I heard that many people from Fujian work in the United States? Where in the United States?

500,000 Fujian immigrants have transformed New York’s Chinatown from one to four

In the past decade, New York’s Chinatown has undergone great changes. First of all, the old "Chinatown" in lower Manhattan has expanded its territory, crossing Canal Avenue to the north and entering "Little Italy" that was once dominated by Italians; and occupying the formerly deserted East Broadway to the east. Secondly, in Flushing, Queens, New York's "Second Chinatown", which was previously oligarchy, is now home to supermarkets and restaurants, and its scale and popularity even exceed the old "Chinatown" in Manhattan. In addition, the "Third Chinatown" on Eighth Avenue in Brooklyn and the "Fourth Chinatown" in Elmhurst, Queens, have also begun to take shape.

These changes in Chinatown can be attributed to new immigrants from China, especially immigrants from Fujian. Chen Qingquan, chairman of the "Fujian Association", the largest and oldest Fujianese overseas group in New York, told reporters that there are now 7.8 million Fujian immigrants in the United States, and there are 4.5 million in New York, which is at least double the number ten years ago. . The number of overseas Chinese groups immigrated from Fujian has also increased from more than 20 at that time to more than 100 now. In the past, New York's "Chinatown" was dominated by Cantonese immigrants. Now, Fujian immigrants have surpassed Cantonese immigrants and become the largest Chinese immigrant group in New York.

With the increase of new immigrants from Fujian, the scale of "Chinatown" continues to expand, and various industries have also increased, ranging from banks, hotels, hotels, supermarkets, to stalls selling cooked food and phone cards. It's booming.

From takeaway shops to food supermarkets, it is well known that food is important

As we all know, opening Chinese restaurants was an important means of livelihood for early Chinese immigrants. However, the arrival of new immigrants from Fujian has caused profound changes in Chinese restaurants.

Most of these new immigrants from Fujian come from rural Fujian and immigrated through relatives who are already in the United States, but some of them came here illegally. When they first arrived in the United States, these new immigrants did not speak English and had no skills. They had to work in Chinese restaurants where early Chinese immigrants lived, because they could work without English. Although the wages of working in Chinese restaurants are not high and the living conditions are poor, the experience of working in Chinese restaurants has laid the foundation for future development of these new immigrants from Fujian.

Since the most difficult thing for Chinese people to change when they go abroad is their eating habits, new immigrants from Fujian have made a fuss about eating. They targeted the Chinese market and opened Chinese takeout restaurants one after another. This kind of takeaway shop does not require a professional chef. One person or a couple can open it by hiring a few helpers. Today, 90% of Chinese takeout restaurants in New York are owned by Fujianese, and there are at least 5,000 of them.

In addition to opening Chinese takeout restaurants, new immigrants from Fujian also brought Chinese-style food supermarkets to New York. Chinese people like to eat fresh vegetables and raw seafood, and are not very interested in the frozen food in American supermarkets, which provides a market for Chinese-style food supermarkets. In fact, there are also shops selling fresh vegetables, meat, fish and shrimp in the old "Chinatown", but their stores are relatively small and have a single variety. The Chinese food supermarket opened by immigrants from Fujian is different. It not only has a large space, a complete range of goods, a neat and clean store, but also a large parking lot. It is a completely modern supermarket. The reporter has a friend from Fujian. In 2000, he invested in opening such a food supermarket in New York. In three or four years, he became the owner of three large food supermarkets.

Run a long-distance passenger transport company to compete with Greyhound

The successful development of new immigrants from Fujian in Chinese takeout restaurants and Chinese food supermarkets has driven many marginal industries.

The most typical example is the development of the long-distance bus transportation industry. As more and more Chinese takeout restaurants owned by Fujian immigrants are opening in New York, the market space is getting smaller and smaller, so they are targeting markets in other states. However, when opening a Chinese takeout restaurant out of state, the stove equipment and food ingredients must initially be purchased from New York, and the employees must basically be hired from New York. Therefore, some Fujian immigrants took the opportunity to start long-distance transportation companies.

These transportation companies first regularly transported food ingredients and equipment between New York and other states, and also transported people. Later, as personnel exchanges increased, the company opened up a separate long-distance passenger transport business. The passenger cars are all new large tourist cars, which are spacious and comfortable, have hot and cold air conditioning, and can carry luggage. They are better than the cars of the famous Greyhound long-distance company in the United States.

What’s more, the fare is cheap, only a fraction of Greyhound’s.

Fujian immigrants’ long-distance buses travel regularly every day to cities with a relatively large number of Chinese people. They can go as close as Philadelphia, Boston, and Washington, and as far away as Chicago, with one trip almost every hour. At first, only Chinese people took the ride, but because the train was in good condition and the fare was cheap, many Americans later came to "Chinatown" to ride. The passenger line for immigrants from Fujian has become a popular line. During holidays, passengers can hop on as they come, and it is very convenient to drive when the line is full. This flexible business model has attracted the attention of Greyhound companies and made them feel the pressure of competition.

Open a wedding photo studio to host Chinese weddings

New immigrants from Fujian gradually established themselves in the United States, their incomes became stable, and more and more people started families and started businesses. The resulting wedding market has also been noticed by Fujian immigrants. They soon opened one wedding studio after another in New York.

Currently, there are 17 wedding photography shops opened by Fujian immigrants in the old "Chinatown" in Lower Manhattan alone. Their wedding photography business already accounts for 70% of the entire Chinese wedding photography industry.

Correspondingly, industries such as wedding companies, bridal shops, jewelry shops, and flower shops are also booming. The services in these industries are very flexible. For example, if you cannot afford expensive wedding dresses and jewelry, you can rent them. Due to the considerate service, Chinese people from other states are now starting to choose New York to get married.

The Fujian Overseas Chinese Association has helped new immigrants succeed

Because the new immigrants from Fujian dare to think and act, they have broken out a new world in New York. Nowadays, East Broadway Street in New York is known as "Fuzhou Street" because of the large number of immigrants from Fujian. Every National Day in China, the five-star red flag is hung on this street and a National Day parade is held, and the scale expands year by year.

The reason why new immigrants from Fujian can develop rapidly in the United States is inseparable from the efforts of the Fujian Overseas Chinese Community. The overseas Chinese group originally mainly provided information for the friendship between fellow villagers, but the Fujian overseas Chinese group in the United States mainly provides help to the new immigrants from Fujian. For example, if some new immigrants do not understand U.S. laws and their legitimate rights and interests are infringed, they provide legal advice and assistance. Some new immigrants do not understand English and have misunderstandings with certain government departments. The overseas Chinese group helps them communicate with relevant government departments. Today, local police stations have learned to rely on overseas Chinese groups to manage Chinese communities and maintain social order.

In addition to helping Fujian immigrants adapt to life in the United States and develop their personal careers, various overseas Chinese groups in Fujian also continue to expand the influence of Fujian immigrants and help them integrate into local society. In this year's U.S. presidential election, these overseas Chinese groups actively mobilized Fujian immigrants to vote, which shows that these overseas Chinese groups have become stronger and more mature, and that Fujian immigrants have a higher awareness of integrating into local society.