History of Chinese Americans in Houston facts for kids

The Houston area is home to many people with Chinese family backgrounds. In 2013, over 72,000 people of Chinese origin lived in the larger Houston area, which includes Houston, Sugar Land, and Baytown.

A Look Back: History of Chinese People in Houston

The first Chinese people arrived in Houston in 1870. About 250 men came to help with construction work. The Daily Houston Telegraph newspaper reported that 247 Chinese people arrived in Galveston and moved into the area. By 1877, the Houston City Directory listed three Chinese men who worked in laundries. The 1880 United States Census, which was the first to count Chinese residents in Houston, showed seven Chinese people living there. At this time, the Chinese population in Houston was quite small.

Around 1901, there were 43 Chinese people in Houston. However, the Chinese Exclusion Act became permanent in 1902. This law made it very difficult for Chinese people to come to the United States. Because of this, some Chinese people left Houston, and the population dropped to 27 that year. Most of the original men from 1870 likely left Houston. The first Chinese business area opened in the early 1900s. The city even had a "Chinese inspector" to look for illegal activities. Some Houstonians at the time felt worried about the Chinese presence.

During the Great Depression, which was a time of great economic hardship, some Chinese families moved to Houston from rural Mississippi. They had run small stores in Mississippi, but many of their customers, who were African Americans, had left the state during the Great Migration.

By the late 1930s, fewer than 50 Chinese people lived in Houston. Most Chinese families owned restaurants or small grocery stores. They often lived in homes behind their businesses or on the upper floors of their business buildings. Because of unfair treatment, they couldn't join labor unions or get high-paying jobs.

The number of Chinese people in Houston grew to 121 by the start of World War II. During the war, many Chinese people from southern states moved to Houston for better job opportunities. The population more than doubled. Also, the Chinese Exclusion Act was removed in 1943, and the Chinese Communist Revolution changed the government in China in 1949. These events caused more people to leave China and come to the U.S. By 1950, there were still fewer than 1,000 people of Chinese origin in the Houston area, with about 500 in the city itself. Since Chinese people couldn't get into professional schools like law or medical schools back then, most worked in businesses like grocery stores and restaurants.

In the early 1950s, the Chinese Merchants' Association moved to an area in the southeastern part of Downtown Houston, which is now called East Downtown. This area became a "Chinatown" and grew during the 1970s. Today, this place is known as the "Old Chinatown." Some famous spots, like the original Kim Sơn restaurant, are still there. Many Chinese businesses have since moved out, and the area is being redeveloped.

By 1960, about 325 people in the city of Houston were of Chinese origin. In the 1960s, there were around 2,500 Chinese people in the wider Houston area.

The first schools teaching the Chinese language started appearing in the 1970s.

By 1983, about 30,000 people of Chinese origin lived in the Houston area. The first businesses of the new Houston Chinatown, located near Bellaire and Beltway 8, opened that same year. This new Chinatown started to grow in the 1990s as Asian-American business owners moved their shops from older neighborhoods, including the "Old Chinatown," looking for more affordable properties. By the 1980s, people in Houston, including local news and government, saw the Chinese community as an important cultural and economic part of the city.

In 2000, it was estimated that there were 24,000 Chinese Americans in Houston. By 2010, this number was thought to have grown by tens of thousands.

In 2001, Gordon Quan, a member of the Houston City Council, encouraged Asian Americans and Chinese Americans to get more involved in local politics.

Where Chinese Communities Are Located in Houston

The very first Chinatown in Houston was in the northern part of Downtown Houston. This area later shifted to what is now the Old Chinatown by the 1970s, as tall buildings replaced many older ones in northern Downtown. The New Chinatown began to develop in the 1980s.

Who Lives Here: Demographics

According to the 2010 Census, there were 43,940 people of Chinese or Taiwanese background in Harris County. This group made up 15.7% of all Asians in the county. This number includes people from Mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. In 2010, Chinese people were the second-largest Asian group in Fort Bend County, making up 21% of Asians there. They were also the second-largest Asian group in Montgomery County that same year.

