[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 22 (Monday, February 8, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E125-E126]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     RECOGNIZING THE LUNAR NEW YEAR

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, February 8, 2016

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Lunar New 
Year and to applaud the significant contributions made by Chinese 
Americans to American life and culture.
  Today, February 8, marks the first day of the ``Year of the Monkey.''
  The Lunar New Year, or ``Nian,'' is a tradition that has been 
celebrated for more than a thousand years by the Chinese and other 
persons of Asian ancestry.
  The Lunar New Year is cause for celebration in communities all across 
our country but might I say that no city does it better than my home 
city of Houston, which will be hosting the Annual Lunar New Year 
Houston Celebration this coming weekend.
  Celebrants will be treated to a variety of festivities, including 
parades, festivals, art exhibits, and musical performances.
  Mr. Speaker, Americans of Asian Pacific ancestry have positively 
influenced our country through their strong commitment to family, 
faith, hard work, and service.
  They have enhanced and shaped our national character with centuries-
old traditions that reflect the multiethnic and multicultural customs 
of their communities.
  Asian Americans have enriched our culture and economy and made 
significant contributions in every area of American life from the arts 
and humanities, to the natural and social sciences, to business and the 
economy, in government, sports, the military, and technology and 
innovation.
  Notable Chinese Americans who have distinguished themselves in the 
field of the arts and humanities include the two-time Academy Award 
winning cinematographer, James Wong Howe; Ang Lee, the Academy Award 
winning director; Maya Lin, the architect who designed the iconic 
Vietnam Veterans Memorial; I. M. Pei, the famous architect and designer 
of the Louvre Pyramid; Amy Tan, the best-selling author of The Joy Luck 
Club; Yo-Yo Ma, the world-renowned cellist; and the legendary Bruce 
Lee, who revolutionized the martial arts film genre.
  In the field of business, American life has been enriched by the 
contributions of Steve Chen, the co-founder of YouTube; Jen-Hsun Huang, 
the co-founder and CEO of NVIDIA, the computer graphics card company; 
Min H. Kao, co-founder of Garmin, the GPS software giant; William Wang, 
the founder and CEO of Vizio; and Jerry Yang, cofounder of Yahoo.
  Mr. Speaker, Connie Chung made history as the first Chinese American 
woman to co-anchor a major network's national news broadcast, as did 
Norman Bay, the first Chinese American United States Attorney; and 
Thomas Tang, the first Chinese American federal judge.
  Many contemporary Chinese Americans have risen to occupy some of the 
most important positions in the nation, including my colleagues, Judy 
Chu and Grace Meng, the first and second Chinese-American woman elected 
to the U.S. House of Representatives; Dr. Steven Chum, Nobel laureate 
in Physics and United States Secretary of Energy from 2009-2013; Hiram 
L. Fong, the first U.S. Senator of Chinese ancestry; Ed Lee, the Mayor 
of San Francisco; and Gary Locke, former Secretary of Commerce, 
Ambassador to China, and only Chinese American ever to serve as a 
Governor.
  Mr. Speaker, Kurt Lee was the first Asian American Marine Corps 
officer and he was followed by John Liu Fugh, the first Chinese 
American officer to be promoted to the rank of Major General in the 
United States Army and Coral Wong Pietsch, the first female Chinese 
American Army General; and it is a source of great pride that the 
Congressional Medal of Honor was awarded to Francis Wai, so far the 
only Chinese American to have been so honored.
  In the fields of science, engineering, and medicine, Chinese 
Americans have made significant contributions that have fundamentally 
changed the way we live and work, including those of Min Chueh Chang, 
the co-inventor of the first birth control pill; Charles Kao, the 2009 
Nobel laureate in Physics who pioneered the development and use of 
fiber optics in telecommunications; Yuan-Cheng Fung, the founder of 
modern biomechanics; and NASA astronauts Leroy Chiao and Edward Lu.
  Mr. Speaker, according to most recent data reported by the Census 
Bureau, there are more than 423,609 businesses owned by Chinese 
Americans generating $142.8 billion in economic output towards the U.S. 
economy, along with creating over 780,000 jobs.
  As the Member of Congress from the 18th Congressional District of 
Texas, I am honored to represent a district rich in cultural and ethnic 
diversity and with a vibrant Chinese-American community.
  Mr. Speaker, there are more than four million Chinese-Americans in 
the United States and Texas is home to more than 167,000 of them; of 
this latter number, approximately 25 percent, or 43,940, Chinese-
Americans live in Harris County, making it the tenth largest community 
of persons of Chinese heritage in the nation.
  Mr. Speaker, Chinese-Americans have made much progress in the United 
States since May 10, 1860, the date the first transcontinental railroad 
was completed.
  That massive construction project transformed our country for the 
better and could not have been completed had it not been for the labor 
of Chinese immigrants.
  Despite the enormous progress made challenges still remain for 
persons of Chinese ancestry, particularly the nation's antiquated 
immigration system which needs to be reformed to make it fairer and 
more humane.
  Celebrating the Lunar New Year helps us to remember how much our 
country has benefitted from the energy, creativity, and service of 
Chinese Americans.

[[Page E126]]

  I encourage all Americans to take part in activities marking this 
important occasion.

                          ____________________