China in America:
A STUDY IN THE
Social Life of the Chinese
IN THE
Eastern Cities of the United States.
BY STEWART CULIN.
READ BEFORE THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE
(SECTION OF ANTHROPOLOGY), AT THE THIRTY-SIXTH MEETING,
NEW YORK, 1887.
PHILADELPHIA: 1887.
Social Life of the Chinese
IN THE EASTERN CITIES OF THE UNITED STATES
The Chinese laborers in America all come from the departments of Kwangchauand Shauking, in the province of Kwantung.
They describe themselves as Púntí or "natives," as distinguished fromthe tribes called Hákká or "strangers," and divide themselves intothe people of the Sam Yup ("Three Towns") and those of the Sz' Yup("Four Towns"), the former from the three districts of Nánhái (1), 1Pw'anyú (2), and Shunteh (3), and the latter from the four districtsof Sinhwui (4),[4] Sinning (5), Kaiping (6), and Ngánping (7). Others fromthe district of Hohshan (8) include themselves with those from theSz' Yup, and there are a few from each of the districts of Tungkwán(9), Hiángshán (10), Sánshwui (11), and Sinngán (12).
The tract embraced in these districts is little more than 100 milessquare, but it exhibits much diversity in its natural features, thenorthern and western parts being high and mountainous, while thoseapproaching the coast are low and covered with small hills, and theentire region is well watered by numerous large rivers and tributarystreams. Large towns and cities, many of them the seat of importantmanufactures, are found within its limits. The coast is studded withnumerous small islands and furnished with safe and commodious harbors.
The people of the different districts show distinctive peculiarities,both in speech and customs. Those from Nánhái and Pw'anyú, thedistricts within which the city of Canton is situated, partake of themanners of its inhabitants, although few here are from the capitalitself, and their language differs little from the dialect of Canton astranscribed by Dr. Williams. The Sz' Yup people, particularly thosefrom the maritime district of Sinning, who comprise the greater part,are ruder and more adventurous than those from nearer the capital,[5] andtheir speech can only be understood with difficulty by the inhabitantsof the Provincial City.
The immigrants are much influenced by local traditions and those fromdifferent sections keep much to themselves. They establish separateshops when their numbers warrant it, as well as assembly-rooms andguild-halls. The Six Companies in San Francisco, under which nearly allof the Chinese in the United States are enrolled, are the guilds formedin this manner by the emigrants from different parts of the province.
The ties of kindred, preserved with so much care in China, are recognizedhe