<P> Ethnic Chinese immigration to the United States since 1965 has been aided by the fact that the United States maintains separate quotas for Mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong . During the late 1960s and early and mid-1970s, Chinese immigration into the United States came almost exclusively from Taiwan creating the Taiwanese American subgroup . A smaller number of immigrants from Hong Kong arrived as college and graduate students . Immigration from Mainland China was almost non-existent until 1977, when the PRC removed restrictions on emigration leading to immigration of college students and professionals . These recent groups of Chinese tended to cluster in suburban areas and to avoid urban Chinatowns . </P> <P> One notable suburban Chinatown was Monterey Park . While it was a predominantly White middle - class community in the 1970s, the demographics quickly changed with the incoming Chinese population . The emergence of Chinese - Americans in Monterey Park could be credited to the efforts of the Chinese realtor Frederic Hsieh . He began investing in abandoned properties in Monterey Park in order to gain the interest of wealthy Chinese in Taiwan . He broadcast his plans back in Taiwan and Hong Kong . He aggressively marketed his project as the new mecca of Chinese Americans: in his own words, "Chinese Beverly Hills". Due to political unrest in Asia, there was a lot of interest in overseas investment for Monterey Park from wealthy Chinese in Taiwan . </P> <P> The contrasts between Japanese Americans and South Asian Americans are emblematic of the dramatic changes since the immigration reforms . Japanese Americans are among the most widely recognized of Asian American sub-groups during the 20th century . At its peak in 1970, there were nearly 600,000 Japanese Americans, making it the largest sub-group, but historically the greatest period of immigration was generations past . Today, given relatively low rates of births and immigration, Japanese Americans are only the sixth - largest Asian American group . In 2000, there were between 800,000 and 1.2 million Japanese Americans (depending on whether multi-ethnic responses are included). The Japanese Americans have the highest rates of native - born, citizenship, and assimilation into American values and customs . </P> <P> Before 1990, there were slightly fewer South Asians in the U.S. than Japanese Americans . By 2000, Indian Americans nearly doubled in population to become the third largest group of Asian Americans, with increasing visibility in high - tech communities such as the Silicon Valley and the Seattle area . Indian Americans have some of the highest rates of academic achievement among American ethnic groups . Most immigrants speak English and are highly educated . South Asians are increasingly accepted by most Asian organizations as another significant Asian group . Currently, Chinese, Indians, and Filipinos are the three largest Asian ethnic groups immigrating to the United States . </P>

What was the major reason for chinese immigration to the us in the early nineteenth century