Christopher Wray, Why repeat old Ways as reported before??

Transcending Nations and Superficial Pleasures

Ziping Liu

HISTORY 317L Professor Hsu May 6, 2016

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Socrates once said, the unexamined life is not worth living. Regardless of whether or not Tung Chin studied philosophical ideas from Socrates, Chin definitely examined his life to the fullest, questioning his life choices, transcending beyond superficial pleasures, and ultimately becoming one with the world rather than a nation. Throughout his journey, he faced the contradictions of acculturation versus racism, was the definition of the marginal man, and walked a path that resembled that of other Chinese immigrants but found ways to make it his own.

Tung Chin arrived in America at the age of 19 for the sake of finding work, under the pretenses of being a paper son.1 A paper son is one who relies on fake identities that are related to the Chinese American population for the sake of immigrating to America due to the racially discriminatory laws that prevented the Chinese to immigrate freely.2 Chin had to memorize various pieces of information about his “father” and his “father’s” family since he had to be interrogated to verify the legitimacy of the relation to his said “father.”3 After a successful interrogation, Chin went on to find various jobs in the laundry business in Massachussetts.4 After a while, he went on to work at his father’s laundry business. 5 While in America, Chin realized how dark Chinese ethnic enclaves were and how Chinese workers would go on to entertain themselves superficially. An ethnic enclave is an area that contains a specific ethnic group and offers commercial establishments that thus allows a sense of community to be established against an otherwise discriminatory mainstream society. 6 Chin described of clans that formed in these ethnic enclaves. These clans exerted incredible influence within the community, orchestrating organized gambling and gang like activities.7 A previous employer of Chin’s would go and gamble in the Chinese community, losing all his savings in the process.8 This was sadly a process that would repeat itself.9

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With the death of his real father, came the examination of Chin’s own future and thus his new found interest in gaining wisdom and education. His father, while on his death bed, warned Chin of the perils of gambling, clan membership, and oddly enough, the illusion of America’s easily gotten riches.10 With that idea ingrained into his mind, Chin “turn[ed] over a new leaf” and rid himself of his gambling inclinations.11 Having studied Confucianism in China, Chin went and sought after wisdom and education. Chin wrote letters to various people of higher education, seeking advice for education and received a letter back from Dr. Ralph E Pickett, the assistant dean of the school of education at New York University.12 Dr. Pickett sent Chin various books on learning English and would later on become a lifelong friend.13 By studying the English and Chinese versions of Confucian classics, Chin’s newly gained English skills let him become a Sunday sermon interpreter.

With the onset of World War II, Chin joined the navy and felt a new sense of nationalism never felt before. He previously had a laundry business which he lost.14 In the navy, Chin faced racism and was only allowed jobs that minorities could take up; he served as a waiter.15 In contrast to his humble roots in China, Chin felt incredibly proud to be a part of such a powerful military, feeling a wave of nationalistic pride for America.16 After the war, Chin settled down back to his ordinary life and transcended his monetary desires to one with more meaning, all while his nationalistic pride evolved to a broader sense of his contradictory belonging. The navy had changed his view on the world, and he decided to become more involved with world affairs.17 Chin wished to see a stronger China which was in a state of civil war.18 Chin felt that back home in China there was no future for a good life.19 Yet, abroad in the states, his future was also bleak with racism.20 Chin felt a stronger future for China would lead to a better future for him at least in America.21 A stronger China would at least show

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that the Chinese were not weak, but China was riddled with war and poverty. It was here that a contradictory belonging is felt. He could not see peace in either country for himself. This was probably a reason why he decided on becoming a successful poet rather than focus solely on making money.22 Perhaps pursuing a career in poetry would help him focus on something beyond nationalistic and materialistic desires.

After the Communists took over China, America became quite a different place for Chin.

China Daily News, the newspaper in which he published his poetry, was charged as being proCommunist.23 Chin went on to marry and had children, abandoning his failed marriage in Hong Kong.24 FBI agents became a common sight for Chin as they visited Chin several times to identify whether or not he was Communist since he had published poems for a “pro-Communist” newspaper.25 Sadly, Chin’s fears about the initial FBI visit led him to burn all his poetry.26 In his discussion about the Communist takeover of China with Dr. Pickett, both of them agreed that all they wanted to see was a more prosperous China.27 Transcending above the desires of American ideology, Chin’s thought process evolved to pragmatism, in which case no country could confine him to its “mainstream” ideals.28 Chin desired only peace and prosperity for China no matter what color of the cat and published a column in the China Daily News expressing this idea.41 Of course, FBI agents showed up at his place a few days later and called him a Communist.29 In a fit of anger, Chin expressed that he only wanted to see China improve as a nation regardless of which the ideology behind it.30 Chin expressed that he had no desires to see America as a Communist nation and to arrive at that conclusion was just “unfair.”31 The FBI agents left without a word.32 In light of the darkness surrounded by the anti-Communist era of American society, Chin began to feel more integrated into American society. At the church that Chin volunteered at,

