Chinatown Manhattan: Evolution

From Decoding New York

The Chinatown neighborhood in Manhattan started as a four-block area across from Little Italy, centering on Mott and Pell Streets. The small neighborhood grew to ten blocks in the 1940s, and now it stretches from Grand Street to Broadway and from Delancey Street to South Street. The growth of the neighborhood reflects the growth of the population – from very few settlers to very many, Chinatown expanded as more opportunities for immigration were made available.

Building on Canal Street modeled in the Chinese architectural style. Photo by S. Gellerman

Before World War II, while the Chinese Exclusion Act was in effect, Chinatown was a bachelor society that housed approximately one woman for every six men. After the Chinese Exclusion Act was repealed in 1943, it was possible for more families to immigrate, with many settling in New York due to its already sizeable Chinese population. Today, Chinatown is home to more than 200,000 people. Chinatown's residents originally came from Hong Kong and the Guangdong (Canton) province in Mainland China, creating the beginnings of Chinatown's dominant Cantonese culture. Most residents speak Cantonese today, creating the feel of a closed society to those without the language. However, more recent immigrants from other parts of Mainland China and Taiwan introduced more frequent use of the Mandarin dialect. Although many different dialects of Chinese are spoken and many different regions of Mainland China are represented, the dominant culture is still Cantonese. Recent Fuzhounese-speaking immigrants from Fujian created a sub-enclave because of tensions between dialect groups. The Fuzhounese community occupies the area along East Broadway under the Manhattan Bridge, relatively far away from the oldest part of Chinatown. To many non-Chinese speaking Chinese in New York, Chinatown is a difficult place to be accepted due to the emphasis on language. Although residents of Chinatown tend to live in relative cultural isolation, Chinatown’s involvement in New York’s cultural identity is uncontested. A century ago many Americans considered immigrants in Chinatown unassimilated and unable to be considered American. Today Chinatown often serves as the first stop for new immigrants as they advance socio-economically, later moving to other communities in Brooklyn, Queens, or New Jersey.