The Heritage of Asian-Americans
The Heritage of Asian-Americans
Embedded Files
A History of Chinatown
A History of Chinatown
It began when Chinese immigrants came to America in the California Gold Rush. Their arrival, however, was not taken well as they became the victims of legalized discrimination and things such as taxes on foreign-born miners and preventing those of Chinese descent from testifying in court being some of the ways they were discriminated against. There were even things such as the Page Act of 1875, prohibiting East Asian women from coming to America, and also the Chinese Exclusion Act, which banned migration of laborers from China to America.
Chicago's first Chinatown consisted of the tiny Chinese population on an area between the streets of Van Buren and Harrison, including locations such as grocery stores, pharmacies, barbers, butchers, resturants, and even a cigar factory.
Due to overcrowding and increased rent, however, a "new Chinatown" was needed- and while not confirmed, it was believed that discrimination also played a part in this. This resulted in them moving out towards Armour Square, and with the repeal of the exclusion act, Chinese immigration grew massively. Chinatown, however, didnt become home for just Chinese people however, but also those of Vietnamese, Lao, and Cambodian descent.
Today, Chinatown's entrance is marked by two gates representing wisdom and knowledge with pillars representing the creation of paper-making, gunpowder, compass(es), and printing. But there is also a mural portraying the history of Chinese immigrants in the U.S. and busts representing the 12 Chinese zodiacs.
The final gate in Chinatown represents devotion.
A Peek At the Past (A Personal Anecdote)
A Peek At the Past (A Personal Anecdote)
My mother was one of those Vietnamese immigrants who made Chinatown her second home of sorts. She didn't live there, but she visited it frequently with her family, when she was a kid, just as she does for me even now. She loves to go there for the street food and the night markets, but also the culture and the history embeded into it- how she puts it is that "[Vietnamese and Chinese people] are like neighbours, and we should make the effort to learn about [Chinese people's culture] and respect it just as much as they do".
Of course, in the many years it's been around, however, it's changed quite a bit from what my mom remembered.
She said that when she would visit there, it was a lot more "old-styled" with less technology and "modern" style buildings as you can see now in the "new" Chinatown. Many people don't even live in what was then the old Chinatown anymore, with there only being a couple residential buildings and otherwise just more shops and resturants and such. Buildings have been renovated and more modernized since then, some shops have closed down, and some have opened in the years that've passed. My mother says that it's in an attempt to attract the more younger crowd to Chinatown and appeal to them rather than the older generation. IF they can attact the younger crowd after all, it's more likely they'll be coming back again and again.
Page updated
Report abuse