"The quintessentially American belief that if you work hard enough, you will earn something like success and belonging has always animated Chinatown."
-Bonnie Tsui, "What Chinatown Means to America—and to Me"
In the 1870s, Manhattan’s Chinatown begun as a conglomeration of businesses on Mott, Pell, and Doyer Street. Racist sentiment and fear of Chinese immigrants stealing jobs from white workers, resulted in Chinese immigrants living and banding together to support one another.
In the beginning, mostly Taishanese-speaking Chinese immigrants made up the neighborhood. After the enactment of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, which overturned the immigration quota, a wave of immigrants from Hong Kong and Guangdong arrived, sizably expanding the neighborhood to an estimated 55-block area with Cantonese becoming the dominant language.
While Chinatown has changed over time, including the expansion of tourism, Chinatown businesses continue to uniquely specialize in the needs of Asian clientele by providing Asian products and groceries and offering multilingual services.
September 11, 2001
Two subways lines skipped stops in Chinatown
Phone and network lines went out
SARS epidemic
Stigmatized Chinatown, hurting businesses
Hurricane Sandy
Four-day blackout
Only 28 businesses received major federal and NYC aid in Chinatown
COVID-19 pandemic
Anti-Asian hate sentiment and crimes
Fear among Asian communities to leave their homes
Reduced foot traffic in Chinatown from lack of tourists and in-office workers downtown
Gentrification
Rising rent
Residents being displaced
The world's largest jail is being built in Chinatown
Displacing/hurting businesses
Construction debris
Eyesore/discourages tourists and visitors