Feeling the tug of tradition

But this week, the 32-year-old commercial cookware executive is taking on the customs and rituals of the Chinese New Year with gusto.

She got a haircut before the new year instead of after, which would have symbolized clipping away the good luck. She cleaned her San Marino home so that she would not sweep out any good luck accrued after the new year. And she made a point not to argue with anyone so that no ill will would carry over to this Year of the Golden Boar -- which, the pregnant Huang eagerly points out, is supposed to be a doubly auspicious year to have a child.

Huang's awakening to the Chinese traditions she once found embarrassing came through her job: running a culinary equipment company that required much travel to the factories near Shanghai.

"It used to be that 95% of the people surrounding me were American," Huang said. "Now it's 95% Chinese because of my work. I started learning about their practices and their experiences. I gained a sense of identity."

In most ethnic communities, the rituals and superstitions of the old country tend to fade as successive generations become more Americanized. But in the Chinese American community, something different is happening.

New meaning

China's economic boom has lured many Chinese Americans into business back on the mainland. And along the way, some, such as Huang, are re-embracing age-old traditions such as Chinese New Year with a new sense of meaning.

"In the past, a lot of second-generation and third-generation Chinese Americans kept their traditions because they were isolated from mainstream society," said Yong Chen, a professor of history at UC Irvine. "Now they have a choice to become Americanized. But they're seeing there are benefits associated with being Chinese because of the growth of the Chinese economy."

Southern California is China's leading two-way trading partner, accounting for $109 billion annually (including Hong Kong and Macao). The San Gabriel Valley is dotted with companies large and small trying to get rich by importing Chinese products into the United States.