You are abdo-lutely right! I know many Chinese immigrants here in the States.
They've all become citizens, and are all very hard-working people wanting to partake in the American dream. One of them is my wife! Her English is better than mine! She teaches Mandarin at a local University.
All my friends tell me that most things in China have loosened up quite a bit. The government still sucks, but it's rotting from the inside.
"You are abdo-lutely right! I know many Chinese immigrants here in the States."
My neighborhood here in California is mostly Chinese and I can vouch for what you say. The hard work is a given, right, but I am most struck by how much these folks WANT to be American and "partake in the American dream", as you say.
Last summer, one of the Chinese grandmothers (from Beijing) at the community pool said it best in a way that sticks with my rather simple mind. She said, "Chinese good, government bad" and went on to tell me that she was a new American citizen (I welcomed her). This in turn reminded me what is truly great about this country.
Your wife is a welcome addition to our nation. From the first Chinese who came to California during the Gold Rush in search of the "Mountan of Gold" to Mandarin teachers at the local university, Chinese-American history is an important (and sometimes overlooked) part of the history of California and the west.