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Chin found solace in talking with his friend Reverend Buchheimer.33 Buchheimer eased Chin’s paranoia from the FBI visits, saying to Chin that he has assimilated well into American society.34 Buchheimer then invited Chin’s family to dinner, making Chin feel welcomed again to America.35 Later on the FBI would visit him for the last time, watching him teach his children Chinese.36 Perhaps with the FBI visits ended, Chin felt safe in America again. While reflecting on his life at a tea house with his family, it was then that he realized that he had “struck it rich” in America; he was surrounded by a loving family with a positive future ahead.37 Chin developed a sense of acculturation while confronting racism, leading to a contradictory sense of life. Chin joined the navy, volunteered at the church, learned English, and became friends with Americans. This was while he was being chased after by FBI agents based on his Chinese background and associations with the China Daily News. It can be seen that Chin was pulled apart by two worlds. He wanted to maintain a Chinese heritage by studying Confucian texts, teaching his children Chinese, and hoping for a strong China. Yet, he also picked up activities in American culture. He wanted only to live out his life experiencing a balance of both worlds. Yet, his world was pulled apart and made contradictory by the FBI agents rummaging through his life. It was only when the FBI agents stopped bothering him and having gained the support of his American friends that he finally felt truly relaxed with life, realizing that he had done his best to become accepted into American society, at least, with those that were rational.

Along with this, Chin can be described as the marginal man. Seeing that both in China he cannot make a living and in the States he faced discriminatory issues, Chin was held between two cultures that forced him try to clarify certain discriminatory issues and found an outlet beyond nationalistic ideals. Poetry was one thing that allowed him to keep his mind off politics.

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When the FBI agents came too often, Chin decided he would clarify that he was not communist, but rather a proponent of only prosperity for China by writing a column in the China Daily News. Ultimately, Chin’s adamant stance on only wanting China to become powerful, regardless of the ideology, freed him from the annoyances of the FBI. By standing his ground, he developed a sense of identity beyond national boundaries; he only saw America as a tool for in which he could live a happy life and seeing that China was weak and lacking opportunity, he was more than happy to stay in America. Yet, he also wanted China to prosper. In a way, he was a citizen of the world: he rooted for both America and China through benefiting society in America and having the goal of seeing China succeed as a nation.

Chin’s experience in America compared to immigrants as a whole in many ways were different and many ways the same. Chin saw many immigrants live out their lives gambling and losing money in a perpetual cycle but decided to live beyond that. Perhaps he was different in that he did not fall for coping mechanisms for a harsh society through vices but rather so through art, wisdom and education. He found his hobby in poetry and published it. He did indeed befriend a dean of education, in which he discussed everything from education to politics. His experience here was definitely different from those that he saw around him who lived out their lives working and sending money back home like machines, sending money back home for their wives to have materialistic happiness.38 But like all immigrants, he faced discrimination and the same job prospects by having a career in the laundry business and only being allowed as a waiter in the navy.39 FBI agents questioning his allegiance towards America was no doubt something that many Chinese immigrants suffered in the same or similar light.40 Chin without a doubt led a path many other immigrants like him took but also made it his own.

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I had an incredible time reading this book, as it gave me a personal and emotional account of what we’ve learned in this class. I could not help but feel the same emotions he did, as he shouted in defiance towards the FBI agents. I could not help but feel the same connection he made, as he realized his two worlds trying to rip himself apart. Yet, I could not help but see that there are positive aspects to look forward to, as he befriended good Americans who respected him for what he was and not what his race was. This was one of my favorite books, as it did not try to censor itself from controversial events. This book felt very real and will be one of my favorite memoirs.

In conclusion, Chin wrote an incredibly honest reflection on his life showing a contradictory world and a life that is quite unique yet similar to other immigrants. Chin examined his life choices and lifted himself out of his father’s fate; he ended up living out his own fate.

Instead of living out life as an average worker, Chin lived his life in a more meaningful fashion.

When faced with a contradictory world, Chin transcended himself beyond nationalistic ideals and simply wanted prosperity for both the US and China. At the end of his memoir, he reflects his life with happiness, signaling a positive outlook on his life.

