The Invention of Chinese America

Columbia professor Mae Ngai is the author of several books. Her most recent work, The Lucky Ones: One Family and the Extraordinary Invention of Chinese America, explores the saga of the Tape family and three generations of Chinese American immigration brokers. “Everyone needed them, but nobody trusted them,” Ngai said of the family. She visited the Zócalo office to explain the emergence of the Chinese-American middle class in the 19th century and what it meant for future generations of their descendants.

*Photo courtesy dano_StL.


×

Send A Letter To the Editors

    Please tell us your thoughts. Include your name and daytime phone number, and a link to the article you’re responding to. We may edit your letter for length and clarity and publish it on our site.

    (Optional) Attach an image to your letter. Jpeg, PNG or GIF accepted, 1MB maximum.