The Transnational History of a Chinese Family: Immigrant Letters, Family Business, and Reverse Migration

Through the letters and writings of and to Sam Chang, records from the Immigration and Naturalization Service of the United States, and family documents, the history of the Chang family from Kaiping County, Guangdong province, China is revealed. In 1900, leaving his wife and children behind, father Yitang Chang came to the United States and opened a successful herbal business that catered to non-Asian clients in Los Angeles, California. In 1910, he married his second wife and began a second family. Because of his success, he was able to sponsor relatives and “paper sons” into the United States. Meanwhile, the chaotic political situation in China resulting from the fall of the Qing dynasty brought Sam, his eldest son from his first wife, to the United States in 1915. Sam opened a branch of the herbal store in Salt Lake City, Utah, but was not successful, so he ended up taking over his father's asparagus farm in southern California. Sam's wife and several children, as well as other relatives, migrated to the United States—some as paper sons. In a process of reverse migration, many of Yitang's and Sam's children went to China for educational purposes or to pursue careers because of the limited opportunities in the United States prior to the 1970s. The racism and discrimination that they faced, the values of the different generations, and the frustrations of life experiences in southern California and China are seen through the eyes of the family members.