On a tour given by MOCA tour guide Harmony, the class gained insight into many of the past landmarks of Chinatown. Harmony helped us unearth the history of the rich historical sites such as the Bloody Corner, Five Points, Old Tenements and Bachelor Towns that have been overlaid by modern structures. The following are some of the responses from the class post-tour:

 

“It is one thing to read or hear about the “Bloody Angle” but it is an entirely different phenomenon to physically be there and see where the Tongs fought… The Church of the Transfiguration, ‘Old People’ Park, the statues of Confucius and Sun Yat-sen, and of course, bubble tea, were elements of modern Chinatown that could not have been grasped from a purely academic study of Chinese immigration.” – Mark Campmier

“I learned that Chinatown is a vibrant, multiethnic community, filled to the brim with the most peculiar sights and sounds…the hustle and bustle of the streets, the bright and eye-catching colors of shop signs, the rhythmic thumping of the basketball in the outdoor court, and, of course, the opera in ‘Old People Park’.” – Nabila Akthar

“I was able to stand on what was once a polluted pond filled with ice-skating or swimming kids… Five Points, the now never ending pickup game filled park was once a hotspot for large gory gang fights and brutality that made the human life a replaceable entity…The now store-filled Bloody Angle, was also a favorite hotspot for gangs to duke it out and for muggers to ambush. Just to think about how we were able to walk through such places today with such rich history just astounds me.” – Jingyih Lee

 I never thought that it would be the immigration status of women that discouraged interracial marriage: if a woman married a man without a US citizenship, she would lose hers too… sometimes I take my rights…for granted.  I also liked that we got to see Columbus Park, colloquially known as “Old People Park” because my mom mentions how my grandfather liked to take walks there but I don’t remember it, but the smell is familiar. – Carmen Quang

I pretty much grew up in Chinatown…and I still go to Chinatown at least once a week for work. To my surprise, the tour took almost exact path I walked with my mom from the subway to my elementary school (Yes everything from the Tombs, Coco Fashion to Confucius Plaza and more). It struck me how much I took this path for granted. I never once thought to look up the history of the Tombs or Columbus Park. I was surprised that such a stable and giant looking structure is actually built on top of what once was a marsh. – Alison Lin