Before the 1950s, most Chinese people in Houston were Cantonese people and often did not have much formal education. In 1980, Chinese people were the largest Asian population in Harris County. By 1990, there were 25,019 people of Chinese or Taiwanese descent, making up 22.8% of Asians in the county. By then, Chinese people in Houston came from many places, including other parts of the U.S., Mainland China, Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong. By 1990, the Chinese community was the second-largest Asian group in Harris County, after the Vietnamese. In 2000, there were 34,673 people of Chinese or Taiwanese descent, making up 18% of Asians in the county. From 2000 to 2010, the Chinese population in Harris County grew by 27%.

Getting Around: Transportation

In 2013, Air China announced it would start direct flights from Beijing to Houston. Xu Erwen, the consul general of the Consulate-General of China in Houston, said this new flight was very important for Houston's Chinese population.

In 2015, EVA Air also began flights from Houston to Taipei. Mayor of Houston Annise Parker said that Houston's growing Asian population made this flight very important.

In 2004, China Airlines started a flight from Houston to Taipei with a stop in Seattle. This was the first Asian airline to fly to Houston. The airline said that many Taiwanese companies had offices in Houston. In 2008, China Airlines stopped its service to Houston. When China Airlines was flying, it offered a private bus service to Sugar Land and the Southwest Houston Chinatown.

News and Information: Media

Southern News Group, a publishing company owned by a Chinese American, has its main office in Houston.

The Southwest Chinese Journal used to serve Chinese Houstonians.

By 2020, the WeChat app was commonly used by recent immigrants from Mainland China.

How People Make a Living: Economy

Around the 1870s, the first Chinese laundry opened. Around 1930, the first Chinese grocery business was Quong Yick, run by C. Y. Chu. When Chinese laundries became less popular, Chinese people started opening restaurants. At first, not many non-Chinese people in the area were interested in Chinese food, so the restaurants often served American food instead.

There was a proposed law in the Texas Senate that would have made it harder for Asian Americans in cities to pass on their property to their families. Some non-Asian grocery store owners supported this bill to reduce competition. However, the bill was stopped after two Asian Americans, Edward King Tung (E. K. T.) Chen from Houston and Rose Wu from San Antonio, spoke out against it.

Community Places: Institutions

The Consulate-General of the People's Republic of China in Houston (closed in 2020)

The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Houston from Taiwan (Republic of China) is located in Greenway Plaza. This Taiwanese office also has the Chinese Cultural Center in the Westchase area.

Before the Chinese Exclusion Act was removed, the Chinese consulate in the area helped protect the rights of Chinese people in the city, as they had limited rights at the time. The People's Republic of China had its Consulate-General of the People's Republic of China in Houston in Montrose from 1979 until 2020.

Texas Teo Chew Temple

Ascension Chinese Mission (美華天主堂)

The Chinese Community Center (CCC) is a non-profit organization located in the Bellaire Chinatown. It opened in 1979 as a Chinese Language School. The CCC offers different levels of English classes every day. In 2006, about 80% of the students at CCC had university degrees.

A Taiwanese Community Center, run by the Taiwanese American Association, is also in Bellaire Chinatown. It opened in 1992. Taiwanese immigrants, led by Dr. Yu Yan-Lee, gathered their money to create a community center separate from the CCC. The TCC also runs a school that teaches traditional Chinese and Taiwanese cultural events.

In the early days of the Chinese community, groups like the Chinese Association of Houston and the On Leong Chinese Merchants Association were active. The first main organization for Chinese people was Wah Kew of Houston. E. K. T. Chen was chosen as its president in the 1940s.

The Houston Lodge of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance (CACA) was started in 1954. Edward C. M. Chen, E. K. T. Chen's son, wrote that this group became very important across the country in the 1960s. Edward C. Chen later became the head of this group, being the youngest person to do so.

The Houston Asian American Archive, started in 2010 by Dr. Anne S. Chao, is a research collection at Rice University. It keeps records of interviews with many Chinese Americans in Houston, in English, Mandarin, or Cantonese.

