This year marks the bicentennial anniversary of the arrival of the first Chinese immigrant to Hawaii.
Two centuries ago the first Chinese began crossing the ocean east to Hawaii in order to earn a little money to help themselves and their families lead a more comfortable life.
That simple goal led the early Chinese immigrants to labor in the sugar-cane fields and rice paddies of the Hawaiian Islands, thereby laying the foundation for the area's agricultural development and its eventual modernization. They also contributed their part toward the establishment of the Chinese Republic.
Most of these "transient guests" —their minds set firmly on making money—eventually changed their way of thinking and ended up staying and becoming permanent residents and citizens.
The nearly 50,000 Chinese-Americans now living in Hawaii's multiethnic society still harbor warm feelings toward their traditional culture, feelings that they fervently expressed in the bicentennial celebration.
What's more, scientists have recently discovered that the Polynesian natives of Hawaii are genetically similar to the aborigines of Taiwan. Are the two peoples related? This issue's cover story takes you on location to bring you the story of the Chinese of Hawaii.
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