Chinatown

Chinatown (Chinese: 唐人街) is a special area where many Chinese people live and work together, far from places like Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. You can find Chinatowns in many cities all around the world, from Europe and Asia to Africa, Oceania, and the Americas.

The idea of Chinatowns started a very long time ago, during the Tang dynasty in the 10th century, because China was an important part of global trade. One of the oldest Chinatowns is Binondo in Manila, which was started in 1594. Other famous early Chinatowns include San Francisco's Chinatown in the United States and Melbourne's Chinatown in Australia. These began in the early 1850s when people were searching for gold in California and Victoria. Even more recently, a Chinatown in Montville, Connecticut, grew after Chinese workers had to leave New York's Manhattan Chinatown following the September 11th attacks in 2001.

Definition

Oxford Dictionaries describes a "Chinatown" as a part of a city where most of the people are from China. Sometimes, places called Chinatowns might not have many Chinese people. For example, some areas might have people from Vietnam, Korea, India, or other parts of Asia. One place in Cleveland, Ohio, was first called a Chinatown but later changed its name because many people from different Asian countries opened businesses there. Today, it brings together people from China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, the Philippines, India, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Nepal, and Thailand.

The idea of a Chinatown can also include areas outside of cities. Some Chinatowns are in big cities, while others are in quieter, suburban places. There are even some places made to look like Chinatowns, such as a mall in Austin, Texas designed to feel Chinese. This shows that the meaning of "Chinatown" can change depending on where you are.

History

In Asia

Outside of Asia

Many Chinese people came to Liverpool in the late 1850s to work for a shipping company. They lived near the docks until World War II, then moved to Liverpool Chinatown.

The Chinatown in San Francisco is one of the largest in North America and the oldest north of Mexico. It began in the 1850s as a place for Chinese immigrants. Many worked on the Central Pacific part of the Transcontinental Railroad. Chinatowns also appeared in cities along the West Coast from San Diego to Victoria.

People looking for jobs built Chinatowns in the Western United States, like in California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Utah, Colorado and Arizona. As the railroad grew, more Chinatowns formed in places like St. Louis, Chicago, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and Butte, Montana. Chinatowns also appeared on the East Coast in cities like New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Providence and Baltimore. After rules changed, some southern states like Arkansas, Louisiana and Georgia hired Chinese workers.

In Australia, the gold rush in the 1850s brought Chinese people to Melbourne Chinatown, which is still the oldest in a western city. It grew in the early 1900s but shrank later. Recently, it has become busy again with many new shops. Sydney's Chinatown also moved a few times but is now on Dixon Street.

Chinatowns in European cities like Paris and London began around the early 1900s. The first in London was in the Limehouse area, where Chinese sailors often visited.

France saw many Chinese workers from Wenzhou in China and refugees from Indochina after the Vietnam War. Big Chinatowns grew in Belleville and the 13th arrondissement of Paris.

[Manhattan's Chinatown](/wiki/Chinatown,_Manhattan), the largest group of [Chinese people](/wiki/Chinese_people) in the [Western Hemisphere](/wiki/Western_Hemisphere) and one of [nine Chinatown neighborhoods in New York City](/wiki/Chinese_Americans_in_New_York_City)

[Brooklyn](/wiki/Chinatowns_in_Brooklyn), the [borough](/wiki/Boroughs_\(New_York_City\)) with the most [Chinatowns in New York City](/wiki/Chinese_people_in_New_York_City)

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Chinatown, San Francisco, the oldest Chinatown in the US

[Chinatown, Boston](/wiki/Chinatown,_Boston), a Chinatown built using modern designs

The design of Chinatown Square in [Chinatown, Chicago](/wiki/Chinatown,_Chicago) was inspired by the [Chinese Imperial Court](/wiki/Forbidden_City).

[Chinatown, Philadelphia](/wiki/Chinatown,_Philadelphia), which got many Chinese people from New York City and China

[Liverpool's Chinatown](/wiki/Chinatown,_Liverpool), the oldest Chinatown in Europe

1970s to the present

After the Vietnam War, refugees helped grow Chinatowns in Western countries. Many became busy areas for people from many parts of Asia.

