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From The Peopling of New York City

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The Chinese make up one of the largest immigrant groups in New York City and many live in one of three distinct neighborhoods. To understand the diversity within the Chinese community, we need to tour these areas. Brooklyn’s Chinatown, the newest, is really “Some place like home,” providing everything in a familiar language and culture for many of the most recent Fujianese, Cantonese and Mandarin-speaking immigrants. Queen’s Chinatown, is “Not quite a Chinatown”--maybe an Asiantown. At a closer glance, the Mandarin speaking are living side by side with the Desi and Korean communities. The oldest, Manhattan’s Chinatown is a place for “Living among tourists,” still serving the long time Cantonese and Taisanese immigrants who also depend on tourism to survive.