Chinese Americans in the Mississippi Delta facts for kids

The Mississippi Delta Chinese are a small community of Chinese Americans who have lived in the Mississippi Delta region since the late 1800s. A similar group of Chinese Americans lives across the Mississippi River in the Arkansas Delta and in the nearby city of Memphis, Tennessee.

How the Chinese Came to the Delta

The first Chinese people came to the Mississippi Delta in the late 1800s. They were asked by cotton farm owners to work on plantations. This was during a time called Reconstruction, after the American Civil War.

These early Chinese immigrants were mostly farmers and traders. They came from the Sze Yap region of Guangdong province in Southern China. Most were single or married men. They worked hard in Mississippi and sent most of their money back to their families in China.

Life in the Delta

At first, the Chinese were not seen as either black or white. In official records, they were often called "colored." By the late 1870s, many Chinese people left the plantations. They started opening small family-owned grocery stores. These stores were in many small towns across the Delta.

Chinese families began moving to the Delta in the early 1900s. Most Mississippi Delta Chinese today are descendants of those who arrived around this time. For many years, Chinese-owned grocery stores were common. They served both white and black customers in every Delta city and town.

Schools and Segregation

Originally, Chinese children could not attend white public schools. Special Chinese schools were built for them in Greenville, Mississippi and Cleveland, Mississippi. However, after the Second World War, these schools closed. Chinese children were then allowed to attend both white schools and white colleges.

Growth and Change

The number of Mississippi Delta Chinese grew a lot after World War II. Many young Chinese men from the Delta served as soldiers. After the war, many women from China married these soldiers. They came to live in the Delta as war brides.

By the 1970s, about 3,000 Americans of Chinese descent lived in the Delta. Many of these were American-born children raised there. For decades, this community was one of the largest Chinese American groups in the American South.

However, over time, many families moved away. They went to larger cities in Texas, the West Coast, and the Northeast. Most of the old Chinese grocery stores have now closed. Only a few families still live in the Delta today.

Finding Their Place

When the Chinese arrived, society was strictly segregated. White people were at the top, and black people were at the bottom. The Chinese created their own special place in this society. They were not seen as black or white. They were first called "non-white" and later simply "Chinese."

They were not seen as having the same social status as whites. But they were also not seen at the same level as blacks. This was true even though they often lived in black neighborhoods. They also served mostly black customers. The Chinese acted as a link between black and white communities. They often provided a needed connection in a segregated society.

At first, Chinese children went to separate Chinese schools. These were different from both black and white schools. Later, before segregation officially ended, they often attended schools with white students. Many Chinese people tried to identify with white society. This was because whites had the highest status under Jim Crow laws. Some Chinese men married Black women because there were not many Chinese women to marry in the area.

Notable People from the Mississippi Delta Chinese Community

• Sam Chu Lin, a journalist and news anchor
• Martin F. Jue, an entrepreneur and inventor
• Josephine Jue, a NASA computer scientist
• Only Won, a producer known for the film Far East Deep South

Further Reading

• Oral Histories, Chinese Grocers. Southern Foodways Alliance (2010). [1]
• Chinese Oral Histories. Delta State University. [2]