Chinatown: A Taste of China in New York City
Historical Overview
Chinatown in New York City was the second Chinatown created after the one made in San Francisco, California. Similar to the first one, Chinatown was originally a place for
Chinese immigrants to come to after getting off their long journey on the ships. Originally the Chinese immigrants came to the West in hopes of getting a quick fortune from the Gold
Rush or earning money from working on the Transcontinental Railroad. However, they soon realized that there was no potential to obtain wealth or to gain a job since the railroad was completed. They began to work for low wages at textile or cigarette making factories.
However, since these immigrants were working at drastically lower prices, Americans were unable to get a job. This caused tension to grow and the Chinese faced increasing discrimination and violence (Waxman par.2-4).
To escape these hardships, a majority of Chinese immigrants began to move towards the East Coast. These immigrants typically lived in the slums of the Five Points and the
boundary of New York. By staying together, they would be able to support each other and separate themselves from the rest of society to live their own lives. As a result of not assimilating and stealing jobs, the U.S. government enacted the Chinese Exclusion Act of
1882. This diminished the number of Chinese immigrants who could come to the United
States unless they had a special permit to enter. This caused the Chinese immigrants to become devastated because they could not bring their family relatives or friends to join them in the United States. However, once this ban was lifted in 1943, the U.S. government continued to limit the number of immigrants coming in with quotas until it was removed in
1965 (“Chinese Exclusion Act" par. 5). The Chinese population has grown more quickly since then (Waxman par. 5-9 ).
During the industrialization period from
1870-1916, there were no regulations set to
maintain safety and sanitation. The previous
buildings were poorly ventilated and there were
many immigrants that would be living within
one room. Diseases were contracted quickly
and many died during this period. Additionally,
there were few bathrooms in the tenements
and the neighbors in the apartments would
need to share.
Today, the buildings are similar to what they
were like earlier since the hallways are still
narrow. Upon looking into one of the buildings, some of the single bathrooms in the hallways remain. However, proper ventilation and lighting were added into the buildings.
The Chinese were adamant about restoration proposals. For example, in the 1950s, there was a renewal project but many rejected it for fear that it would ruin the local economy that they had. There were new buildings that have been added to Chinatown like the
Confucius Plaza Apartments (“Chinatown and Little Italy History par. 5). It was a complex that introduced more housing for the public. The streets were not changed that much throughout the years. The only difference is that the names of the streets used to be in
English but they are now in both English and Chinese. For example, Canal street has “堅尼 街” under it and Grand street has “格蘭街.” Chinatown is very easily accessible by train, and Canal Street station is essentially the start of every commuting visitor’s journey. From there, individuals are surrounded by other people as well as small shops, and most must-visit locations are only a refreshing walk away. Chinatown is also the site of the Manhattan Bridge connecting Lower
Manhattan to Downtown Brooklyn.
Chinese New Year
During the Chinese New Year in Chinatown, you can hear the drums beating, confetti popping and firecrackers exploding throughout the streets. An annual event takes place to ring in the New Year, which includes a Firecracker Ceremony and Cultural Festival. The main objective is to ward off the evil spirits and increase the good luck and wealth that citizens will receive in the new year. Many festivities surround this purpose such as the colorful lions and dragons that roam the streets and the stores that sell red envelopes and party snaps. Just like the ball dropping on New Year's in Times Square, the main event starts with a bang as many firecrackers pop and lions parade around. It starts the new year and wards away the bad spirit with it’s loud noise. You can experience the culture that the
Chinese participate in such as dining together with family members and friends and paying respects to our ancestors and Gods. It’s a festive time filled with joy that many remember and look forward to each year.
The Original Chinatown Ice Cream Factory Having been in business for forty years, the
Original Chinatown Ice Cream Factory has become a tourist location that many visit.
They have many flavors that range from the classics such as chocolate and vanilla to exotic flavors like don tat, chinese custard, and durian. The cost for a single scoop is $4.95, but the actual amount given was significantly more than one scoop and the ice cream comes with two complimentary sticks of pocky, so the price is reasonable. It is located at 65 Bayard Street.
Tenement Museum The Tenement Museum provides
insight to the living conditions that
people faced in the years before and
after apartment regulations. Here you
can briefly place yourself into the
shoes of immigrants who first came to
Chinatown and see the exact sight that
greeted the immigrants when they
arrived home. The tour costs $20-25
and can last from an hour to 90
minutes. The museum is located on 103
Orchard Street.
