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Taiping Revolution
Set off by floods and famine, the Taiping Revolution was a civil war that disrupted the land and China was both economically and politically destroyed. My father was a part of the Taiping rebels that were seeking freedom from the Manchu dynasty. After 3 years of fighting, my father realized that the rebels would never win against the government and Great Britian's troops that were sent in, so he retired from the force and resumed running our clothing shop as before. -
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Immigration and Industrialization
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The Ever-Victorious Army Catches Up
The Ever-Victorious Army was an army the government had controlled with help from troops sent from Great Britian. They rounded up all the rebels in our area, knocking on every door. If no one answered, the house would be burned. They were out to prosecute, and we knew we had to flee. My family was a rich one, and were well known. We had to get out as soon as possible. -
Moved to America
I moved to America to join my family and start a new business branch off of my family’s clothing shop, Song’s Style. Only I, out of all my family, desired to receive an education in a renowned American college. My mother and my father already had fled to America in fears that the government of China would catch them for being traitors, and I am the next to come. My older brother will continue to make money off of mining in China, and come join us in a few years when the time is right. -
Changed Name
At the age of 16, I changed my name from Ai-Mei Song to Aimee Song to better "American-ize" my name and fit in to my new country. If people thought I was born and raised in America, then it would be easier for the new country to accept me, even if I was a woman and Chinese. -
Go to College
Over the past 4 years we've lived in America, we've set up a smalls shop in Columbus, Ohio. Over time, we've purchased our first sewing machine and hired a few workers to help business grow. On the money we've made in America and the money off of my grandmother's bone china tea set, we've raised enough to send me off to Oberlin College, one of the first colleges opened to women and people of other ethnicities.I earned a major in General Business, and a minor in Merchandise Product Development. -
The Depression of 1873
The Depression of 1873 hit, and it hit us hard. We were down on sales up to 70%, and 1 of our employees dropped the job because her wages couldn't feed her children. My current job wasn't enough to cover every student loan, so I invested in a part-time job as a factory worker. The job was hard enough to get, but with my college degree, I was able to find a high-enough paying job to cover our rent. Along the way, I made friends with my boss, and got a few connections in the retail industry. -
Chinese Exclusion Act
The Chinese Exclusion Act restricted all Chinese immigrants from coming over to America. My eldest brother was prevented from coming over to America and was forced to stay in the Henen Province. Business is getting crowded in Ohio even though no Chinese immigrants are coming through, and our profit's are going down due to high competitors and corporations. -
Moving West
Today is the day I'm finally moving westward. After years of working as manager at my parent's shop, I'm moving the business nationwide and breaking out of the nest. I want to increase the marketing sales and find more room to stretch my legs, as it's getting crowded on the Eastern side of the US. More land equals more business for me. Hopefully I find an even better future out in the West, to finally settle down, or be extremely prosperous in the clothing industry. -
Opened 2 New Shops in California
On a good note, when I moved to California, there was plenty of open space and room for me to set up shop and buy a cheap apartment in the city. Bad news, after my first month of good business, I got careless and left a recent shipping of silk on the counter while I went to get a spare measuring tape. A thief snatched all of the valuable silk, and I lost about a 1/3 of my profits off of that. I've learned to be more careful, and started thinking of invesing in a shareholder in a fellow business. -
Settling Down
Business was booming, and I used some of my earlier relations in the industry to help my small clothing shops expand into bigger retail stores. I've been married for 5 years and have a 4-year-old, Mei-Lin. My husband, Feng-Lei Chang, is a factory boss in the manufacturing industry with many acres of land under his control. I've continued making progress with my shops, and share many stocks with Feng-Lei.
