Recreation

Though gentrification has had apparent effects on Chinatown, it does not seem to have affected how many residents in Chinatown relax. Many residents still enjoy the same activities as they did in their home countries and many of them find ways to adapt their activities to their lifestyles in America. Residents of Chinatown still find time to enjoy tai-chi, perform traditional Chinese opera songs, play Chinese games, and gather amongst themselves to reminiscence about the past.

Columbus Park floor plan.

Columbus Park is a center for much of the recreational activity in Chinatown. Adults and the elderly gather around the tables in the park to either watch an intense game of Chinese chess or try their luck at a round of Big Two, while teenagers and children, occupy the park on the opposite side, playing pick-up soccer games on the synthetic turf or basketball on the concrete floor. Closer to the statue honoring Sun-Yat Sen, people weave in and out of the paths in the park hearing street performers singing classic Chinese opera pieces or playing traditional Chinese instruments such as the erhu. Closer to the soccer pitch and the basketball courts, teenagers and children sing along to their iPods and stereos blast contemporary hits. The park’s layout seems rather divided—the young generation seems excluded from their older counterparts, who still seem to hold on to their traditions from their homeland. This pseudo-separation between the two age groups seems to suggest that gentrification has not been fully accepted in Chinatown, at least not in Columbus Park.

Entering the park through Bayard Street, leads one to the older generation of those that inhabit Columbus Park. Spaced graciously around this side are several tables and benches, all usually occupied by elderly men and women who have gathered to play traditional Chinese games. Accompanying these players is usually a crowd of watchers, who hope to eventually replace one of the players and take part of the game. The majority of these tables were separated by gender and age: the older women gathered with other women and the younger adult men gathered with other young adult men. Teenagers and children rarely played alongside, mainly because the older people did not want to teach or the game was too complicated to teach to the younger generation, as one man said. The two most popular games played by these people are Chinese chess and Big Two. Chinese chess involves two players, whereas Big Two is played by four and is usually accompanied by gambling. However, instead of gambling real money (as they did in China), many of those playing Big Two at Columbus were gambling fake coins or poker chips. Because gambling is illegal (and since there is a police station across the street), many of the Chinese immigrants have adapted a traditional Chinese card game to be played in accordance with American customs and laws. These games are very exclusive and it seems almost impossible to have a chance at playing at one of these tables. Everyone entering a new round of the game seems to be connected to another player whether it be a cousin, a friend, or a neighbor.

Soccer “pitch” at Columbus Park.

Directly opposite these table games are an abundance of children and teenagers gathered around the playground area or the few athletic fields. Unlike its counterpart, people at this side of the park seem more sporadic and spread out. As well, groups and clusters were more diverse with teenagers of different ages and races together as one team. On the other side of the park, groups that surrounded the table were exclusively Asian. Furthermore, the younger people did not seem to participate in the same recreational activities as the older people at the park. Instead, they seemed to take on more contemporary games and recreational activities such as sports, card games like Yu-Gi-Oh!, and even video games. One group of people played badminton (a sport overwhelming dominated by the Chinese) at the park by adapting a volleyball court to their needs.

Outside the park on Bayard Street, newly installed bike racks for the city’s CitiBike program lined up along the sidewalk. The big bike map route plastered next to these bike racks showed the different areas and locations where other bike racks would be located and where users can exchange or dock their bikes. It was interesting to see that there were many other locations at which these bike racks were installed in Chinatown. In China, many people use bikes instead of cars to travel around because of congestion in the streets. Similarly, because there is a lot of street congestion in Chinatown, bikes as an alternative mode of transportation could alleviate a lot of the traffic and also give Chinese immigrants something that reminds them of their home. Once this program kicks off, it would be interesting to see how bike transportation changes Chinatown, if any.

In addition to Columbus Park, Chinatown also has a large number of senior/elderly centers. An example of this is CPC, the Chinese-American Planning Council. They provide many services to the elderly and also provide them the opportunity to participate in social activities. For example, they have programs such as art exhibits for seniors, an orchestra room for seniors to perform, etc. These services have expanded beyond Chinatown as the Chinese population has moved out of the area due to rising costs. For example, many senior/elderly care organizations have also sprang up in the Flushing community due in part of a large movement of Chinese immigrants to Flushing for affordable living.