Introduction 1
Chapter One A Historiographical Examination of Chinese American Women 10
1.1 A Historical Exploration of Chinese American Immigration 11
1.2 The Historiography of Chinese American Women's History 31
Chapter Two A Mixed Racial Identity：the“Double Consciousness”of Young Chinese Women during Their Assimilation to Contemporary America 42
Chapter Three Coding and Decoding the“Dear Diane”Letters：Race,Gender,and Culture 59
3.1 A Critical Examination of Sojourning,Transnationalism,and Assimilation Theory 59
3.1.1 Sojourning Theory 59
3.1.2 Transnational Theory 63
3.1.3 Assimilation Theory 64
3.2 An Examination of the“Dear Diane”Letters 68
Chapter Four The Chinese“Dear Diane”Letters：A Social and Cultural Exploration 94
4.1 The Construction of the“Dear Diane”Book—An Introduction 94
4.2 The Chinese Translation of the“Dear Diane”Letters—A Social and Transcultural Perspective 99
Chapter Five The“Bintel Brief”and the“Dear Diane”Letters in Comparative Perspective 127
5.1 The Construction of the“Bintel Brief”Letters 130
5.2 A Comparative View of the“Dear Diane'”Letters and the“Bintel Brief”Letters 133
5.3 A Summing-up 153
Conclusion Afterthought to the“Dear Diane”Letters 156
Appendix 1 Letter Summaries of the English“Dear Diane”Book 166
Appendix 2 Letter Summaries of the Chinese“Dear Diane”Book 173
SOURCES 177