Celebrating Toisanese Roots, Taiwanese History, & the Art of Chinese Knotting | AsianBossGirl Ep 270

Happy #AANHPI Heritage Month! Every year, we love to highlight our personal stories and connections with our heritage. In this episode, we’re taking a deep dive into specific topics we’ve always been curious about: Why did most early immigrants from China to the US come from the Toisan region? What’s the history & symbolism behind the familiar Chinese knot artistry often used to decorate homes & clothing? And why was the Taiwanese language banned for some time? By bringing attention to these topics, we hope to preserve memories of these practices and appreciate parts of our heritage that we sometimes take for granted.
What practices & traditions are unique to your heritage? Please share with us in the comments!
00:00 Intro
01:22 Toisanese immigration to the US
09:04 When did your family immigrate?
13:11 Notable Toisan People
18:34 When the Taiwanese language was banned
24:33 Taiwanese phrases & preserving the language
28:07 Chinese Knotting
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[@lcc726]

Great to see/hear another fellow toisanese! Shoutout Helen!

[@ynjtrng]

Ugh loved this episode! So informative but also hit me in the feels 😂🥲 As a Canto speaking gal who's Chinese side of the family lives in a diff continent, I don't get much family interaction/exposure to the culture and as a result I feel like I'm slowly losing my Canto speaking/understanding abilities💔.. so this episode was really heartwarming/comforting to listen to. Felt like I was listening to big sisters 💕

[@FireySparrow]

OH MY GOD! I am Australian Cantonese and I remember my aunts when I visited China would do ribbon rose bouquets! I forget how to do them now, would love to remember how!

[@legomars1]

Such valuable stories.

[@yalazha]

Also from the Sze Yup area here ❤ I’m always surprised how many Chinese people in US I’ve spoken to from LA or SF can trace their roots back to Taishan/Sze Yup region, since you predominantly hear Cantonese or Mandarin spoken here in the States. Also, I did a little digging myself and found that because Taishan is so close to major ports, it was easier for them (compared to other areas in China) to migrate to other countries.

[@lisachanggg]

Love how proud Mel is of her Taiwanese heritage!!! ♥️

[@3owlpro]

CHINESE heritage.

[@tracyalan7201]

Sojourners was the term for the males coming over for employment. The intent was to earn income, become rich and return home wealthy. Not all males were married, and it might not have been uncommon that the Chinese men married women, fathered children to motivate them to return home/sending money to the rest of the family. Japanese and Korean sojourners who came to work as laborers from challenging economic times were mostly single men, which when faced that they would not return or wanted wives, coordinated to get picture brides for the men of single women in Japan and Korea. It might have also occurred with the single Chinese men to get brides from China. As for villagers, it depends on villagers and their work. Locating friends from villages might have been separated from work areas, so unless they moved into a Chinese community, where different Chinese villages congregated and mixed, it might have been hard to locate others. Regarding Taiwan, there was an indigenous people on the island, which at one point had Chinese Han arrived. Japan and China had conflict which China ceded Taiwan to Japan in 1895. Post WWII, China reclaimed Taiwan which the Nationalist and China were still addressing Post War government until Nationalist relocated to Taiwan. There's a Japanese Movie Kanno, about the Japanese-Taiwan team taking the All-Japan High School Championship in Baseball that occurred pre-WWII Japan. Interesting movie. As for Taiwanese language versus Japanese/Mandarin, there was a movie or Taiwanese resisting Japanese occupation Warriors of the Rainbow. Native Taiwanese obviously didn't care for Japanese or Mandarain rule.

[@yvonneliao2234]

I love the Jennie Show on TaiwanPlus as well! I hope the new season comes out soon! 😍😍😍