With limited work options and a shortage of women in the community, Chinese men often turned to laundry businesses, grocery stores, restaurants, and other service jobs. Many of these jobs led to tensions among the Mexican American community. Many believed Chinese immigrants were a threat to the existing workforce, especially to women who traditionally took these roles.

Discrimination increased with the passing of The Chinese Exclusion act, which banned Chinese immigration into the U.S. During this time, the Chinese community managed to maintain their traditions by importing Chinese goods, leading to El Paso becoming home to one of the largest Chinatowns in Texas.

El Paso's Chinese population reached its peak in 1900 at 836 people, according to census records. However, with the extension of exclusion policies, the Chinese community could not sustain itself. Some men returned to China to start families, while others relocated to San Antonio after General John J. Pershing’s expedition in Mexico against Francisco “Pancho” Villa opened a path for many Mexican Chinese to enter the U.S. El Paso’s Chinatown eventually diminished, and the Chinese Exclusion Act was not repealed until 1943.

Seito Saibara arrived in the United States in 1901 and later came to Texas, where he helped advise and expand rice farming in the state.

Saibara soon found himself settled in the state, calling upon his wife and son to bring 300 pounds of shinriki seeds from Japan to plant across 1,000 acres of fertile land in Webster. Quickly finding success, the Saibaras expanded their enterprise and established farming colonies that consisted of workers who managed the rice farms, many of which were Japanese immigrants in pursuit of owning their own farms. Other notable Japanese farmers including Kichimatsu Kishi, the Onishi family, and the Kagawa family, to name a few, followed in his success and adopted new farming techniques such as using steam-powered tractors and diversifying their crops.

While many of these agricultural settlements remained small and regionally focused, they laid quiet groundwork for later arrivals who would transform the cultural landscape in more visible ways.

Across Houston, Asian American heritage appears in many forms: art museums, temple spaces, family-run restaurants, and neighborhood corridors alive with commerce and daily life. Start at Asia Society Texas Center, where curated exhibits introduce you to a wide range of Asian and Asian American stories, then move to the Japanese Garden at Hermann Park for a quieter counterpoint. From southwest Houston to Bellaire Boulevard, the itinerary widens into a layered landscape of food, faith, and public art in Asiatown. See the 'Longevity' mural by Thomas Tran across from H Mart, a vibrant representation of the many Asian and Asian American cultural influences shaping the area. Known for its bold, comforting flavors, Aga’s Restaurant is a great spot to settle in and enjoy a memorable meal. From there, shift to the Teo Chew Temple, where traditional design elements and cultural symbolism offer insight into local Chinese heritage. End in Stafford with the BAPS Shir Swaminarayan Mandir, where the scale of the architecture can be quietly appreciated in a serene setting.

Begin at Sitagu Buddha Vihara, then move into the city’s neighborhoods, where the Taniguchi Japanese Garden in Zilker Botanical Garden offers one kind of public memory and the Lung Family House offers another. At 1605 Canterbury Street, the surviving home gives a rare glimpse into early Chinese American domestic life in Austin. Continue to the Sing Family in Austin marker on Willow Street, where the city’s archival memory becomes visible in the street itself.