How People Talk: Language

Historically, Chinese people who spoke Mandarin and those who spoke Cantonese were different groups. Cantonese speakers often adopted American culture more quickly. Mandarin speakers were sometimes seen as representing a more traditional culture.

What People Eat: Cuisine

There has been a Viet Hoa (ethnic Chinese) influence on Vietnamese food served in Houston. This means that some Vietnamese dishes in Houston have a Chinese touch.

The barbecue at Blood Bros. BBQ in Bellaire has Asian-American influences, as the co-owners are of Chinese background.

Getting Involved: Politics

Before the Chinese Exclusion Act was removed, Chinese people in the area didn't have much political power. They relied on the Chinese consulate to speak up for them. In 1995, Chinese people in the Houston area tended to support the Republican Party. By 2013, because of worries about unfair treatment against Asians and immigration rules, and because anti-Communism became less important, Chinese people's political choices shifted more towards the Democrats and independent parties.

Beverley Clark, who has both Chinese and African-American heritage, was elected to the Houston City Council in 1989. She was the first city council member of Asian background. Martha Wong, elected to the council in 1993, was the first person of mostly Asian background to be elected to the council.

Learning and Schools: Education

During the time of racial segregation in the United States, Chinese people in the Houston area were considered white. This meant they could get better educational opportunities up to college level. However, professional schools like law, medical, and dental schools in the area often rejected Chinese applicants, which limited their career choices. The CACA group successfully worked to get these professional schools to accept Chinese students.

E. K. T. Chen, the first university professor of Chinese ancestry in Houston, was also the first Chinese person to graduate from the University of Houston. He earned his degree in the 1930s.

Beliefs and Faith: Religion

The Texas Teo Chew Temple is run by the Teochew people, including those who came from Vietnam.

Fo Guang Shan Chung Mei Temple is a Buddhist Temple located in Stafford, Texas.

A Taoist temple, Texas Guandi Temple, is located in East Downtown. The temple was built in 1999 by a Vietnamese couple, Charles Loi Ngo and Carolyn, whose family came from China. They decided to build a temple to Guan Yu (Guandi), a Chinese god, after they survived a robbery at their store. They believed Guandi saved their lives. The building materials and design for the temple came from China. A statue of Buddha and a golden Lord Brahma came from Thailand. The temple welcomes people of all religions.

In 1999, there were 350 Chinese Catholic families in the Houston area. Ascension Chinese Mission started from a Chinese worship service in the 1970s. The church was officially created in 1988 and first met in a shopping center in the southwest Houston Chinatown area. It moved to its current location in Spring 1991.

Fun and Activities: Recreation

The Lunar New Year (also known as Chinese New Year) is celebrated in Houston. During this time, the Miss Chinatown pageant is held, along with other fun events.

The Dragoneers, a youth social club for Chinese Americans, used to meet at the Chinese Baptist Church.

Stories and Books: Literature

Edward M. Chen collected stories and wrote a chapter about the history of Chinese people in Houston. This was published in a 1984 book called The Ethnic Groups in Houston. In 1980, Edward Chen also put together an exhibit at the University of Houston about the Chinese community, called "Centennial of the History of Chinese in Houston since 1880."

Famous People

• Gordon Quan (a member of the Houston City Council)
• Martha Wong (a member of the Houston City Council)
• KevJumba (Kevin Wu) - A comedian and actor
• Denny Huang (黃柏鈞) - A Chinese-American movie star
• Cindy Yen - A Chinese-American pop star
• Terry Chang Gee (died 2012) - He volunteered for many Chinese American causes. Gordon Quan called him "one of the pioneers of the Chinese community."
• Yao Ming - A famous basketball player for the Houston Rockets from 2002 to 2011
• Edward King Tung Chen - The first university professor of Chinese ancestry in Houston. He helped prevent Chinese people from being unfairly held during the Korean War by working with the FBI.
• Gene Wu (a member of the Texas House of Representatives)

See also

• Demographics of Houston
• History of Vietnamese Americans in Houston
• MetroCorp Bancshares