Most of today’s Chinese Americans are the descendants of some of the early miners and railroad workers. Those immigrants had come from the vicinity of Canton in Southeast China, where they had been uneducated farm laborers. The same kind of young men, from the same area and from similar humble origins, migrated to Hawaii in those days. There they fared far better, mainly because they did not encounter hostility. Some married native Hawaiians, and other brought their wives and children over. They were not restricted to chinatown and many of them soon became successful merchants and active participants in general community affairs.
现在的美籍华人大多数都是一些早期矿工和铁路工人的后裔。那些人本来是中国东南部的广东附近未受过教育的农民。当时，该地区同样卑微出身的年轻人移居到了夏威夷。在那儿他们的日子好过多了，主要是因为他们没有遭遇到敌视。他们中的一些人与夏威夷当地人结婚；而另一些人则把妻子和孩子带了去。他们没有被限制在唐人街地区，许多人很快地成为成功的商人和公众事务的积极参予者。
Chinese Americans retain many aspects of their ancient culture, even after having lived here for several generations. For Example, their family ties continue to be remarkably strong (encompassing grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, and others). Members of the family lend each other moral support and also practical help when necessary. From a very young age children are imbued with the old values and attitudes, including respect for their elders and a feeling of responsibility to the family. This helps to explain why there is so little juvenile delinquency among them.
美籍华人保留了他们古老文化的许多方面，甚至在美国生活了几代人之后也是如此。例如，他们的家庭关系还是异常的紧密(围绕着祖父母、叔伯、姑姨、堂兄妹，还有其他人)。家族中的成员相互给予精神鼓励和必要时的实际帮助，连非常小的孩子们都对旧道德充满了崇敬，包括尊敬长辈和对家庭的责任感。这也就解释了为什么在他们当中很少有少年犯罪的发生。
The high regard for education which is deeply imbedded in Chinese culture, and the willingness to work very hard to gain advancement, are other noteworthy characteristics of theirs. This explains why so many descendants of uneducated laborers have succeeded in becoming doctors, lawyers, and other professionals. (Many of the most outstanding Chinese American scholars, scientists, and artists are more recent arrivals, who come from China’s former upper class and who represent its high cultural traditions.)
深植于中国文化里对教育的高度重视，以及努力工作以得到发展的心愿，是他们具有的其他显著特征。这也就说明了为什么有这么多未受过教育的体力劳动者的后代成功地成为医生、律师及其他的专业人士。(许多最杰出的美籍华人学者、科学家和艺术家多是最近的新移民，他们来自中国昔日的上层社会，并代表了中国的高等文化传统。)
Chinese Americans make up only a tiny fraction of our population; there are fewer than half a million, living chiefly in California, New York, and Hawaii. As American attitudes toward minorities and toward ethnic differences have changed in recent years, the long-reviled Chinese have gained wide acceptance. Today, they are generally admired for their many remarkable characteristics, and are often held up as an example worth following. And their numerous contributions to their adopted land are much appreciated.
美籍华人仅组成了我们人口的一小部分，大约不到50万，主要居住在加利福尼亚、纽约和夏威夷。因近年来美国人对少数民族和对种族、宗教上的文化差异的态度有所改变，长期被谩骂的中国人已得到广泛的承认。今天，他们因有着许多优秀的品质而受到普遍的赞赏，并且经常被树立为值得学习的榜样。我们非常感激他们对接纳他们的这个国家所作出的难以计数的贡献。
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