The Chinatown in Manhattan is the largest Chinatown in the United States. It is als home to the largest concentration of Chinese in the western hemisphere, with a population that is estimated to be between 70 and 150 thousand. However, the Chinese are not the only immigrants that live there, and over the years others have moved in and out of the area. Chinatown’s history is rooted in Chinese traders and sailors who came to America, however the biggest rush of Chinese came after the completion of the Central Pacific Railroad and the Gold Rush. Much of Chinatown’s history also connects to the Chinese Exclusion Act (1882-1943) which attempted to keep as many Chinese out of the US as possible by not allowing women and only allowing the sons of those already here to come across. And although Angel Island is on the other side of the country, it also had its effects on who made it to Manhattan’s Chinatown. Chinatown was originally almost all tenement apartments; in modern times many families still live in close proximity, but the conditions are somewhat better (especially when the older generations die and leave the apartments to the hands of the owners). Chinatown is considered a tourist attraction, however its also an area that is called home to thousands and thus the same things that are important to those living further uptown are important to those living in Chinatown. (http://www.ny.com/articles/chinatown.html)
The 6 headings for newspaper articles on http://www.nychinatown.org are Gentrification, Neighborhood Issues, Civil Rights, Lifestyle, Crime & Punishment, and Historical. These headings show us only a bare minimum of issues that are important to people who live in Chinatown, they are also issues that should be important to those who live in other parts of New York City and the rest of the world.
The streets that are encompassed in Manhattan’s Chinatown are Allen Street, Baxter Street, Bayard Street, The Bowery, Broome Street, Canal Street, Catherine Street, Centre Street, Centre Market Pl, Elizabeth Street, Market Street, Chatham Square, Essex Street, Chrystie Street, Grand Street, Mosco Street, Division Street, Henry Street, Mott Street, Doyers Street, Hester Street, Mulberry Street, East Broadway, Kenmare Street, Orchard Street, Eldridge Street, Madison Street, Park Row, and Pell Street.
The following is a map from http://www.nychinatown.org, however another good map can be found at http://www.explorechinatown.com/PDF/explorechinatownmap.pdf
Manhattan’s Chinatown is rich in culture and its streets hold many museums and arts/cultural centres. These include the Asian American Arts Alliance, the Asian American Arts Centre, the Chinese Music Ensemble of New York, the Chen Dance Center, the Museum of Chinese in America (which we are all familiar with), the New York Chinese Cultural Center, and many more. http://www.explorechinatown.com/ is a good site to visit to learn more about how you can get the most out of your visit to Chinatown, as well as keeping those who visit the site up to date on the latest news in Chinatown.
