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Chinatown Neighborhood Biography

Welcome to Chinatown, Manhattan! One of over 50 Chinatowns in the U.S. and nine in New York City alone, Manhattan’s Chinatown is home to the largest concentration of Chinese people in the Western Hemisphere.

The story of Manhattan’s Chinatown begins in the middle of the 19th century. Immigration to the US from Asian countries, especially China, boomed due to factors such as the California gold rush, Chinese labor recruitment for the transcontinental railroad, and the Taiping rebellion in China. Post Civil War, resentment towards Chinese immigrants due to competition with white laborers drove members of the Chinese population towards larger cities in the East, such as New York, with the added incentive of job opportunities and a more diverse population.

Chinatown was born as Chinese New Yorkers, mostly men, settled around Mott, Pell, and Doyer streets in the 1870s, forming a Chinatown of only 3-blocks which, when compared to the 55-60 block span of today’s Chinatown, creates a clear image of Chinatown’s impending growth.

Though the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 along with other exclusionary laws passed by Congress slowed Chinatown’s population growth, its cultural development was not impeded, with many notable business and organization establishments taking place between the passing of the act in 1882 and its lifting in 1943.

The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 led to a dramatic population increase of Chinatown, with its boundaries expanding to an approximately 55-block area. Immigration groups shifted–where early Chinatown had been primarily populated by Taishanese-speaking Chinese immigrants, the second half of the 20th century saw a wave of Cantonese speaking Chinese immigrants from Mainland China followed by Mandarin-speaking Taiwanese immigrants and other Non-Cantonese immigrants in the 70’s and Mandarin-speaking immigrants from Fuzhou in the 80’s and 90’s.

In recent decades, the vibrant community of Chinatown has been impacted by modern issues facing both New York City and the rest of the world. Gentrification and displacement have become increasingly prevalent throughout the past few decades, with luxury developments threatening to raise real estate prices and push out working class residents and longstanding family businesses. Chinatown was also hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic, with businesses being affected as early as January 2020 due to stereotypes and racism surrounding Asian and specifically Chinese communities, and a 361% increase in anti-Asian hate crimes in 2021.

Despite the challenges that have impacted Chinatown both then and now, it has remained rich in culture and community, and its resilience and character has cemented its importance in the past and present both in New York and throughout the country and world.

ByLiving City Project logoLiving City Project
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10 stops•1.1km•13 min
Columbus Park icon

Columbus Park

Columbus Park (previously known as Mulberry Bend Park, Five Points Park and Paradise Park) was built in 1897 which was when Chinatown, known then as Mulberry Bend in the Five Points Neighborhood, was one of the most dangerous ghettos. In 1911, it was renamed after Christopher Columbus. Its southern edge is part of the southern border of Chinatown. This is an example of a well used public space in Chinatown; you can find people of all ages from babies to elders. While mostly Asian, there were people of other ethnicities there too. There are basketball courts where teens can be seen playing pick up games, strength equipment that elders typically occupy, a playground for children and their parents, a grassy field where soccer games are held and Tai Chi conducted, a ping pong table, and a pavilion where traditional Chinese music utilizing the erhu is played as well as where poker and Chinese chess are played. There was also a card game using different colored tokens with Chinese characters on it that both my dad and I did not know the name of. It was nice to see many benches facing each other with tables in between them. Ping pong is a traditional Asian sport; my grandmother plays it! The installation of a permanent table there represents how the Asian community has made the park welcoming to the community. Tai Chi is a Chinese martial art that is practiced in the park, and another example of how the park reflects the community. My dad recalls how his father would practice Tai Chi in their backyard, and how he and his friends would scoff at it, not understanding the movements. This is a contrast to the group classes led in the park and speaks to its normality in this community. Chinese chess is something my grandparents played growing up, and that my dad knows fairly well. The tables with gambling were crowded with people. Given that gambling is illegal and this was occurring in plain sight, this could reflect that many of the Chinatown residents are facing financial challenges. The restrooms were also poor quality and could reflect the problem of upkeep Chinatown has; there were no locking doors on the bathroom stalls and faucets that didn’t work.
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16A Doyers Street icon

