In the early 1900s, Chinatown was a largely male driven society due to the Chinese Exclusion Act. The Act prohibited women and children of immigrants from coming to the US so that there were only around 150 women per the 7,000 people living in Chinatown at the time. This led to a negative view of Chinatown with the social view that Chinese men ran underground and shady businesses such as opium dens and brothels.
The above video details conditions in Chinatown in the early 1900s and highlights the view that Chinatown was a place filled with crime and shady practices.
After the immigration quota was lifted in the 1960s, many Chinese immigrants began to flock towards Chinatown and use it for business purposes. As a result, the media perception of Chinatown began to change to one filled with business purposes. Chinese immigrants often worked for cheap wages and as a result were commonly used for factory work.
The above video is a clip from Woody Allen’s movie “Alice”, which highlights the mystery and magical realism associated with Chinatown when Dr. Yang prescribes herbs and other remedies to the main character Alice.
In recent decades, many Chinese workers have been displaced as a result of factories being closed down because they can’t compete with Chinese imports. As a result, many overseas Chinese investors have bought up property in Chinatown and they, along with other business owners, have begun to appeal to tourists through the sale of souveneirs. Due to this, media perception in recent years has switched from a business oriented neighborhood to a tourist attraction.
The above media report details conditions in Chinatown and discusses gentrification in recent years. The report talks about current residents and businesses being pressured to move or close down.
This informational video about tourism in Chinatown highlights how Chinatown has recently become one of the biggest tourist attractions in New York and has shifted from a business dominated neighborhood.
This video highlights the features of modern day Chinatown. This is a clip from the recent movie, “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”, which shows Chinatown as a neighborhood filled with antiques, souvenirs, and other colorful objects and scenery.
Overall, media portrayal of Chinatown has changed greatly because of gentrification. In the early 1900s, Chinatown was a largely self governed neighborhood in New York City because of the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association. The largely bachelor fueled society (caused by the Chinese Exclusion Act) was viewed negatively as a place of crime and chaos by other Americans. Eventually, after the quota was lifted in the 1960s, Chinatown became viewed more as an industrial neighborhood than a crime neighborhood. Filled with factories and workers, the media began to portray Chinatown as a business center rather than the shady neighborhood it once was. Finally, in recent years, many of these factories have closed down because of gentrification. This is because overseas investors have bought up real estate in Chinatown, raising the price of property in the area. These business owners have switched Chinatown’s main purpose from industry to tourist attraction. Because property prices have vastly increased and tourism has increased, Chinatown has become more commercial, appealing to tourists. The media has portrayed this by showing Chinatown as a colorful and cultural center. Nowadays, Chinatown appeals to tourists through the sale of souvenirs and classic Chinese culture.
