Introduction to Asian Americans

According to the Oxford Dictionary, the word "Asian" is usually considered as a person with only East Asian descent in the United States. Therefore, "Asian" (or "Asian") generally refers to anyone with East Asian (including Vietnam) ancestry or any epicanthus characteristics. However, this statement is no longer in line with the recent definition of the US government. At present, people from East Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia are often regarded as Asians in the United States, regardless of whether they have the characteristics of epicanthus or not. In the American census, people from the Far East, Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent are defined as Asian ethnic groups.

Generally speaking, Asian Americans have the lowest poverty rate and the highest rate of higher education, and their family income and personal income are at the middle level among all ethnic groups in the United States.

In the past, most Americans referred to Asian Americans as "﹝Oriental﹞". However, starting from 1960, some people began to oppose this title, thinking it was derogatory and colonialist. But it was not until A.D. 1970 that academic circles began to use "﹝Asian American﹞" as an alternative formal title. One of the most famous examples is the historian Yuji Shimaoka, and people often attribute the change of this name to his promotion. Today, the word "Asian American" has been widely accepted, and it is used in most formal occasions, including government or academic institutions. Generally speaking, we often omit it as "﹝Asian﹞". "

Different from other ethnic groups, many related names appeared a long time ago, and Americans' address of Asians has also changed significantly like other ethnic groups. The most obvious change is that in 1965, when the new immigration law "Immigration Law 1965" was passed, the export restrictions of immigrants from various countries that were originally set up to restrict Asian immigrants were cancelled and a new immigration policy was changed to consider family factors and professional skills. Such a decision has greatly increased the number of immigrants from Asian countries and greatly increased the population of Asian beauty. Due to the increase in the number of people, the public has a better understanding of Asian beauty, and the scope of definition is not as limited as before. The new immigrants from Asia are also obviously different from the previous generation immigrants in the 20th century in education and economy. They started working in different jobs and living in different environments in America.