Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1902-02-26
#liseellaneous &faains.
THE CHINESE IN AMERICA.
Some OF Them Not So Parsfmonious
as Has Been Supposed-How They
rS,.a In tho Hiffaa-

Some Of Them Not So Parsimonious
a.. Has Been Supposed-How They
Live In the Cities.
1t is the general impression among
Americans that the Chinese In this
country are parsimonious. This Is not
the case. The Chinese have earned
enormous amounts Of money, to De
sure, but they have also spent largely.
Their savings may be estimated as not
more than 10 per cent. Of what they
earn, which is very often permanently
invested in this country, and does not
60 to China. Laborers seldom save
anything, and this is as true OF the
Chinese as of other nationalities. In
the first place, the Chinanian Is usual
ly charged more for what he buys than
any one else, and. again, he is inclined
to be a spendthrift when he can. He
is an epicure in his own way. He is
also fond of silk clothes and expensive
shoes. Very often he is gambler.
The actual needs of the Chinaman are
greater in this country than in China.
The climate in the Kwang-tung prov
inces is so mild that all he requires at
home is a thin cotton blouse and trou-
sers, and two extra garments for Win
ter. His hat is of roughly plated
straw, and he wears straw sandals. In
this country he must wear woolen un-
derclothing, a felt hat. and leather
boots, if laborer. His boots in Amer
lea cost four or five times as much as
his whole outfit in China.
The food bought by the Chinese Is Of
ten quite as expensive as that OF the
whites. Instead Of living almost alto
gether on rice and chop suey, as Is the
general impression, Cinnamon, being
quite as fond Of meats as Americans,
buy pork, beef, and chickens. Chop
suey is made to sell to curious white
persons who visit Chinatown. In the
vicinity Of every large city where there
is any considerable Chinese colony
there are truck gardens devoted to
raising vegetables exclusively for Chi
namen from seed brought from their
native lands. These vegetables are un-
known to Americans. But the Chinese
also consume large quantities of the fl
ner kinds Of American vegetables. The
Chinaman has sweet tooth also; and
in the best Chinese restaurants in San
Francisco, New York, Chicago, and
other large cities, the best Of wines are
served to Chinese as we'll as American
customers, together with the finest and
most expensive foods. In the average
Chinese restaurant in those cities good
board can be had by the Chinese fol
from SIS to 500 a month, and these res
taurants are largely patronized. AS a
rule, the Cinnamon are compelled to
lodge in mean quarters; but in New
York and San Francisco there are q
number of we'll appointed homes, occu-
pied by the families Of well-to-do Chi
nese merchants, which the American
seldom or never sees. In New York
there is no apartment-house, up-to-
date in every respect, occupied by Chi
nese families. The Chinaman sticks
as closely as he can to the traditions
and customs Of his country, which are
strange to the Occidental, and, there
fore, a subject for comment and OTTER
for derision.
There are not many rich Chinamer
in America; but some Of them are very
we'll off, with fortunes ranging from
$1OO, 900 to $5O00OO. There Is one multi
millionaire, Chin Tan Sup, who is the
richest Chinaman in the country. CHR
Tan Sup owns whole towns, and EN-.
ploys hundreds of white men and wo.
men in his factories and canneries. He
owns ranches, city real estate, golc
mines, and diamonds; he conducts 6
real estate business, and he has seve'
raj merchandise stores in San Francis
co. He is a self-made man and very
shrewd and progressive. He came tt
America in the Steerage as a lad, anC
went to work in kitchen. He married
white woman, and with their saw.
ings originated little lottery" bust.
ness in San Francisco. He was large.
ly patronized by Americans, and soor
grew rich enough to become a mer'
chant also. From this beginning hi
developed into a commercial and polit.
ical power. He is called big Jim," or
account of his size. He is six feet tall
and a we'll proportioned, good looking
To-, !, fc ,~la la1 hE
soul Of honor. His wardrobe Is mag.
nificent, and several Wallets are needed
to care for it.-Sunyowe Ping, in The
Forum.