After the events of September 11 in 2001, about 14,000 Chinese workers left Manhattan's Chinatown for Montville, Connecticut to work in casinos like the Mohegan Sun.

In 2012, Tijuana's Chinatown grew because of direct flights to China. The La Mesa District of Tijuana grew from a small area to three times its size. The number of Chinese people there rose from 5,000 in 2009 to about 15,000 in 2012.

The busy streets of Main Street and Roosevelt Avenue in the Flushing Chinatown (法拉盛華埠) in Downtown Flushing, Queens, New York City, are very crowded. This area has over 30,000 people born in China, the most outside Asia. Flushing is growing quickly with many new businesses.

The New York metropolitan area has the largest Chinese-American population, with about 893,697 people in 2017. Many Chinatowns are in this area, including nine in New York City.

The COVID-19 pandemic made it harder for businesses and tourism in Chinatowns like San Francisco and Chinatown, Chicago.

Chinese settlements

People from the Fujian province began moving across the South China Sea from the 14th century. They were searching for stable jobs, mostly in trading and fishing. They settled near ports or jetties with permission from local leaders in places like Magong in Penghu, Hoian in Vietnam, Songkla in Thailand, Malacca in Malaysia, Banten, Semarang, Tuban in Indonesia, and Manila in the Philippines.

These settlements often grew along coastlines near the South China Sea. They were called “Campon China” by Portuguese people and “China Town” by English speakers. The settlements were usually built near a jetty and protected by a Mazu temple, dedicated to the Goddess of the Sea for safe travels. Markets were held in front of the temple, and shops were built along the streets leading from the temple. At the end of the street, a Tudigong temple for the Land God was placed. As these areas became busy commercial towns, temples like Kuan Ti were added, especially by people from Hong Kong and Guangdong province. This pattern stayed the same even as the settlements grew into larger cities, forming important urban centers in Southeast Asia.

Characteristics

Early Chinatowns, like those in San Francisco and Los Angeles, became places where people of Chinese descent lived because of opportunities such as the California Gold Rush and building the Transcontinental Railroad. These areas were often home only to people of Chinese heritage, both those born in China and those born in these neighborhoods.

Today, many Chinatowns are changing. In places like the United States and Canada, laws prevent unfair treatment, so non-Chinese people can also live in these areas. Some older Chinatowns are seeing new, fancy homes being built, which changes the neighborhood. However, new Chinatowns are still growing in places like Queens and Brooklyn in New York City.

Many Chinatowns are known for special red arch entrances called Paifang, often with decorations to welcome visitors. These arches can be made from wood, stone, or steel and sometimes have special meanings written in Chinese. They are often gifts from China or paid for by local communities. Examples can be found in cities around the world, including Sydney, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C..

Main article: Chinese architecture

Benevolent and business associations

Main article: Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association

In many Chinatowns, there are special groups called family benevolent associations. These groups help Chinese immigrants, especially older ones, by offering support, meals, and activities for fun. People join these groups if they share the same Chinese surname, speak the same Chinese dialect, or come from the same place.

Some well-known examples include San Francisco's Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association (also called the Chinese Six Companies) and Los Angeles' Southern California Teochew Association. These groups also support Chinese businesses like restaurants and grocery stores in places like Chicago's Chinatown.

Names

"Chinatown" is the most common name used in English today. Other names include China Town, The Chinese District, Chinese Quarter, Little Canton, Little China, and China Alley. "China Alley" was an old term used in some towns in the western United States for Chinese communities.

The word "Chinatown" was first used in 1606, but it became popular later. It started being used in Singapore in the 1800s and then spread to other places. In the United States, newspapers in San Francisco helped make the term well-known in the mid-1800s.

In Chinese, Chinatown is usually called 唐人街, meaning "Tang people's street". The Tang dynasty was a golden age in Chinese history. Some Chinatowns are just one street, like Fisgard Street in Victoria, British Columbia.

