerce" also launched a "bowl of rice" donation event that year, and remitted the money raised back to the motherland to help the suffering compatriots under the iron heel of the Japanese invaders. After the outbreak of the Pacific War in 1941, 79 Chinese people from Alberta were recruited to serve in the military. Among them, four Chinese served in the 14th Flying Tigers, a mixed group of the Chinese and American Air Forces. They went to China and directly fought with the Chinese military and civilians against the Japanese imperialism that invaded the motherland. During World War II, five Chinese-American soldiers died for their country. The local Chinese continue to hold National Day activities to support the country's anti-fascism. After that, holding celebrations for the National Day of the United States became a traditional activity for the local Chinese and continues to this day. By the end of the 1960s, there were 5,000 Chinese people and multiple groups in Huanghuang City. In 1968, the "Feni Overseas Chinese Federation" was established by 13 overseas Chinese groups. Since its establishment, the Overseas Chinese Federation has continued to organize activities for all overseas Chinese to celebrate National Day and the "Double Tenth Day". So far, there are 100,000 overseas Chinese in the greater Phoenix area. The Overseas Chinese Federation has grown to include 17 groups today, and it has always been the largest Chinese organization in the region. Currently renamed as "Greater Phoenix Area Overseas Chinese Association", its members include Phoenix and many surrounding satellite cities. Every year, it holds thousands of people to celebrate the National Day and many other activities.

2. The Situation and Development of the Overseas Chinese Community Over the past 44 years, the Overseas Chinese Federation of Nuohuangcheng has held National Day celebrations and various activities to demonstrate the strength of Chinese unity and strive for mainstream social recognition, and to actively promote Chinese culture. When the Overseas Chinese Federation of Huangcheng City was founded, it coincided with the beginning of the "China fever". Americans appreciated and yearned for five thousand years of Chinese culture. Even local overseas Chinese and their descendants who had left the motherland for decades were in urgent need of rediscovering their roots and cultural identity. In this case, the National Day activities held by the Overseas Chinese Federation will have new connotations. Since 1970, dragon and lion dance performances have been added to the annual celebrations, as well as folk wedding performances, classical costume and cheongsam shows, Chinese kung fu, Chinese movies and other cultural and artistic programs to change the American people's old impression of the Chinese. At the same time, the "Miss Chinese Phoenix Beauty Pageant" was also added to encourage the participation of the next generation of Chinese Americans, so that Chinese culture can be passed down and the National Day event will have a brighter color. The Overseas Chinese Federation's activities to promote Chinese culture have had a positive impact at home and abroad through various media reports such as "Chinese and Foreign Magazine", "Jinshan Times", as well as local newspapers and the Internet in recent years. This success is another significance of the National Day activities held by the Overseas Chinese Federation. The celebrations held year after year have received attention and support from mainstream society. In 1979, Arizona Governor Bruce E. Babbit came to the scene in person to celebrate the National Day with the Chinese. In the 1990s, Phoenix Mayor Skip Rimsza wrote in a congratulatory letter: "I would like to welcome the Phoenix Chinese Community National Day Convention, which you have been celebrating since the late 1930s." In the millennium, Governor Jane Dee Hall sent a congratulatory letter: "On behalf of the entire state of Arizona, I am pleased to endorse this year's event, and I commend you for your commitment and loyalty to the citizens of Arizona. "Every year, state and city governments send congratulatory messages or have officials attend the celebrations, and the diaspora also provides strong support and participation. The Overseas Chinese Federation is also developing, from seeking recognition at the beginning to fighting for its own rights and interests. It has worked hard to obtain funds from government departments to build the "Kang Ning Building" and the "Senior Citizen Association". Recently, it also received a government allocation of 5.3 million yuan to build the "Kang Le Building". In recent years, due to the development of the situation in the motherland and across the Taiwan Strait, the Overseas Chinese Federation has also participated in activities organized by groups on both sides of the Taiwan Strait and organized various public welfare activities. In 1989, the American and American Chinese Associations and Chinese Associations held a massive annual conference in this city. The Phoenix Overseas Chinese Federation General Association planned and organized the conference very successfully and was well received. The Federation of Overseas Chinese also visited the Luo Provincial Chinese Association in 2011 to learn from the big brother of the overseas Chinese community.

3. The current status of the operation of the association. The Overseas Chinese Federation of Nuohuangcheng has grown from 13 groups to 17 groups at present. It has been able to maintain unity for decades, which is an important factor. In history, many Chinese groups have had their activities stagnated or even collapsed due to financial disputes or internal discord. The Overseas Chinese Federation of Phoenix City celebrates the National Day every year. No matter how the chairman and staff of the Overseas Chinese Federation change, the selected team must shoulder the important task of successfully celebrating the National Day. The Overseas Chinese Federation has pooled the manpower and material resources of more than a dozen of its own groups, and everyone divides labor and cooperates to unite and help each other and take the overall situation into consideration. During the half-year preparatory activities, we relaxed our muscles, brought in new ideas, and constantly added new people and new strengths. Therefore, instead of disbanding, we have developed over the years. In addition, the annual celebration also receives assistance from other associations in the Chinese community and attracts the help of many volunteers. The celebration has become a platform for everyone to contribute and showcase their talents, and has become a large-scale event that all walks of life in Phoenix can participate in. The advanced overseas Chinese have already included a "beauty pageant" in the National Day activities in 1970, which made the younger generation willing to participate. The beauty pageant greatly increased the amount of funds raised. The Miss Chinese Beauty Pageant in Phoenix City has been held for the 30th time, and the atmosphere is therefore full of entertainment and viewing. The sun is shining brightly in July, but even the mainstream society is willing to participate. As early as 1978, the Federation of Overseas Chinese printed the "National Day Special" for the first time. In recent years, the "National Day Special" has become a record of the annual activities of the Overseas Chinese Federation, leaving a record for history.

4. Conclusion Today when we look back again, in the early days of Huanghuang City where there were not many Chinese, the overseas Chinese ancestors established the Overseas Chinese Federation. For more than 40 years, we have been organizing activities to celebrate the National Day of the United States. This kind of persistence and success is very rare among the Chinese communities in major cities in the United States. The Phoenix City Chinese Association will record this period of history, cherish this enthusiasm, and cherish the contributions of our overseas Chinese ancestors. We will continue to carry forward this fine tradition as the torch is passed down from generation to generation!

(This article is a report on overseas Chinese affairs made at the "25th China Association of America and the 29th China Association of America, China Office, and Overseas Chinese Association" conferences in the United States.)