The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1902-04-13
THE CHINESE IN AMERICA.
Some Points About How They Live
and Make Money.

! ,Sunyowe Pang in the Forum
1t is the general impression among
Americans that the Chinese in this coun-
try are parsimonous. This is not the
case. The Chinese have earned enormous
amounts of money, to be sure. but they
have also spent largelay. Their savings
may be estimated as not more than 10 per
cent of what they earn, which is very
often invested in this country, and does
not go to China. Laborers seldom save
anything. This is as true of the Chinese
as of other nationalities. In the first place
the Chinaman is usually charged more
for what he buys than anybody else, and
again he is inclined to be a spendthrift
when he can. He Is an epieure IN MS
own way. He is also fond of silk clothes
and expensive shoes. Very often he is a
gambler The actual needs of China
man are greater In this country than in
China The climate in the Kwang-Tung
provinces is so mild that all he requires
at home Is a thin cotton blouse and
trousers and two extra garments for
winter. His hat is of roughly plated
straw, and he wears straw sandals In
this country he must wear wollen under
clothing, a felt hat and leather boots, II
a laborer. His boots in America cost
| four or five times as much as his whole
outfit in China.
The food bought by the Cinese Is Of
ten quite as expensive as that of the
whites. Instead of living almost alto
gether on rice and chop sooy, as is the
general impression, Cinnamon being quite
as fond OF meat as Americans, buy pork,
beef and chickens. Chop sooy is made to
sell to curious white persons who visit
Chinatown. In the vicinity of every large
city where there Is any considerable Chi
Eese colony there are truck gardens de-
voted to raising vegetables exclusively
| for Cinnamon from seed brought from
| their native land These vegetables are
unknown to Americans. But the Chinese
| also consume large quantities of the finer
| kinds of American vegetables The China
man has a sweet tooth also. and in the
best Chinese restaurants in San Fran
| cisco, New York, Chicago and other large
cities the best wines are served to Chi
nese as well as Am erican customers, to-
gether with the finest and most expensive
foods. In the average Chinese restau-
rants in those cities good board can be
had by the Chinese for from SIS to $40 a
| month, and these restaurants are largely
| patronized. AS a rule the Cinnamon are
compelled to lodge in mean quarters. but
| in New York and San Francisco there
are a number of well-apponted homes,
| occupied by the families of well-to-do
| Chinese merchants, which the American
| seldom or never sees. In New York there
is an apartment house, up to date in ev-
respect, occupied by Chinese families.
| The Chinaman sticks as closely as he
can to the traditions and customs of
| his country, which are strange to the
| occidental, and, therefore, subject for
comment and often for derision.
There are not many rich Cinnamon In
| America; but some of them are very
well off, with fortunes ranging from
S1000 600 to $500. 600. There is one multimil-
lionaire, Chin Tan Sun, who is the rich
est Chinaman in the country Chin Tar
Sun owns whole towns and employs hun
dreds of white men and women in his
factories and canneries He owns ranch
es, city real estate, gold mines and dia
monds; he runs lottery games; he i'm
ports laborers; he conducts real estate
business, and he has several merchandise
stores in San Francisco. He is a self
made man and very shrewd and progress
sive. He came to America in the steer
age as a lad, and went to work in 6
kitchen. He married white woman, ant
with their savings they originated 9
little lottery" business in San Francisco
He was largely patronized by Americans
and soon grew rich enough to become
merchant also. From this beginning hi
developed into commercial and politica
power He is called big jim" on &C
count of his size. He Is 6 feet tall ant
a we'll proportional, good-looking man
In business he is regarded as the soul o.
honor. His wardrobe is magnificent, ant
several Wallets are needed to care for it.