The slow and steady
growth of the Chinese population in Hartford cannot be
characterized as a mass migration, but rather a gradual
one. Unlike some of the other people groups who came to
Connecticut to escape political turmoil and persecution,
the Chinese migration began on the basis of education.
The foundation of the Chinese movement to
Connecticut began in 1847. A young Chinese student named
Jung Hung (pronounced Rong Hong) and two other students
left China to enroll at the Monson Academy in
Massachusetts. Previously, Hung studied the English
language at a Christian educational society in Macao
(located near southeast China) and received the
equivalent of an elementary school education. In 1850,
Hung graduated from the academy and entered Yale
University in Connecticut. Aside for minimal financial
aid provided by community organizations, Hung paid for
his college education by working two jobs while enrolled
at school. Four years later (1854), Jung Hung became the
first Chinese student to graduate from an American
university. After graduating, Hung returned to China to
serve in the government. Hung became one of the strong
proponents of Western learning for Chinese students.
In 1872, following Hung’s recommendation,
the Ching government of China created the Chinese
Educational Mission in Hartford. China, which was badly
in need of an infusion of technological and scientific
knowledge, agreed to send thirty students every year as
part of the educational pact. Hung convinced government
officials that it would be beneficial for China to study
advanced industry techniques in order to update the
Republic’s methods of industrial production. The
Ching government had a vision that it could utilize the
education learned by its students in America and
translate it into increased industrial productivity in
their country. Therefore, as a result of the ratification
of the Burlingame Treaty (Treaty that allowed Chinese
students to have educational privileges), 120 students
(ranging from age 10 – 16 ) were sent to Hartford
between 1872 and 1874.
Beginning in the early 19th century, China
created partnerships with various schools in the New
England area with the approval of the American
government. These partnerships have led to a strong link
between China and Connecticut. As a direct result of this
bond, Yale University has become one of the top centers
for Chinese education in the entire nation. Yale offers
thirty-three Chinese classes, outdistancing almost all
other colleges in that language.
Word of the plan to send Chinese students to
America spread throughout sections of Mainland China.
Chinese families were generally not receptive to the idea
of sending their children across the ocean to a foreign
world. The students themselves were also not excited
about the prospect of leaving home and travelling to a
new cultural world with foreign values, languages, and
food. Most of the students were predominantly male and in
China, the son was the child that is supposed to work for
the family. (This cultural trait has changed somewhat
since) Therefore, families who sent a child received
stipends from the government. Since Chinese women were
not given an equal education to men in their homeland,
some female students were grateful to be given the chance
to go to Connecticut in order to become educated.
Presently, there are
just over 11,000 Chinese people living in Connecticut.
The growth rate of the Chinese in Connecticut has
fluctuated over the last century due to various different
factors. In 1882, the U.S. Congress passed the Chinese
Exclusion Act, which disallowed Chinese workers from
entering the U.S. for ten years. The act also denied the
Chinese the right to become citizens in America.
Therefore, from 1882 until 1943, this Exclusion Act made
a strong impact on the immigration of Chinese to America.
The nation’s Chinese population dwindled from
107,488 in the year 1890 to 77,504 in the year 1940. (A
disappearance of 29,984 Chinese) This same trend of
decreasing population carried over to Connecticut as
well. Ultimately, the Chinese believed that the U.S. has
rescinded its promise by way of the Burlingame Treaty to
give Chinese access to educational facilities. The
Chinese wanted their students to attend military
institutions, such as the Naval Academy and Westpoint.
This was too much for the American government. The
Americans were willing to let the Chinese study in their
nation, but not willing to let them learn their military
tactics.
The Chinese Cultural Center
of Hartford (CCC) is a thriving organization that is
built on the enthusiasm of its members. The CCC,
established in 1980, is a nonprofit, non-political group
that provides essential services for the Chinese
community. One of the Center’s most exciting
components is its involvement with the education of its
youth. The Chinese Language School of Hartford, led by
energetic principal Tzoumin Hsiung, shows the dedication
that the CCC has toward its future generation. The
Chinese Language School, established in 1982, serves two
main purposes. First, the school instructs primarily
elementary students in the fundamentals of the Chinese
language. Secondly, it provides a chance for the students
to experience their heritage through Chinese dance,
martial arts, and other Chinese culture-related
activities. By instilling the importance of Chinese
traditions through language and culture, the CCC is
setting an essential foundation for the next generation
of Chinese-Americans in Hartford.
The CCC of Hartford is
unique compared to similar Chinese organizations in
larger cities, such as Boston and New York. In those
cities, the groups are divided and politics plays a large
role within the organizations. The CCC of Hartford is a
close-knit organization that prides itself on being
community-oriented rather than a collection of
individuals. Also, the CCC does not focus its attention
solely on the Chinese community. The Center has actively
donated books to local schools and libraries in the
Hartford area. The CCC also conducts presentations
pertaining to Chinese dance and martial arts to give the
community an idea of traditional Chinese culture.
Hartford has experienced
immigration of the Chinese from three main places. There
have been immigrants from Mainland China, Taiwan, and
Hong Kong. Professor Taikang Ning, chairman of the CCC,
estimates that the Chinese Culture Center has seen its
membership demographics change over the years. The
organization has witnessed a change in where the bulk of
the Chinese have been arriving from. In the early 80s,
most of the families were coming from Taiwan. Presently,
however, Ning estimates that 50% of the CCC’s 300
member families have come from Mainland China. Ning also
asserted that unlike big cities, where clusters of
Chinese have gathered to live in one place (Chinatown),
the Connecticut Chinese are more spread out.
The educational groundwork
that Jung Hung planted nearly 150 years ago still stands
firm today in Hartford. Through the work of Professor
Ning, Ms. Shyling Lee, Principal Tzoumin Hsiung, and many
more prominent members of the Chinese community, the
Chinese have a cultural organization of which they can be
proud. The CCC provides a firm link between the past
(tradition), the present, and the future. It is essential
for members of the community to be able to bind together
and help each other when a member is in need. When Jung
Hung became an American citizen in 1852, he made Hartford
his home. Hartford was not just a place on the map to
Jung Hung, but a place he wanted to call home. There was
no Chinese community back then, except for the newly
immigrated students. Today, the focus is still on
education. The community thrives on its enthusiasm for
its children. The students can finally call Hartford
their home.
