365 Days of Latino Heritage | Eff Yeah Asian History: Personal Histories

Eff Yeah Asian History: Personal Histories - Chinese Immigrants in Arizona

So I probably won’t make a habit out of this, but I recently arrived home from college - I’m living with my Mother and Grandparents in Tucson, Arizona, and the subject of my studies in Chinese came up. I just finished my first year, and I’m okay, but not great. For the purposes of this post, I think it’s important to know that I’m half Mexican-American - that plays into the background of this historical tidbit.

Eventually, the conversation turned to my Grandparents reminiscing. They said something that caught my attention - “You know, if it wasn’t for the Chinese immigrants, especially following the depression, a lot of us wouldn’t have made it.”

They explained that, especially during the Great Depression, there were quite a few immigrants who had quickly learned spanish in order to converse with the majority of their customer base (Tucson being somewhat close to the Mexican border, and with a heavy Latino population) and most of them allowed families to buy on credit. This was really beneficial for my family - my grandparents are bilingual, but their families spoke mostly spanish, and being able to converse in spanish always made things easier.

Such a small and simple act of trust between the communities meant that families didn’t have to go hungry because the paycheck didn’t come in time - the grocers would write up the credit owed, and come payday, families would pay it back - and would inevitably put more on tab. For Christmas, my grandparents told me, they would put in a little something extra (A lot something extra, to hear them tell it.)

My Grandpa ran into the daughter of one particular grocer awhile back, and told her how much her father’s work had helped them out, and how much it meant.

I decided to do a little research after learning this little tidbit -

Especially during the 1800s - 1920s or so, immigrants from China (and the rest of Asia) came to the United States, and usually ended up in California. Not all of them stayed in California, however, and quite a few made their way further east (and South) to Arizona.

Wiki cites an article “Of Kith and Kin: Land, Leases, and ‘Guanxi’ in Tucson’s Chinese and Mexican Communities, 1880s-1920s” by Grace Peña Delgado:

Chinese and Mexican merchants and farmers transcended racial differences to form ‘guanxi,’ kith relations of friendship and trust. Chinese leased land from Mexicans, operated grocery stores, and aided compatriots attempting to enter the United States from Mexico after the Mexican Revolution in 1910. Chinese merchants supplied General John Pershing’s army in its expedition against Pancho Villa. Successful Chinese in Tucson led a viable community based on social integration, friendship, and kinship.

I don’t suggest that either side didn’t face discrimination racially (even from each other) but I thought it was particularly interesting and wanted to share.

Lee Ho Market, 600 S. Meyer Street, 1940’s

The grocer in question, interestingly enough, was easy enough to find once I did a little searching on Chinese American history in Tucson. This is Lee Ho’s market, and I found this great picture via The Promise of Gold Mountain: Tucson’s Chinese Heritage. There’s also a little more reading to be done at Tucson Chinese History if it interests you.

Just thought I’d share, I thought it was a really neat story. :)