Historical Sites
Confucius Memorial
Base of the memorial reads: “When the Great Principle prevails the world is a common-wealth in which rulers are selected according to their wisdom and ability. Mutual confidence is promoted and good neighborliness cultivated. Hence men do not regard as parents only their parents nor do they treat as children only their children. Provision is secured for the aged till death, employment for the able bodied and the means of growing up for the young. Helpless widows and widowers orphans and the lonely as well as the sick and the disabled are well cared for. Men have their respective occupations and women their homes. They do not like to see wealth lying idle, yet they do not keep it for their own gratification. They despise indolence, yet they do not use their energies for their own benefit. In this way selfish schemings are repressed, and robbers, thieves and other lawless men no longer exist, and there is no need for people to shut their outer doors. This is the Great Harmony (Ta Tung).
Statue of Commissioner Lin
Kimlau Memorial Arch
Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association (CCBA)
The Heart of Old Chinatown
Today, Chinatown has spread across Canal Street into the old Little Italy section, as well as east into the Lower East Side. To catch a glimpse of Chinatown history, wander the triangle of streets that comprised Chinatown in the late 19th and early 20th centuries: Pell, Mott, and Doyers Streets. In this small area, you will find the family associations, trade groups, and same origin organizations that managed Chinatown life for much of the 20th century. The flags each group flies will tell you which organizations claim loyalty to the Republic of China (which ruled mainland China from 1927 until 1949 before fleeing to Taiwan) and which ones align themselves with the People's Republic of China. You will also find one of the oldest churches in Manhattan (the Church of the Transfiguration, dating to the early 19th century), the oldest Buddhist temple on the East Coast, and the oldest townhouse in the city.
Pell Street in the early 20th century. Photo courtesy of the New York Public Library