Many Asian immigrants journeyed from their homelands to a culture, which did not always accept immigrants fondly. As many immigrants, cultural communities formed, thereby creating unique ethnic Asian groups. Often, American culture and traditional Asian cultures intertwined, thereby creating conflict within communities. The Japanese and Chinese women experienced westernization through various means of achievement, however subjected to the Yellow Peril, which ravaged American society’s fear of the Japanese and anyone of Asian descent. Judy Yung describes the “social awakening” of Chinese women in the early twentieth century. Chinese and Chinese American women began to participate in the elimination of detrimental cultural practices, education and women’s rights. Women who were subjected to foot binding were believed to possess gentility, thereby increasing their marketability for marriage. The practice “prevented women from ‘wandering,’ as women with bound feet generally found it difficult to walk unassisted,” therefore forcing them into a life of “strict confinement, inner apartments, a virtual living hell.” …show more content…
Chinese American women and Christian missionaries also saw the significance of education and formed societies within cultural centers to educate women and girls, however, discrimination prevented children from integrating into public schools until after the nineteen twenties. Limitations further tightened after the Second World War. After their initial arrival in America during the Gold Rush, many women worked as prostitutes, overcame bondage, and worked for education and rights for all Chinese men and women. However, society used stereotypes, such the Dragon Lady, beautiful and dangerous, to promote xenophobic