Chinatown What's Real
From Decoding New York
Chinatown began as a closed system. The associations (tongs) that started Chinatown in the 1900s ran the neighborhood, but were hard to gain entry to without an invitation. Due to the Chinatown economy's reliance on tourism, there is less open hostility towards blacks, hispanics and whites than in other areas. Non-hispanic whites in Chinatown are treated very kindly, but as if they are guests to a home and not part of the family. There is a certain immediate cameraderie among those who speak Cantonese, while those Chinese who are unable to speak Cantonese (Mandarin speakers less so than American-born Chinese) are discriminated against.
