Outsiders' Perceptions

 "The Survey of 30 college Students about their perceptions of Chinatown."

 
Survey Question:
            “What is your perception of Chinatown? What is the first thing that comes up in mind when you think of Chinatown? Do you associate Chinatown with any particular smell/food/goods/dangers/others?
 
N = 30 (All aged between 18~22)
 
Chinatown
Perceptions
Asian Female
Asian Male
Brown Female
Brown Male
White Female
White Male
Total
Imitation – Fake items
1
 
 
 
 
 
1
Color – Red
 
1
1
 
 
 
2
Places – Train, Columbus Park
 
2
 
 
 
 
2
Crowdedness –Narrow, busy St,
1
1
 
1
 
1
4
Shopping Mall – clothes, cheap goods
1
 
1
1
1
1
5
Smell – Fish, sewer
2
1
 
1
 
2
6
Food – Dumplings, Bubble Tea
2
2
3
 
2
1
10
Total
7
7
5
3
3
5
N = 30
 
 
            This survey of 30 college students, who have never lived in Chinatown, was conducted to study outsider' general perceptions of Chinatown. The survey was conducted in person and the first response each subject gave was recorded as his/her answer.
More than 50% of the surveyed associated Chinatown with its food – such as dumplings, bubble tea, Chinese greasy food, and MSG added noodles – and distinctive smell; out of six people whose answer was smell, five perceived Chinatown as a place full of “horrendous” or unpleasant smell. 1/6 of the surveyed answered that Chinatown was thought of as a place where there are a lot of shopping malls and cheap electronic goods. One of the subjects answered that the first thing that came to mind when thinking of Chinatown was Chinese imitation products along with other cheap goods. About 13% associated Chinatown with crowdedness, liveliness, and narrow streets packed with busy people; one of them described Chinatown as a definition of a “city”. Two of the surveyed answered that train and Columbus Park were the only things came up in mind as their answers to the survey question. Lastly, the remaining two surveyed viewed Chinatown as a town full of red colors and red decorations.
As expected prior to the survey, most people associated Chinatown with its food and smell. Many viewed Chinatown as a place where they could easily get cheap products. In conclusion, three things that outsiders associated Chinatown with the most were food, smell, and shopping mall.

Aside from the results, it seemed that females had positive perceptions of Chinatown, while most males associated Chinatown with negative images in general.

 

Tourists' Perceptions of Chinatown

Survey Questions:
1) What are your impressions of Chinatown?
2) What made you want to visit Chinatown in particular?
3) Have you ever been to Chinatown before? If so, has anything changed since the last time you were here?
4) What do you like about Chinatown? Or find interesting? Any dislikes?
5) Would you recommend Chinatown to other tourists? Friends or family?
6) How similar or different is Chinatown to somewhere you are familiar with or your hometown?
7) How familiar are you with Chinatown?
8) Do you find the overall atmosphere of Chinatown tourist friendly?
 
Observations:
               While interviewing each tourist, I realized that there were certain questions that were  answered the same way and other questions, which received varied responses depending upon the subject. Depending upon factors such as age, background, and familiarity with Chinatown, differences in each tourist’s perception of Chinatown arose. Typically, we found that most tourists like Chinatown for its diverse array of activities as well as a venue of Chinese culture. Good deals in shopping and cheap food also serve as an incentive to visit Chinatown. In general, tourists have visited New York City’s Chinatown before, or at least a Chinatown in another city, such as San Francisco or London. Most tourists also found other cities’ Chinatowns more enjoyable and interesting than the one in New York City.
               Differences in the tourists’ answers began to appear from person to person with respect to his or her familiarity with Chinatown, whether or not the subject believes Chinatown is tourist friendly, the tourist’s impression of Chinatown, and any changes that the subject has noticed since the last time he or she has visited. Persons who are more familiar with Chinatown seem to have somewhat of a deeper and more intricate impression of Chinatown as opposed to those who were not as familiar with Chinatown, and therefore the more familiarized tourists also had a more specific purpose for visiting Chinatown, rather than tourists who are visiting for the first or second time. One subject (Brett), remarked that Chinatown does not appear to be much of a tourist attraction to him because there is not much to do. But this may be because he has visited other Chinatowns and thus compared New York’s Chinatown to busier Chinatowns in other cities. Finally, of course depending upon the tourists' familiarity with Chinatown, their awareness to changes in Chinatown would also be higher as opposed to a tourist who is new to Chinatown.

Little Chinatown is one of the many gift stores directed towards tourists in Chinatown near Canal Street. It is here where I met Trish and interviewed her.

This is a restaurant across the street from Elizabeth Center, and next to the Chinatown Arcade. Although not as prominent a tourist site as Canal Street where Little Chinatown was located, a few tourists still visit this area. This is where I met Brett and interviewed him.

This was a shot taken near the popular bubble tea shop, Quickly. Tourists do not commonly pass through this area, but fortunately for me, Cathy and Michael, two tourists who had been to Chinatown before and were more familiarized with the area were present and I was able to interview them.