San Francisco ChinatownI has been highly important and influential in the history and culture of ethnic Chinese immigrants to the United States and North America. Chinatown is an active enclave that continues to retain its own customs, languages, places of worship, social clubs, and identity. According to sanfranciscochinatown.com, “San Francisco Chinatown is the largest Chinatown outside of Asia as well as the oldest Chinatown in North America. It is one of the top tourist attractions in San Francisco.” Chinatown is one of the places where you can get explore Chinese culture closely. In Chinatown, you get to taste the authentic Chinese food, learn Chinese history, shop for cheap groceries and participate in Chinese culture themed events. SF Chinatown benefits the whole community with its unique existing, severs the Chinese community as a comfortingly familiar place in a foreign country, and it also riches the diversity in the community.
San Francisco’s Chinatown has the long and fascinating history. Chinatown started in 1848 when the first Chinese immigrants, two men and one woman arriving in San Francisco on the American sailing vessel, Eagle. It has been the home for many bay area Chinese immigrants ever since. A large number of Chinese people came to San Francisco due to the rumors of Gold Mountains from 1859 to 1882 the year Chinese Exclusion Act was established. With the strict control of immigrants, the number of Chinese immigrants decreases from 1882 until 1965 another surge in Chinese immigration. According to SanFranciscochinatown.info, “During the 1960’s, the quotas brought a large wave of immigrants into San Francisco. Most of these immigrants came from Hong Kong. During the ending of the Vietnam War, many Vietnamese refugees of Chinese descent immigrated over to Chinatown to claim their parts of the town. There were deeds that enabled the Chinese to live in their limits, but could not expand further on than that. However, this was ruled out because the original area the Chinese were living in was too small to house the rest of the immigrants and refugees that were now entering. This allowed an enlargement of Chinatown.” Chinatown is in the heart of San Francisco, close to downtown SF and make downtown busier. Do you know that San Francisco actually started in Chinatown “The first private residence in San Francisco (then called Yerba Buena) was an adobe house, built around 1822 by an English sailor in Portsmouth Square, in the heart of what is now Chinatown.” Even now there are still some Chinese immigrants mostly new immigrants and elders live in Chinatown area, but the living condition is considered bad compared to other areas in San Francisco.
As a Chinese person, I understand how important it is to have temples around to my Chinese family. According to insideguidetosanfranciscotourism.com, site editor Karen said “Chinese immigrants built temples in Chinatown, both Taoist temples, focussing on honoring ancestors and praying to Chinese gods, and Buddhist temples. The Tin How Temple (or Tien Hou) in Waverly Place is the oldest Chinese temple in the United States. It is dedicated to the goddess Mazu (based on a real woman who died in 987 A.D.), called Tin How, or Empress of Heaven. She is seen as the protector of seafarers, and as such, much honored by Chinese immigrants in San Francisco. The temple was created in 1852; the original building was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake and rebuilt in 1911. It is still a place of worship and is open to the public.” Temples offers the community one more option and place to worship their believing gods.
Chinatown is one of those top tourist attractions in San Francisco and I think many of you guys have been there. The last time I went there was two months ago and I saw a lot of tourists checking out Chinatown stores and taking group pictures under Chinatown Gate. Chinatown is where you feel like you are in somewhere of Asia since the world outside of Chinatown is a dramatically different place. It provides the community one more place to get to know more about Chinese culture, but just from the textbook. There is a big transition between Chinatown and the modern world when you go beyond the Chinatown Gate where the people, languages, buildings are different.
Chinatown also created many job opportunities for local people and Chinese immigrants. For those new arrivals Chinese immigrants who are unskilled, unfamiliar with American culture and not able to speak the language. After the Golden Mountain dream had been crushed, those Chinese immigrants couldn't go home since they didn't have money. Chinatown became their ideal place to work where is free from discrinimation.
Chinatown also created many job opportunities for local people and Chinese immigrants. For those new arrivals Chinese immigrants who are unskilled, unfamiliar with American culture and not able to speak the language. After the Golden Mountain dream had been crushed, those Chinese immigrants couldn't go home since they didn't have money. Chinatown became their ideal place to work where is free from discrinimation.
Word Cited
"Chinatown History." Sanfranciscochinatown.com. N.p., 2015. Web. 13 Nov. 2016.
"The Story of America's Oldest Chinatown." Web log post. Inside-Guide-to-San-Francisco-Tourism.com. Ed. Karen. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2016.
"Chinatown San Francisco - The Largest Chinatown outside of Asia." Chinatown San Francisco. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2016.
