A Brief History of Gordon Wong

A BRIEF HISTORY OF GORDON WONG

by: Vivian Lin

Gordon Wong is an immigrant from Hong Kong. He moved to the United States when he was 12 with his family in search for a better education and to reunite with his family who have settled in America already. Gordon's transition to the United States wasn't too hard but it was different for him. He made new friends quickly in San Francisco, one of the most liberal and open cities in America. Hear more about it in his full interview below.

The Push to Move to America

Gordon's family wanted to move to America in search for better education for their future generations and to reunite with his grandparents. His grandparents had already made their way to the United States which made it easier to obtain Visas for his family. 

Moving to America: Transition from Hong Kong to the US

Gordon and his family didn't have a rough transition as you might expect. They travelled on a plane to America after they got their visas. 

Education

One of the reasons why Gordon's family immigrated to the United States was to find better education for him and his sister. Gordon took ESL courses at AP Giannini when he first moved here (2006) but because he had taken English courses in Hong Kong, his English was deemed proficient enough so that he could take regular English courses. "By 2007-08, California's elementary schools ranked 39th in class size, averaging 21.6 students. This reduction in class size contributed significantly to improved test scores." 

~Competing Visions: A History of California, text

Discrimination

Immigrating from Hong Kong to San Francisco wasn't much of a problem since SF is such a diverse city. Gordon didn't face much discrimination because the Asian population is pretty high and he got along with his schoolmates quickly. "Since everyone at work spoke Chinese, women found the working environment agreeable, and intimacy in sharing experiences of life in the United Staes developed naturally." 

~AJA: Chinese American Women Defense Workers in WW2

Religion

Gordon didn't practice any religion but he later tells me that his family does. The transition between USA and Hong Kong didn't really affect his religious practices. 

Employment in USA

It was easy for Gordon to get a job since he was bilingual in Cantonese and English. In the Education section, he mentions that he took ESL courses when he first moved here and he had taken English courses in Hong Kong which was helpful. He worked at a Hong Kong restaurant in San Francisco when he reached high school and his bilingual skill came in handy when working with his coworkers and with the customers. "The relationship between shop-owners and workers, if often economically exploitative, was nonetheless friendly." 

~AJA: Chinese American Women Defense Workers in WW2