United States journalism and Chinese-American identity during China's civil war

This thesis has been designed to define Chinese-American political identity when the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) rose to power by examining the perception of China's civil war from several leading Chinese-American newspapers and three leading U.S. papers.; From the late nineteenth century to the end of the Second World War, Chinese-Americans had no problems with possessing split loyalties. Before the Second World War, most Chinese, as sojourners, remained loyal to China. During the Second World War, Chinese-Americans could be loyal to both China and the United States.; However, Chinese-Americans found it difficult to maintain dual loyalties, when China came under the control of a government that was regarded by many Americans as an enemy.; All editorialists were concerned with democracy and independence in China. In general, editorials from pro-KMT newspapers tried hard to ensure Chinese-American support of their particular positions. Those, especially of the KMT organs, deliberately presented lengthy, thoughtful editorials to champion for Sun Yat-sen's and the KMT's causes and to draw Chinese-American attention to China's affairs. Also, they advised Chinese-Americans to continue to rally support for the KMT government.; The pro-Communist newspapers could not help Chinese-Americans maintain the same amount of loyalty. Nevertheless, after the success of the CCP, they later gained some support.; Other editorials, in general, were practical in their coverage of Communist China. They were more concerned with their own welfare in the United States and their relatives in southern China. As a result, when the CCP seized power, some switched their loyalty from the KMT to the CCP.; Nevertheless, China's civil war had been the main theme in the editorials of Chinese-American newspapers. These papers were mostly written in Chinese characters and tried to involve Chinese-Americans in China's politics.; However, the editorials of the three American leading newspapers, the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune and the San Francisco Chronicle, contrasted sharply with those of Chinese-American newspapers in their opinions on China's civil war. Actually, the editorialists of American newspapers were only concerned with the impact of a Communist China on U.S. benefits in Asia as well as in other parts of the world.; In the conclusion, I argue that the contents of Chinese-American newspapers differ from those of American leading newspapers and demonstrate that Chinese-Americans resembled more like an immigrant population rather than an American ethnic group in terms of their political identity. Furthermore, the different position each Chinese-American newspaper held suggests a split in Chinese-American views on China's civil war. Nevertheless, most Chinese-Americans still identified with China.