4. The change of population
4.1 The huge influx of Chinese
The immigration and Nationality act of 1965 results in the booming of Chinese population in America. The number of Chinese in America was 237,292 in 1960, and it grew to be 435,062 by the end of 1970, and 806,027 in 1980. During 1969-1977, the number of Chinese immigrants mounted to 196,000. The Chinese take a greater and greater proportion of America population, with 0.14% in 1960(before the act), 0.21% in 1970, 0.35% in 1980 and 0.67% in 1990. (Chart 1) Another fact that can strongly illustrate the scale of influx is that before the immigration and Nationality act of 1965, 61% Chinese in America was born within the U.S., while it turned out to be 68% Chinese in America was born outside the U.S. after that . (Chart 1)
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Manhattan’s Chinatown is just a microcosm. Before the immigration and Nationality act of 1965, the population of Chinese in downtown Manhattan was no more than 30,000. The 1990 census shows that 54,315 Chinese lived in Chinatown in Manhattan. (Chart 2)
Chart 2 Chinese population in Manhattan