Chasing the American Dream in China centers the stories of second-generation Chinese American professionals who "return" to their ancestral homeland to build careers. This book highlights complex issues of ethnic identity and belonging faced by Chinese Americans in both the United States and China as they position themselves as indispensable economic bridges between the world's two greatest superpowers.

"Few studies have highlighted the stories of middle-class children of immigrants who move to their ancestral homelands-countries with which they share cultural ties but haven't necessarily had direct contact. Chasing the American Dream in China addresses this gap by examining the lives of highly educated American-born Chinese (ABC) professionals who "return" to the People's Republic of China to build their careers. Analyzing the motivations and experiences of these individuals deepens our knowledge about transnationalism among the second-generation as they grapple with complex issues of identity and societal belonging in the ethnic homeland. This book demonstrates how these professional migrants maneuver between countries and cultures to further their careers and maximize opportunities in the rapidly changing global economy. When used strategically, the versatile nature of their ethnic identities positions them as indispensable bridges between the global superpowers of China and the United States in their competition for global dominance"--

But this narrative obscures too much: the Chinese Americans still left behind, the erosion of the American Dream in general, the emergence--perhaps--of a Chinese Dream, and how other Americans will look at their countrymen of Chinese descent if China and America ever become adversaries. As Chinese Americans reconcile competing beliefs about what constitutes success, virtue, power, and purpose, they hold a mirror up to their country in a time of deep flux. In searching, often personal essays that range from the meaning of Confucius to the role of Chinese Americans in shaping how we read the Constitution to why he hates the hyphen in "Chinese-American," Eric Liu pieces together a sense of the Chinese American identity in these auspicious years for both countries.

This is the fascinating true story of the struggles and successes of Jimmy June Wong and his family from the time his grandfather emigrated from China to America around 1860 to the present day. The story is based on numerous rare historical documents and photographs that depict racism, intolerance, ancient Chinese customs such as foot binding, and efforts to adapt to the American way of life.

Introduction: Defining the Asian American heartland and its significance -- Transnational migration and businesses in Chinese Chicago, 1870s-1930s -- Building "hop alley" : myth and reality of Chinatown in St. Louis, 1860s-1930s -- Intellectual tradition of heartland : Chicago School and beyond -- Family and marriage in heartland, 1880s-1940s -- Living heartland : 1860s-1950s -- Governing heartland : on Leong Chinese Merchants and Laborers Association, 1906-1966 -- The 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act and the formation of cultural community in St. Louis -- The tripartite community in Chicago -- Conclusion: Convergences and divergences.

WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER “An American corporate executive’s paean to 21st-century China—and a call for doing business there.” —Kirkus Reviews Many people do not have a full understanding of China today, yet it has created the greatest economic transformation in history. Since the early 1990s, hundreds of millions of people have moved to cities in China, where they gain access to better schools, health care, and infrastructure, as well as higher-paying jobs. China’s GDP has grown from $300 per capita to more than $10,000 in the past 30 years and lifted more people into the middle class than in any other country at any other point in human history. It is important for investors, US companies, and anyone interested in the global economy to understand China. China is rapidly shifting from an export-driven, low-cost manufacturer to a consumer-driven economy, and the wealth of China’s 1.4 billion consumers continues to grow. As the founder and CEO of KraneShares, an asset management company focused on China and headquartered in New York, author Jonathan A. Krane provides an inside look at China’s transformation into a global superpower and explains why the relationship between the US and China is the most critical economic relationship in the world today. The China Dream is your guide to understanding China’s unmatched economic growth and fully realizing its status as an essential element in any well-designed investment portfolio, global business, and participation in the global economy.