Chasing the American Dream in China

Chinese Americans in the Ancestral Homeland

By Leslie Kim Wang

SERIES: Asian American Studies Today

Rutgers University Press

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.

In this captivating book, Leslie Wang uncovers not only why children of migrants return to their ancestral lands and their surprising experiences abroad, but she also signals its implications for our global economy and international relations. Wang has shown migration studies a new direction to follow.'

Pawan Dhingra, author of Managing Multicultural Lives: Asian American Profesionals and the Challenge of Multiple Id

Leslie Wang’s skillful ethnography elucidates how Chinese Americans in China employ 'strategic in-betweenness' to maximize benefits in both their work and personal lives, resulting in a rich study that examines Chinese American racial, ethnic, and cultural belonging in a transnational context.’
Andrea Louie, author of Chineseness across Borders: Renegotiating Chinese Identities in China and the United State

The book has documented a special group of highly educated migrants in a global context. It will be a great reference book for researchers who are interested in Asian American studies, highly skilled immigrants, or international migration research. It could also be leisure reading for nonacademics because this is a vividly written book without much academic jargon. Americans who would like to pursue careers in Asia (especially in China) could also benefit from learning about the Asian American’s life in China. Social Forces

LESLIE WANG is an associate professor of sociology at the University of Massachusetts in Boston.

1 Introduction
2 Growing Up In-Between: Chinese American Identity and Belonging in the United States
3 Creating the “Non-American American Dream” Overseas: Strategic In-Betweenness in Action
4 Perpetually Chinese, But Not Chinese Enough for China
5 “Leftover Women” and “Kings of the Candy Shop”: The Gendered Experiences of ABCs in the Ancestral Homeland
6 Conclusion
Appendix: Research Methods
Acknowledgments
Notes
References
Index

Related Titles