Other names for Chinatown exist in many languages. For example, in Singapore it is called Niúchēshǔi, meaning "ox-cart water". In Malaysia, the Chinatown in Kuala Lumpur is known as ci⁴ cong² gaai¹, meaning "tapioca factory street". In Manila, Philippines, it is called Mínlúnluò Qū, which refers to a riverside area.

In Philippine Spanish, Chinatowns are called parián. In Spanish-speaking countries, the term is usually barrio chino. In Portuguese, it is Bairro chinês. In French-speaking areas, it is called le quartier chinois. In Vietnamese, it is Khu người Hoa or phố Tàu. In Japanese, the term is "chūkagai". In Indonesia, it is known as Pecinan. Some languages use the English word "Chinatown" directly.

Locations

Africa

There are three important Chinatowns in Africa in the coastal nations of Madagascar, Mauritius and South Africa. South Africa has the largest Chinatown and the biggest Chinese population of any African country. Derrick Avenue in Cyrildene, Johannesburg, is home to South Africa's largest Chinatown.

America

Chinatowns in the Americas have existed since the 1800s. The most well-known ones are in the United States and Canada, in cities such as New York, Boston, San Francisco, Chicago, Toronto and Vancouver. The New York City metropolitan area has the largest ethnically Chinese population outside of Asia, with many Chinatowns spread across the area. San Francisco has the oldest and longest-running Chinatown in the Western Hemisphere. In Canada, the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area has the second-largest ethnically Chinese population outside of Asia. Vancouver's Chinatown is the largest in Canada.

The oldest Chinatown in the Americas is in Mexico City and dates back to the early 17th century. New arrivals since the 1970s have mostly come from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. Latin American Chinatowns include descendants of early Chinese migrants and more recent immigrants from East Asia. Most Asian Latin Americans have roots in Cantonese and Hakka communities. Notable Chinatowns can also be found in Lima, Peru.

In Brazil, the Liberdade neighborhood in São Paulo has a significant Chinese community. There are plans for a Chinatown in the Mercado neighborhood near the Municipal Market and Rua 25 de Março.

[Manhattan Chinatown](/wiki/Chinatown,_Manhattan)

[San Francisco's Chinatown](/wiki/San_Francisco's_Chinatown)

[Chinatown, Boston](/wiki/Chinatown,_Boston)

[Chinatown, Philadelphia](/wiki/Chinatown,_Philadelphia)

Portland, Oregon's Chinatown

Chinatown, [Port of Spain](/wiki/Port_of_Spain)

[Seattle Chinatown-International District](/wiki/Seattle_Chinatown-International_District), [Seattle](/wiki/Seattle)

[Vancouver Chinatown](/wiki/Chinatown,_Vancouver)

Chinatown in Canada's Capital, [Ottawa](/wiki/Chinatown,_Ottawa)

Arch honors Chinese-Mexican community of Mexico City, built in 2008, Articulo 123 Street

[Barrio Chino](/wiki/Barrio_Chino_\(Buenos_Aires\)), [Buenos Aires](/wiki/Buenos_Aires)

Barrio Chino, [Lima](/wiki/Lima)

Asia

Chinatowns in Asia are widespread, with many located in East Asia and Southeast Asia. The Chinese community in these areas often traces its roots to people from southern China, especially the provinces of Guangdong, Fujian, and Hainan. Many settled in countries such as Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam centuries ago, beginning as early as the Tang dynasty, but mostly during the Qing dynasty and into the 20th century. Today, the largest Chinatown by size is in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

[Chợ Lớn](/wiki/Chợ_Lớn), [Ho Chi Minh City](/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh_City), Vietnam, the world's largest Chinatown

The Gate of the [Incheon](/wiki/Incheon) Chinatown, [South Korea](/wiki/South_Korea). This is the only official Chinatown in the country

[Yokohama Chinatown](/wiki/Yokohama_Chinatown)'s Goodwill Gate in Japan

Chinatown in [Bangkok](/wiki/Bangkok), Thailand

Kan Yin Temple (_Kwan Yin Si_), a place of worship for Burmese Chinese in Bago, also serves as a Mandarin school.

