Luo Xi

The Chinese are hardworking and intelligent, but why were the early Chinese immigrants in the United States subject to the laundry industry? For the first wave of Chinese immigrants to the U.S. in the mid-19th century, the laundry industry became a secure way for Chinese immigrants to support themselves in American society. By the 1870s, Chinese-run laundries had opened up in the streets of American cities, integrating into the daily lives of local residents, and the image of the laundry men had thus become an ethnic symbol for the Chinese in American society.

Joe Shoong (1879-1961) was a Chinese-American entrepreneur and philanthropist who founded National Dollar Stores. He was one of the first Chinese-American millionaires and was once described by Time Magazine as the “richest, best-known Chinese business man in the U.S. ”. Though National Dollar Stores is now closed, it served the local communities for a long time in the 20th century. As a philanthropist, Shoong funded Chinese schools, universities, churches, hospitals and other organizations for educational or humanitarian purposes. After World War II, Shoong established the Joe Shoong Foundation, which continues to support local communities.