(Un)BECOMING Chinatown
Today, the entire area of and around my parcel is commonly known as the cultural enclave of Chinatown, due to the large concentration of people of Chinese origin. By the 1900 census, there were over 1000 Chinese people living in the city, and the number only multiplied as years passed. As Chinese immigrants began to occupy the streets of Boston, their culture and traditions began to anchor themselves in the city.
Although it is unclear when exactly Hudson Street and the surrounding neighborhoods transitioned from a predominantly Syrian to a predominantly Chinese population, it is known that the Syrians eventually migrated out towards the suburbs, and the Chinese took their place. Here, Chinese-American life in Boston began, and in great numbers.
Newspaper sketch of Chinese laundry workers, 1881, Chinese Hand Laundry Alliance
LABORERS
Upon first settling in Boston, many immigrants were hired to work in the rail yards surrounding South Station. Located directly behind Hudson Street is the Boston and Albany Railroad, which operated between the years of 1867–1961, and employed Chinese immigrants for a short time. By the early 20th century, though, most Chinese settlers were employed in a growing economy made of their own community members. Many families began their own businesses such as laundries and restaurants. The 1900 Census reports that 88 percent of Chinese workers labored in small laundry businesses. Inhumane working conditions and exhaustively long hours lead to the formation of the labor alliance, the Chinese Hand Laundry Alliance, in 1933.
THE BIENNIAL CONVENTION OF THE YEE FAMILY
The Yee family was central to the Chinese community on Hudson Street in the early-mid nineteenth century. Head of his family, Yee Shue Wah was the "Mayor of Chinatown." He is noted to have occasionally gone by his American name of Chester Yee. In September of 1924, the family held their biennial convention. In attendance were 700 delegates, representing 37 states. The opening day of the convention was comprised of the dedication of the new Yee clubhouse at 23 Hudson Street, a banquet for the delegates, and concluded with a series of firework displays on Hudson Street. The newspapers at this time report how the entirety of Chinatown, but specifically the area of Hudson Street where the "headquarters of the Yee family" were located, was decorated with colorful flags and banners. It was at this convention that Yee Shue Wah announced his intentions to not run for reelection as Mayor, though he later changed his mind.
Excerpts from The Boston Daily Globe, "Biennial Convention of the Yee Family," September 24, 1928
Leslie Jones, "Making the new Chinatown tunnel," 1956
Leslie Jones, "New Chinatown tunnel from various points - Hudson St.," 1956
DISPLACEMENT ON HUDSON ST.
In the middle of the nineteenth century, levels of Chinese immigration were growing in post-war era Boston. This, along with the new push for urbanization efforts, began to change the ways in which Hudson Street was occupied. Major construction in the area, such as that of the Central Artery and the Tufts Medical Center in the late '50s and into the '60s reduced the land size of Chinatown by half. Despite this, the population continued to grow. Although many residents refused to be uprooted, a large portion of Chinatown's families had no choice but to leave the area and relocate. They settled in other Boston neighborhoods and nearby suburbs. The families who managed to remain in the Hudson Street neighborhood, though, are responsible for carrying the Chinatown name to the present day.
References
"BIENNIAL CONVENTION OF YEE FAMILY OPENS IN BOSTON'S CHINATOWN." Daily Boston Globe (1928-1960), Sep 24 1928, p. 6. ProQuest. Web.
“Chinese.” Global Boston, Boston College Libraries, globalboston.bc.edu/index.php/home/ethnic-groups/chinese/.
The New York Times (by George Alexanderson). "Chinatown's Aged Finding Haven Where they'Re Not 'Forgotten Men': IN CHINATOWN'S GOLDEN AGE CENTER TO BE DEDICATED TODAY." New York Times (1923-Current file), May 24 1951, p. 37. ProQuest. Web.
"CHINATOWN MAYOR UP FOR REELECTION: YEE SHUE WAH CHANGES HIS MIND CHEERED AT DINNER AS UNANIMOUS CHOICE FOR OFFICE." Daily Boston Globe (1928-1960), Jan 10 1929, p. 7. ProQuest. Web.
Jones, Leslie. "New Chinatown tunnel from various points." Photograph. October 1956. Digital Commonwealth, https://ark.digitalcommonwealth.org/ark:/50959/8c97mj36q .
Jones, Leslie. "New Chinatown tunnel from various points." Photograph. October 1956. Digital Commonwealth, https://ark.digitalcommonwealth.org/ark:/50959/8c97mh161.
Major S.P.R. de RODYENKO, Chinese Military Forces, Retired. "Some Popular Misconceptions about our Resident Chinese." Boston Daily Globe (1857-1922), Jul 31 1921, p. 41. ProQuest. Web.
"VANISHING TRADE: CHINESE LAUNDRIES SAID TO BE DECREASING HISTORY OF THE RISE AND FALL OF THIS HAND INDUSTRY." Boston Daily Globe (1872-1922), May 23 1920, p. 1. ProQuest. Web.