Parks Throughout Chinatown, there are multiple parks such as Columbus Park where visitors may catch glimpses of casual Chinese culture.
People from various age groups come to the park to enjoy themselves. There are the elderly who perform tai chi early in the mornings to start off their day and play games like Chinese chess. There are also adults who play music with their instruments, teenagers who play sports like handball and children who roam around the area. It is a completely free way of experiencing the daily life of
Chinese Americans.
Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) MOCA was established in 1980 at 215 Centre Street as a community-based organization intended to preserve and promote the rich history of Chinese Americans, lest it steadily disappear without being passed on orally. The museum features collections of various
forms of art ranging from
paintings to the traditional dragon
paraded during the Chinese New
Year festivals, as well as
educational programs geared
towards students. The entrance
fee for students with a student ID
is $5 and general admission is $10,
though admission is free on the
first Thursday of every month.
Escape the Room Escape the Room is an interactive game where you can participate with two to six team members to solve puzzles and hopefully escape the room.
Picking from four different scenarios, you place yourself into the story and with a motive to escape and three hints from the overseer, you test your teamwork and creativity. The time limit for the game is an hour. If you escape before then, you are able to take a photo as proof of your victory and if you beat the top 10 scores, you will have a polaroid of you and your teammates hung on the wall.
However, if you lose, you do not obtain anything.
The venues are located at 79 Leonard Street or 55
Chrystie Street. The price ranges from $155 for a party of 6 to $100 for a party of 2. However, if you use Groupon, you can cut down the price to $113 regardless of the number of members in the group.
Nom Wah Tea Parlor Opened in 1920, this tea parlor has
been in existence for almost a
century, and its location at 13-15
Doyer Street was the former site of
conflict between the Tong Gangs of
Chinatown before Ed and May Choy
founded the tea parlor-bakery
hybrid. Ownership of the bakery
shifted from Choy to Tang, an employee who had worked there for 24 years, and Nom Wah became well-known for their mooncakes, especially during the Mid-Autumn Festival. After a steady decline in business due to increased competition throughout the neighborhood, even when the focus of the cuisine changed from baked goods to dim sum, the restaurant was little more than a social hub. Ownership shifted once more from Tang to his nephew,
Wilson, who initiated renovations and modernized the equipment, but otherwise maintained the old-fashioned atmosphere of the restaurant (Kludt). Now a popular tourist location, business has increased, and visitors may recognize Nom Wah as the filming site of a scene in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, starring Andrew Garfield.
Former Citizens Savings Bank The large building that opened in 1924, currently an HSBC bank, has only recently been officially approved to be a landmark on August 9, 2011. Its massive size and elaborate sculptures decorating the exterior of the ornately designed building certainly give off the appearance of a landmark, and it was designed in such a bold manner in order to ensure its customers of the bank’s financial stability and, in turn, the safety of their hard-earned money (Dunlap). The towering structure is worth seeing, if only for the aesthetics. The bank faces the
Manhattan Bridge.
Lin Zexu’s Statue Chinatown’s Fujianese population received representation in the form of a statue of Lin
Zexu in Chatham Square in 1997. He was a scholar-official who banned opium, an action that precipitated the Opium Wars, and his likeness in the Fujianese-dense area of
Chinatown was intended to send the message of “Say no to drugs,” which is inscribed at the base of the statue (Chen). An accompanying structure to the side of the statue of Lin Zexu commemorates “the Americans of Chinese ancestry who lost their lives in defense of freedom and democracy.”
Works Cited "About." About | Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA). N.p., n.d. Web. Chen, David W. "Chinatown's Fujianese Get a Statue." The New York Times. The New York Times, 19 Nov. 1997. Web. "Chinatown and Little Italy Historic District." National Parks Service. U.S. Department of the Interior, n.d. Web. "Chinese Exclusion Act (1882)." Our Documents - Chinese Exclusion Act (1882). N.p., n.d. Web. Dunlap, David W. "A Landmark That Should Have Been, at Last, Is." The New York Times. The New York Times, 31 Aug. 2011. Web. Google Maps. Google, n.d. Web. Kludt, Amanda. "The Rebirth of 90 Year-Old Nom Wah Tea Parlor." Eater NY. Eater NY, 09 Nov. 2011. Web. Waxman, Sarah. "The History of New York City's Chinatown." About | Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA). N.p., n.d. Web.