by: Crystal Roman
The first people with Asian background came to the USA territory in 1763. The majority of them were refugees seeking better living conditions and hoping to pursue the “American dream” and that is when the first chapter of Asian American history was written.
Today, Asians continue immigrating to the United States and thus, are the most dynamically growing demographic group on the territory of this country. According to the statistics, Asian Americans make 5,6% of the USA population today. Therefore, there are absolutely no doubts left regarding the fact that this race had made a significant contribution to the development of the country and its culture. In this article, I will introduce to you some of the most notable Asian American people and tell you about their impact on American culture!
Famous Asian People In USA
The number of Asian immigrants grows steadily. This is the largest demographic group after Hispanics. The study, conducted by the Pew Research Center, highlights that US citizens of Asian descent tend to have the best education and the highest incomes, and it also notes that the number of Asians in America is not only growing, but also succeeds in all different spheres.
Below, those who want to keep up with the cultural life can read about the top 000 famous Asian Americans who have made a difference and helped in the development of the culture of the USA.
- Maya Lin
Maya is a famous US architect with Chinese descent. While she was a student, she won a contest for the best design of memorial dedicated to the soldiers fallen in war the Vietnam War, which is now located in Washington D.C. Later Maya Lin has designed a few other memorials including the Civil Rights Memorial located in Montgomery, Al, created her own studio in New York, and published a book called Boundaries. For her achievements, Maya was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
- Bruce Lee
He is one of the most famous Chinese Americans. Probably, each of you has seen at least a few movies with this brilliant actor, and we all love him for his merits in the film industry. Without a doubt, Bruce Lee is a talented person who reached great heights as a movie director, screen writer, actor, and producer, and his well-set battle scenes captured the hearts of many viewers. In his entire career, Bruce was awarded only one time. The actor received the Golden Horse award for acrobatic stunts in 1972.
- Ali Ewoldt
Ali is a young and talented actress of a partly Filipino origin. Ali Ewoldt started her acting career at the Disneyland. She was performing as Princess Jasmine, and later she joined the team of Broadway actors with her debut in 2006. However, she became really famous as the first American actress with Asian descent who received the leading role in the Broadway’s play – Phantom of the Opera.
- Michelle Kwan
Michelle is one of the brightest figure skaters in the history. For many years she remains the most award-winning skater. Besides, she has still considered one of the greatest and most artistic figure skaters of all times thanks to her unique and spellbinding performances. Some of the most significant titles of Michelle Kwan are:
- The awarded world champion in 1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, and 2003;
- Twice awarded Olympic medalist in 1998 and 2002;
- Nine-time USA champion in 1996 and from 1998 until 2005.
- Men of Steel
The last point in my list is devoted to a group of people. The construction of the transcontinental railroad in 1863 was a significant event in the American history as this railroad formed a link between the two coasts of the continent. The immigrants from Europe were working on the Pacific Union rail, while there was a terrible lack of manpower to continue building the Central Pacific line. The work on this line was much more dangerous. It had to go through the rugged mountains. Due to the fact that white men refused to do such work, in 1965, it was decided to hire 50 workers from China to work on one section of track. The work was performed excellent, and Central Pacific officials decided to invite more Chinese workers to continue building the track. In total, about 12 000 railroad workers from China were hired. They performed hard and dangerous work. Lots of men had died before the railroad was finished and despite the fact that they performed their job well, these people often were paid less than white men. However, despite all the difficulties, constant pressure, and discrimination that these people experienced, none of them quit their job. Finally, the railroad was finished. Thanks to the dedication and hard work of Chinese laborers, the United States became the first country that had a railroad that links two coasts of the continent.
Final Words
All of these people are famous and notable personalities in the US culture. Although some of them are already gone, millions of people remember their contribution. In fact, there are many other Americans with Asian descent who made a large contribution to the US culture, and we should spread a word about them!
