Chinatown in New York City is the largest Chinese enclave in the United States. It began with a few migrants from China and grew as the workers that were displaced after the completion of the transcontinental railroad moved east to avoid antagonism from white laborers. In New York City, the majority of the Chinese population was men. The ratio of men to women was so large that prostitution was rampant. Gangs developed to run these brothels. They also provided the city with services, such as sanitation, which the city neglected to provide the area. Although the Chinese were faced with hardship, they brought their unique culture to the city. They main unit of their community was the shop. There they gathered to talk about news from China as well as to receive and to send letters back home to their families.

Today Chinatown is still a very busy community that exhibits a rich and diverse Chinese culture. As a major tourist attraction, there are stores specifically geared towards non-Asian customers, in addition to stores that are mainly visited by residents. Chinatown is also sometimes known for the smells coming from the fish markets and the garbage on the streets. This, however, is only a small part of Chinatown. Open stores and stands can be seen selling vegetables and there are bakeries nearly on every street. There is a Chinese School on Mott Street and several public schools throughout the community. Restaurants with food from different provinces can also be found, offering a wide range of cuisine options for any visitor to Chinatown.

In addition to a diversity of places to visit, there is a diversity of people living in Chinatown. The majority of the people living in Chinatown, however, are working age adults. Yet, with this statistic, one third of the people living in Chinatown live below the poverty line. This shows that although Chinatown is one of the largest Chinese communities in the New York City, it is also where a large number of impoverished Chinese live.

http://www.ny.com/articles/chinatown.html

http://www.aafny.org/cic/briefs/Chinatownbrief.pdf

-Wendy Li