Pots across the Pacific: Tracing Transnational Chinese Migrant Foodways from Guangdong to California

Abstract

Abstract Migration involves not only the movement of people but also the circulation of ideas, capital, and material culture across space and time. In research about the Chinese diaspora, material continuity—especially the presence of objects from China—is often interpreted as evidence of cultural continuity. This study challenges that assumption through an analysis of Chinese brown-glazed stoneware recovered from a home village in Guangdong and diaspora settlements in California. Through microfossil residue analysis, the study reveals that in their home village, residents primarily relied on subtropical plants, such as rice, palms, bamboo, and banana trees, that were cultivated or gathered in agrarian landscapes. In contrast, migrants in California used more starchy grains, including rice, millets, corn, wheat, and oats, reflecting their adaptation to new ecological conditions and local markets. This transnational, multi-sited approach demonstrates that Chinese communities, both in their homeland and abroad, actively adapted to shifting environments and material conditions. Rather than rigidly adhering to a Chinese tradition, migrants navigated precarity and opportunity by incorporating locally available resources into their daily lives. Overall, the findings challenge assumptions that material similarity implies cultural continuity, revealing instead a more dynamic picture of adaptation and change.