Chinese American “Satellite Babies,” Raised Between Two Cultures

Abstract

chinese american "satellite babies," raised between two cultures by leslie k. wang By all measures, 25-year-old Lydia embodied the American dream. The Chinese American Harvard grad was simultaneously pursuing a medical degree and a PhD in biology from a prestigious university in New York. In this, Lydia was following in her parents' academic footsteps: they had migrated from China to the United States in the early 1980s to pursue PhDs (her mother in economics, her father in physics). They married in Boston prior to having her, their fi rst and only child.

Title Transnationalism and Genealogy: An Introduction

“…Left behind children are those who stay in the home country often with grandparents or other relatives but whose parents migrate to the host country. More recent studies reveal another phenomenon dubbed "satellite babies," who were born to young Chinese immigrants or students in the United States and Canada and were sent back to China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong for care by mostly their grandparents, or sometimes other relatives, for an extended period of time, ranging from several months to several years (Bohr and Tse 2009;Wang 2018). These satellite babies typically reunite with their parents after the family has achieved financial security or when they have reached school age.…”

Establishing a Parenting Program for Transnationally Separated Chinese Immigrant Families: Community-Based Pilot Program

“…After reunion with their children, parents who made the decision to separate not only encountered challenges in reestablishing their parent-child relationship but also reported experiencing guilt, shame, or regret regarding their decision to separate (6,7). These findings suggest that a focus on the parent-child relationship within the context of separation would be valuable (9).…”