Chinatown gate performing an attraction [Dragon dance](/wiki/Dragon_dance) in [Glodok](/wiki/Glodok), [Jakarta](/wiki/Jakarta), Indonesia

_Kya-Kya_ or _Kembang Jepun_, [Surabaya](/wiki/Surabaya)'s Chinatown, one of the oldest Chinatowns in Indonesia

Chinese New Year celebrated in [Chinatown, Kolkata](/wiki/Chinatown,_Kolkata), India

[Binondo Chinatown](/wiki/Binondo) in [Manila](/wiki/Manila)

Australia and Oceania

The Chinatown of Melbourne is in the Melbourne central business district along Little Bourke Street. It began during the Victorian gold rush in 1851 and is the oldest Chinatown in Australia.

Sydney's main Chinatown is on Sussex Street in downtown Sydney, stretching from Central Station to Darling Harbour. It is Australia's largest Chinatown.

The Chinatown of Adelaide was built in the 1960s and renovated in the 1980s. It is near Adelaide Central Market and the Adelaide Central bus station.

Chinatown Gold Coast is in the Central Business District of Southport, Queensland. It was redeveloped between 2013 and 2015 for Chinese New Year celebrations.

Other Chinatowns can be found in Brisbane, Perth, and Broome in Australia.

Paifang at [Sydney Chinatown](/wiki/Chinatown,_Sydney)

Paifang at [Bendigo Chinese Precinct](/wiki/Bendigo)

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Adelaide Chinatown
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Melbourne Chinatown

Chinese New Year celebration at [Box Hill Chinatown](/wiki/Box_Hill,_Victoria)

[Brisbane Chinatown](/wiki/Chinatown,_Brisbane)

Europe

Major European cities have several Chinatowns. There is Chinatown, London in England, as well as important areas in Birmingham, Liverpool, Newcastle, and Manchester. Berlin, Germany has a Chinatown around Kantstrasse in Charlottenburg. Antwerp, Belgium has a growing Chinese community recognized since 2011. The city council of Cardiff plans to recognize its Chinese community.

The Chinatown in Paris in the 13th arrondissement is the largest in Europe, where many Vietnamese – especially ethnic Chinese refugees from Vietnam – have settled. Other communities exist in Belleville in northeast Paris and in Lyon. In Italy, there is a Chinatown in Milan and others in Rome and Prato. In the Netherlands, Chinatowns are found in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and the Hague.

The Chinatown in Liverpool is the oldest Chinese community in Europe. The Chinatown in London began in the Limehouse district in the late 19th century. The Chinatown in Manchester is in central Manchester.

Map of Chinatown Milan

Gate of [Chinatown, Liverpool](/wiki/Chinatown,_Liverpool) England, is the largest multiple-span arch outside of China, in the oldest Chinese community in Europe.

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Wardour Street, Chinatown, London

Chinese Quarter in [Birmingham](/wiki/Birmingham), England

Chinese new year celebration in [Lyon](/wiki/Lyon), France

In popular culture

Chinatowns have appeared in many films such as The Joy Luck Club, Big Trouble in Little China, Year of the Dragon, Flower Drum Song, The Lady from Shanghai, and Chinatown. In the film Chinatown, the term is used as a metaphor for situations where someone tries to help but doesn’t understand the local ways well. These areas are often thought of as places with their own rules, separate from the rest of society.

Chinatowns have also been part of songs like "Queen of Chinatown" by Amanda Lear and "Kung Fu Fighting" by Carl Douglas. Famous people like martial arts actor Bruce Lee, who was born in the Chinatown of San Francisco, have strong ties to these neighborhoods. Other well-known Chinese Americans, such as politician Gary Locke and NBA player Jeremy Lin, grew up in areas far from traditional Chinatowns.