Farmers will always be farmers. Look at the fields that farmers work on, it's not enough to live in. What if I stayed in China and continued to do farm work? It's menial labor. My entire destiny would be different. You couldn't make money in China at the time. There is no work. Person C describes what life would be like if she had stayed in China in February 6, 2023 interview, translated
There are many examples of how much the American dream means to those who wished to become citizens. “A path out of purgatory” in the New Yorker details the conundrum faced by the United States as a result from the Golden Venture’s landed passengers, providing an example of how far some would go to arrive on American soil.
While none of the participants I interviewed went through a turbulent and dangerous journey to arrive in America, their hopes and what they sought in United States is not far removed from that of many impoverished immigrants. Person A, Person B, and Person C’s families moved to America for better opportunities, stating that there were not enough jobs, people were poor and uneducated. No participants have any plans of moving back to China, wishing to permanently reside in America where there is family to take care of the elderly.
Person C asked an extended family member who still lives in her hometown to take this video earlier in 2023. The video shows the home she grew up in. No one lives there anymore and the house is in need of repair but no one has plans to move back to the small rural village.
Keefe, Patrick Radden. “A Path Out Of Purgatory.” The New Yorker. June 6, 2013. https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/a-path-out-of-purgatory.