New York City’s energy is unparalleled, as towering skyscrapers, iconic landmarks and busy streets deem it the most influential metropolis in America. The populous city is brimming with a variety of cultures, reflected in its vibrant neighborhoods — each offering its variety of cuisine, entertainment and backgrounds.

Home to some of Marvel’s greatest superheroes, NYC possesses its own kind of heroes in reality. Within the loud, bustling city that never sleeps, Chinese immigrants in Flushing, Queens have made significant sacrifices to build and expand their businesses. Despite the unheard narratives behind these successes, the silence speaks incredible volumes for their families and ancestors. 

With little to nothing, Chinese immigrants arriving in the United States often experience a prominent language barrier and significant cultural differences. Despite the difficulties in assimilating, their strength and unity have allowed them to embrace their new home while maintaining their heritage. However, their accomplishments often go unnoticed and their struggles remain largely unrecognized by the wider society.

Thriving street vendors, restaurants and shops demonstrate the first-generation achievement of confronting cultural differences and economic turmoil within the United States. Speaking with some individuals behind these establishments helped attach names and stories to places many have merely passed by. 

In 2000, Jinqiu Gao and her husband came to the United States with nothing other than a shared ambition — to build a fulfilling life and raise a loving family. To make ends meet, they toiled in several restaurants outside New York, striving to create a stable foundation for their aspirations. Fifteen years later, they decided to open the Red Mountain Noodle House, a Chinese noodle restaurant that would bring the taste of their homeland’s flavorful noodles to America authentically.

Jinqiu Gao expressed her absolute devotion to supporting her family financially while simultaneously nurturing them. She embraces the traditional values of economic stability, marriage and raising children together — common goals shared among many Chinese immigrants.

Gao’s children actively contribute to their parents’ vision at the restaurant by working after school and over the weekends. Seventeen-year-old Isaac Jiang satisfies duties beyond his responsibilities, representing many immigrant children in their unwavering support for their parents’ perseverance. Since July 2017, he has managed front-desk responsibilities nearly every weekend and day after school, handling customer service, taking orders and efficiently relaying them to the kitchen staff. 

Reflecting on his parents’ relentless work ethic, Jiang admits, “I feel like my parents are almost too hard-working, in a way.” He expresses extensive gratitude for his parents’ commitment to ensuring a bright future for him and his sister, and such appreciation has fueled Jiang’s ambitions to pursue higher education. 

The restaurant, Jiang Nan, debuted in Flushing in January 2019 and has since flourished, expanding to seven additional locations across New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania. The chain takes pride in its unique taste of authentic Chinese cuisine with contemporary influence. 

Overseeing the restaurant for the past decade, Manager Hanson Yang expresses his gratitude towards the customers and the meaningful conversations they share. Strong relationships with loyal customers and dedicated staff have fostered a bonded community. 

Yang attributes the remarkable success of Jiang Nan to the restaurant’s philosophy, that workers emphasize the preparation of delectable dishes and the delivery of quality customer service. Yang expresses his firm belief that the restaurant’s enduring popularity lies in its distinctive culinary style and the genuine sincerity of its workers. 

Born and raised in Fuzhou, China, Cyndi Wang has lived a comfortable lifestyle since opening the New Happy Home Furniture. In 1998, Wang and her parents immigrated to the United States in hopes of achieving “the feeling of success where one can own their own home.”

The store offers a wide array of items, including office desks, sofas, bed frames, and mattresses. Primarily serving local customers in the past eight years since its opening in 2015, Wang hopes to expand the business beyond nearby residents in the upcoming years.

When first arriving in the United States, Wang’s family encountered monetary struggles. Originally residing in a modest apartment in Manhattan’s Chinatown, they shared the rent with family friends but eventually wished to live independently. The larger housing market and similar demographic of Flushing made it an attractive location for the Wangs to prosper and seamlessly adapt to the new environment, as it did for many other Chinese families. 

The journey of Chinese immigrants in Flushing has been filled with obstacles and challenges, but their determination and unity have allowed them to triumph over hardships. Preserving their heritage culture while embracing their new home has allowed them to overcome struggles; their success serves as a testament to the resilience of immigrant communities and the value they bring to the places they call home.