February 4th, 2010Filed under: Exhibitions, History

On Leong Merchant’s Association, c.1930
The Chinese started coming to Chicago in small numbers after 1870, totaling fewer than 1,200 at the turn of the 20th century. However, until the mid-1940s, federal laws governing Chinese immigration put strict limits on the influx of Chinese laborers, effectively allowing only men to enter with few exceptions. American Chinatowns were populated by growing numbers of Chinese men who sought friendship, familiarity, and support in the associations or clubs that provided the commercial and social structure for the community. These business and family-based associations had a tremendous influence on Chinatown commerce, politics, and daily life.
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