EAST ASIANS: CHINESE

• According to the US Census 2000 there are 2,734,841 multi-race, multi-ethnic and single-race Chinese, of which 2,314,537 are single-race.
• According to the US Census 2000 there are 144,795 multi-race, multi-ethnic and single-race Taiwanese, of which 118,048 are single-race.

FACTS & STATISTICS

In a random telephone survey of 262 Chinese men and women in Los Angeles county:

• 18.1% of respondents reported experiencing "minor physical violence" by a spouse or intimate partner within their lifetime, and 8% of respondents reported "severe physical violence" experienced during their lifetime. ["Minor-severe" categories were based on the researcher's classification criteria.]
• More acculturated respondents (as assessed by the researchers) were twice as likely to have been victims of severe physical violence. [Although the author states "It is possible that traditional cultural values serve as a protective buffer against stressors engendered by immigration"(p. 263), higher rates among more acculturated respondents may be due to their increased likelihood to report abuse.] 

Yick AG. Predictors of physical spousal/intimate violence in Chinese American families. Journal of Family Violence, 2000; 15(3): 249-267.

The Asian Task Force study found that:

• Older Chinese respondents were more tolerant of the use of force and more likely to justify a husband's use of violence against his wife. Immigration status and level of education were not associated with the likelihood of justifying the husband's use of violence against his wife.
• 69% of the overall respondents and 61% of Chinese respondents reported being hit regularly as children.

Yoshioka M and Dang Q. Asian Family Violence Report: A study of the Cambodian, Chinese, Korean, South Asian, and Vietnamese communities in Massachusetts, 2000.  Boston, MA: Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence

In a telephone survey of 31 randomly selected Chinese men and women in the San Gabriel Valley in Los Angeles County:

• Respondents (men and women) overall did not agree with the use of domestic violence as an effective means of solving problems.
• Respondents (15 women and 16 men) tended to agree that physical and sexual aggression (e.g., slapping, pushing, throwing objects, and insisting a spouse have sex) was an indicator of violence between spouses. However, they were less likely to consider psychological aggression or financial abuse as indicators of violence between spouses.
• Respondents were more likely to implicate individual factors (e.g., inability to control one's temper, inability to talk to one's spouse) and environmental factors (e.g., job pressure, acculturative stress, alcohol) as the causes of domestic violence; than structural factors (e.g., women working outside the home, breakdown of traditional family roles) and cultural factors (e.g., women's lower status in Chinese culture, belief that men are the heads of households).

Yick AG, Agbayani-Siewert P. Perceptions of domestic violence in a Chinese American community. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. 1997; 12(6): 832-846.

TRANSLATED MATERIALS: CHINESE

MULTI-MEDIA RESOURCES

Break the Silence
A video for young Asian women about sexual assault in Vietnamese, Chinese, Cambodian.  By the Interpersonal Violence in Asian American Communities Task Force and Women Organized Against Rape, Philadelphia, PA.  Can be borrowed from the Institute (English version not available) apidvinstitute@apiahf.org

Liru
Liru is a Chinese American woman's search for ethnic and personal identity and inner freedom. Liru has to deal with strained relations with her mother and Korean Japanese boyfriend. Good for discussions about ethnic identity, mother/daughter relations and personal independence.  By Henry Chow. www.asianamericanmedia.org distribution@asianamericanmedia.org

Lotus
Lotus is a traditional woman with bound feet in rural China of 1914. She must decide whether or not to bind her young daughter's feet in order to assure a good life with a successful husband. Caught between the wishes of her strict but loving mother-in-law, who insists on the foot binding, and her good friend, who openly challenges the outlawed custom, Lotus makes a decision which will change her daughter's life forever. By Arthur Dong.  www.asianamericanmedia.org distribution@asianamericanmedia.org

Sewing Woman
Sewing Woman tells a universal story of one woman's journey from an arranged marriage in old China to life as a garment factory worker for over 30 years. The filmmaker's mother Zem Ping narrates this superb film in an intimate yet powerful voice. Her reflections reveal the inner strength that helped her overcome US immigration policies, family separation and the hard life of a first-generation immigrant.  By Arthur Dong. www.asianamericanmedia.org distribution@asianamericanmedia.org

Talking History
A compelling mosaic of oral histories and historical footage of Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Filipino and Laotian women featuring their journey to the US and their unique immigrant stories.  By Spencer Nakasako.  www.asianamericanmedia.org distribution@asianamericanmedia.org

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Yick, A. (1999).  Domestic violence in the Chinese American community:  Cultural taboos and barriers.  Family Violence and Sexual Assault Bulletin, 15(4), 16-23.

Yick, A.G. (1998).  Chinese-Americans' perceptions of and experiences with domestic violence and factors related to their psychological well-being.  Unpublished dissertation, University of California, Los Angeles, CA.

Yick, A.G. (2000).  Domestic violence beliefs and attitudes in the Chinese American community.  Journal of Social Service Research, 27(1), 29-51.

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Yick, A.G. (2000).  Predictors of physical spousal/intimate violence in Chinese American families.  Journal of Family Violence, 15(3), 249-267.

Yick, A.G., & Agbayani-Siewert, P. (1997).  Perceptions of domestic violence in a Chinese American community.  Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 12(6), 832-846.

Yoshioka, M., & Dang Q., (2000).  Asian family violence report: A study of the Cambodian, Chinese, Korean, South Asian, and Vietnamese communities in Massachusetts.  Boston, MA:  Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence.

Yoshioka, M.R., DiNoia, J., & Ullah, K. (2001).  Attitudes toward marital violence: An examination of four Asian communities.  Violence Against Women, 7(8), 900-926.

SERVICE PROGRAMS

Some organizations serve all Asians and Pacific Islanders, some serve specific ethnic groups.  Please go to our Directory to find these resources.

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