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Notes 1.

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Chin, Tung Pok and Winifred C. Chin, Paper Son: One Man's Story (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2000), 12 Lee, Shelley Sang-Hee. A New History of Asian America (New York: Routledge, 2014), 153 Chin, Tung Pok and Winifred C. Chin, Paper Son: One Man's Story (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2000), 12 Chin, Tung Pok and Winifred C. Chin, Paper Son: One Man's Story (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2000), 13 Chin, Tung Pok and Winifred C. Chin, Paper Son: One Man's Story (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2000), 20 Lee, Shelley Sang-Hee. A New History of Asian America (New York: Routledge, 2014), 113 Chin, Tung Pok and Winifred C. Chin, Paper Son: One Man's Story (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2000), 17 Chin, Tung Pok and Winifred C. Chin, Paper Son: One Man's Story (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2000), 15 Lee, Shelley Sang-Hee. A New History of Asian America (New York: Routledge, 2014), 107 Chin, Tung Pok and Winifred C. Chin, Paper Son: One Man's Story (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2000), 24 Chin, Tung Pok and Winifred C. Chin, Paper Son: One Man's Story (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2000), 35 Chin, Tung Pok and Winifred C. Chin, Paper Son: One Man's Story (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2000), 36 Chin, Tung Pok and Winifred C. Chin, Paper Son: One Man's Story (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2000), 36 Chin, Tung Pok and Winifred C. Chin, Paper Son: One Man's Story (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2000), 41 Chin, Tung Pok and Winifred C. Chin, Paper Son: One Man's Story (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2000), 43 Chin, Tung Pok and Winifred C. Chin, Paper Son: One Man's Story (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2000), 45 Chin, Tung Pok and Winifred C. Chin, Paper Son: One Man's Story (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2000), 49 Chin, Tung Pok and Winifred C. Chin, Paper Son: One Man's Story (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2000), 50 Chin, Tung Pok and Winifred C. Chin, Paper Son: One Man's Story (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2000), 50 Chin, Tung Pok and Winifred C. Chin, Paper Son: One Man's Story (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2000), 50 Chin, Tung Pok and Winifred C. Chin, Paper Son: One Man's Story (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2000), 50

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Chin, Tung Pok and Winifred C. Chin, Paper Son: One Man's Story (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2000), 131 Chin, Tung Pok and Winifred C. Chin, Paper Son: One Man's Story (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2000), 51 Chin, Tung Pok and Winifred C. Chin, Paper Son: One Man's Story (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2000), 59 Chin, Tung Pok and Winifred C. Chin, Paper Son: One Man's Story (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2000), 69 Chin, Tung Pok and Winifred C. Chin, Paper Son: One Man's Story (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2000), 75 Chin, Tung Pok and Winifred C. Chin, Paper Son: One Man's Story (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2000), 78 Chin, Tung Pok and Winifred C. Chin, Paper Son: One Man's Story (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2000), 76 Chin, Tung Pok and Winifred C. Chin, Paper Son: One Man's Story (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2000), 84 Chin, Tung Pok and Winifred C. Chin, Paper Son: One Man's Story (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2000), 84 Chin, Tung Pok and Winifred C. Chin, Paper Son: One Man's Story (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2000), 86 Chin, Tung Pok and Winifred C. Chin, Paper Son: One Man's Story (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2000), 87 Chin, Tung Pok and Winifred C. Chin, Paper Son: One Man's Story (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2000), 90 Chin, Tung Pok and Winifred C. Chin, Paper Son: One Man's Story (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2000), 90 Chin, Tung Pok and Winifred C. Chin, Paper Son: One Man's Story (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2000), 93 Chin, Tung Pok and Winifred C. Chin, Paper Son: One Man's Story (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2000), 128 Chin, Tung Pok and Winifred C. Chin, Paper Son: One Man's Story (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2000), 143 Chin, Tung Pok and Winifred C. Chin, Paper Son: One Man's Story (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2000), 6 Lee, Shelley Sang-Hee. A New History of Asian America (New York: Routledge, 2014), 188 Lee, Shelley Sang-Hee. A New History of Asian America (New York: Routledge, 2014), 246 Chin, Tung Pok and Winifred C. Chin, Paper Son: One Man's Story (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2000), 84

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Bibliography Chin, Tung Pok, and Winifred C. Chin. Paper Son: One Man's Story. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2000.

Lee, Shelley Sang-Hee. A New History of Asian America. New York: Routledge, 2014.

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