ABSTRACT
The San Francisco Bay Area has one of the largest Chinese communities in the USA and it has had frequent contacts with China throughout the past 140 years. The rise of China has had ripple effects on the Chinese community in San Francisco. The chapter will examine how the rise of China has had impacts on Chinese community organizations, ethnic identity, immigration movements and the interaction patterns between the Chinese community and the larger society in the San Francisco Bay Area. Contrary to popular perception, the Chinese community in the San Francisco Bay Area has not become more “sinicised” or developed more allegiance to the People’s Republic of China as a result of the emergence of a strong China. Paradoxically, as a whole they have become more Americanized, with more participation in US society and more commitment to America.
