Chinatown: A World of Dining, Shopping, and History
No visit to New York City is complete without exploring the sights, cuisines, history, and shops of the biggest Chinatown in the United States. The largest concentration of Chinese people -- 150,000 -- in the Western Hemisphere are in a two-square-mile area in downtown Manhattan that�s loosely bounded by Lafayette, Worth, and Grand streets and East Broadway. Read on for some neighborhood highlights.
History
Nationalities:
Chinatown is a surprisingly diverse neighborhood. Since the 1800s the area today called Chinatown has been home to the highest number of immigrants in New York, representing a variety of ethnic groups. In the mid-1800s, Irish, Germans, and freed slaves resided here and the next wave of immigrants brought Eastern European Jews, Chinese, and Italians. Today, the majority of Chinatown's inhabitants are from the Guangdong, Toisan, and Fujian provinces in China as well as Hong Kong. The Cantonese community today is well established while the Fujianese people, who come from Fujian Province on the southern coast of mainland China, are the newest immigrants. The neighborhood is also home to Dominicans, Puerto Ricans, Burmese, Vietnamese, Filipinos, and West Africans, among others.
History:
The Chinese first arrived in the U.S. in the early 1800s, many working during the gold rush in mining, manufacturing, and building railroads. Chinatown has been growing steadily since the elimination of the immigration quota in 1968. Today it is home to hundreds of garment factories that have an annual payroll of more than $200 million, a jewelry district with approximately $100 million in gold and diamond sales per year, more than 200 restaurants that attract thousands of visitors, and 27 banks, by far the highest bank-per-capita ratio in the city.
Dining
You can find more than 10 distinct Asian fares in Chinatown. Chinese cuisines include Cantonese, Shanghainese, and Szechuan; Thai, Singaporean, Japanese, Indonesian, Asian fusion, and others round out a gastronomic dream list for Asian cuisine lovers. Dim Sum � The Cantonese term for small dishes means "a little bit of heart." Dim sum usually is a morning or early afternoon meal taken with family or friends. There are literally hundreds of different kinds of dim sum � meat, fish, vegetarian � usually prepared by steaming or frying. Dim sum is usually served in small portions with three or four pieces that diners can select from a menu or from carts that wait staff take table to table as each item emerges freshly prepared from the kitchen.
Bakeries � From sweet to savory, meat-filled, red-bean flavored or made with coconut, there is a unique taste for every palate when it comes to Chinese pastries.
Tea Houses � An integral part of everyday life for the Chinese, tea houses offer visitors a place to relax and re-charge after walking and shopping in Chinatown. Try different varieties of Chinese tea, perhaps accompanied by a snack.
Shopping
Chinatown is a shopper�s paradise. The amazing variety of goods ranges from affordable gifts and treasures to ancient antiques and fine jewelry. You can find electronic goods retailers, fashion boutiques, gift shops, general stores and malls, jewelry stores, markets with fresh produce, Chinese traditional medicine retailers, and martial arts supply stores.
Landmarks & Attractions
Chatham Square (off Bowery and Worth St.), also known as Kim Lau Square, is the site of the Kim Lau Memorial Arch, which was erected in 1962 in memory of the Chinese Americans who died in WW II. East of the square on Division Street is Confucius Plaza, where a statue of the philosopher stands.
Columbus Park (Mulberry, Bayard, Worth, Baxter Sts.) is Chinatown�s major park. Created by Jacob Riis, a social reformer in the late 1890s, it is used by tai chi groups, mahjong players, children, and elderly men and their pet birds. On some weekends there are fortune tellers. |
Kim Lau Square
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Doyers Street (north of Chatham Square) is a picturesque narrow elbow-shaped street that has been featured in numerous movies and TV shows.
First Shearith Israel Cemetery (south of Chatham Square), which dates to 1683, is the oldest cemetery in New York City.
Five Points (intersection of Mosco, Worth, and Baxter Sts.), was named for the intersection of the five streets that converged at the south end of what is now Columbus Park. It is was also the site of the city�s first tenements, built to accommodate immigrants from Germany and Ireland.
Fujianese East Broadway is the heart of the new Fujianese community. In this three-block area around the Manhattan Bridge there are Fujianese rice-noodle shops, herbal medicine shops, fresh markets, and hair salons.
The Edward Mooney House (Bowery and Pell St.), the oldest residence in New York, was built in 1785 by Edward Mooney, an amateur butcher. Today it houses the Summit Mortgage Bank.
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Mott Street is where visitors can truly feel the hustle and bustle of Chinatown. A plethora of banners and signs with Chinese writing, some of Chinatown�s most popular restaurants and shops, and the rhythms of Mandarin and Cantonese dialects fill this narrow street. The oldest street in Chinatown inhabited by the Chinese, it is also the site of the Chinese Community Center and the Eastern States Buddhist Temple of America. At 41 Mott Street is the only remaining building with a wooden pagoda roof.
Museum of Chinese in the Americas (70 Mulberry St., 212/619-4785, www.moca-nyc.org) interprets the history, influence, and culture of Chinese people in the Western Hemisphere.
Pell Street is nicknamed "Haircut Street" because of a multitude of barber and beauty shops. There�s a Buddhist temple here that�s mainly for visitors; locals often opt for quieter temples.
Nightlife
One of Chinatown�s best-kept secrets is its nightlife: bars, karaoke lounges, comedy clubs, and late-night restaurants. Perfect for night owls, most of these places stay open until the wee hours of the morning.
Events
Festivals:
Dragon Dance
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Chinese New Year, the biggest holiday of the year, typically takes place between January and February. Homes are adorned in red and gold and children are given lai see � red packets filled with money for good luck. The Lantern Festival, part of Chinese New Year celebrations, |
is traditionally the day when Chinese dragon and lion dances are held and lanterns are hung in the streets and in homes.
During the Ghost Festival, celebrated on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month, Chinese families burn special paper money and other offerings to appease the spirits.
The Mid-Autumn Festival, celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, is the day that the moon appears to be the fullest to the eye. Moon cakes are eaten and given as gifts.
The Chung Yang or "Double Yang" Festival, on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, is a day when Chinese people visit their ancestors� graves to pay respect.
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