16A Doyers Street

Doyers Street came about in 1791, named after Hendrik Doyer. It runs between Pell Street and the intersection of Chatham Square and Bowery. It was nicknamed “The Bloody Angle” and “Murder Alley” because members of Tongs, or Chinese family gangs, would hide behind the street bend to attack opponents in the early 1900s. In 1905, Doyers Street was the site of a year-long gang war following a night at the first Chinese language theater in New York. The street has since been able to move on from its gruesome past, now a pedestrian only street home to a variety of local businesses. Nom Wah, a dim sum restaurant on Doyers Street, has been open since 1920; it is the oldest continuously running restaurant in Chinatown. Inside of Nom Wah, there were a variety of customers ranging in age and ethnicity. The workers spoke Cantonese, the older dialect. There are also a variety of other restaurants and salons there as well as a speakeasy and US Postal Office. In September 2021, Chinatown Mural Project created a tribute mural honoring photographer Corky Lee. The prices at some of the salons and restaurants here and at other places in Chinatown are much lower than what one could find elsewhere. These prices can be a draw to Chinatown, but they also reflect some of the challenges the neighborhood faces: undocumented immigrants. Many of the undocumented immigrants work at these places and lack rights (such as a minimum wage) due to their unemployment status. Thus, prices can be kept low. Low prices also reflect how many Asians are viewed as frugal; without the low prices, the restaurant could struggle to attract customers.
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Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association Building icon

Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association Building

The CCBA, or Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association, is one of the oldest community organizations in Chinatown. The Association, originally known as the ‘Chinese Six Companies’ due to the alliance of six Chinese companies in San Francisco, was established in New York in 1883, only one year after its birth in San Francisco. Historically, the CCBA has taken on a ‘quasi-governmental’ role, representing and serving the needs of the Chinese community in the greater New York Metro area. The CCBA is an umbrella organization of 60 member organizations (including the Chinese Chamber of Commerce and the Chinese American Restaurant Association) as well as a parent organization of the Chinese Community Center, also partnering with mainstream organizations to provide services to the Chinese-American community. Currently (according to their website, the CCBA provides social services, provides personal and commercial conflict resolution and mediations, promotes Chinese traditions and cultural heritage, serves as a bridge between Chinese American immigrants and the mainstream groups, promotes Chinese American interests, engages in charitable activities, sponsors educational and recreational activities, sponsors and promotes youth services, and provides and advocates for small businesses. Some recent and notable efforts of the CCBA include spearheading the formation of the Chinese Voters Federation in 2004, encouraging qualified Chinese-American citizens to register and vote, supporting the formation of the Chinatown Partnership Local Development Corporation, raising over $500,000 for victims of natural disasters in South Asia, working with city departments and agencies to address ongoing problems in Chinatown such as parking and sanitation regulation issues, and working with the NYPD to host monthly safety seminars.
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Museum of Chinese in America icon

Museum of Chinese in America

The Museum of Chinese in America was founded in 1980, originally as the New York Chinatown History Project by John Kuo Wei Tchen and Charles Lai. In 1984, it moved to 70 Mulberry Street in 1984 and in 2009, it moved to a site on Centre Street that was designed by Maya Lin, the designer of the Vietnam War Memorial. In January 2020, a fire tore through the building on Mulberry, which housed 85,000 artifacts. Luckily, a substantial amount was salvageable. Currently, it is being boycotted due to them accepting bribes (they received $35 million out of $50 million allotted to Chinatown community projects) in exchange for their support of the Chinatown jail. Protestors have said that MOCA should return the money to local Chinatown businesses affected by COVID, and that they are not acting in the best interests of the community. Jonathan Chu, an unpopular landlord, is the co-chair on the board of the museum. He is a third generation landlord who has never been popular due to his desire to earn money. His grandfather actually did a similar thing years ago when he bought the property in what is now the Bowery Hotel; it used to be restaurants before he bought them out. When I arrived, it was closed. I learned that a week ago, they had closed unexpectedly before saying that they would open on Saturday (they hadn’t). There were protesters there with signs and handing out flyers that encouraged a MOCA boycott. They are there every Wednesday through Sunday, 11am to 2pm. The woman I spoke with had traveled all the way from Queens.
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Jing Fong icon

Jing Fong

A dim sum restaurant that was forced to close in March of 2020 when Jonathon Chu, the landlord, wouldn’t reach an agreement with them regarding payment during the pandemic. This came suddenly – the workers had been preparing to go back to work when this occurred. It also meant that 180 Chinese workers were out of work. When I spoke with one of the protestors, they explained that Jing Fong was a significant place to the community. It was formerly the largest Chinese restaurant in Manhattan; 10,000 people dined there per week. It was a place where one could get the traditional dim sum experience of round tables and carts bringing food. Dim sum can last 2-3 hours, and this was one place where patrons would not be kicked out. The woman described it as a community gathering spot, and as a place that hosted important events such as weddings. Jing Fong does have a new location now, across the street from MOCA, but it is much smaller, according to the protestor. There was a sizable crowd across the street too.
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