Chinatown facts for kids

A Chinatown in Ottawa, Canada.

Chinatown is the name used for neighborhood in any city outside of China where many Chinese immigrants came to live together. Chinatowns became common in cities around the world after China lost the first Opium War with the British Empire. After China lost, many Chinese people became poor, especially people living in Guangdong province. That was where most of the fighting took place. People from Guangdong went outside of China to look for work. They moved to places like Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and the United States. When Chinese people moved to these places, they usually lived close together in the city they were staying. These became Chinatowns.

Famous Chinatowns around the world include those in San Francisco, New York City, and Kuala Lumpur.

Most early immigrants came from provinces of Guangdong and Fujian in southeastern China. The common languages there are Toishanese, Cantonese, Hakka, Teochew, and Hokkien. So, these are common languages in many Chinatowns. Also, since most Chinatowns were created before the Chinese Communist Party took over mainland China, most Chinatowns use traditional Chinese characters. However, both simplified and traditional characters are often seen in Chinatowns in Malaysia.

Images for kids

The Chinese New Year celebrated in Chinatown, Kolkata
Chinese seamen established one of the earliest Chinatowns around the docks in Liverpool in the mid-19th century.
Headquarters of the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association in Chinatown, San Francisco.
Official signs in Boston pointing towards "Chinatown"
Sign inside Jefferson Station in Philadelphia pointing to "Chinatown"
Street scene of the Chinatown in Cyrildene, Johannesburg
Hoian Settlement Pattern, Vietnam, 1991.
Pengchau Settlement Pattern, Hong Kong, 1991.
Chinese Settlement in Georgetown, Malaysia, 1991.
Chinese Settlement in Kuching, Malaysia, 1991.
Tin Hua (Goddess of Mercy) Temple in Kucing, Malaysia, 1991.
To Di Gong (Land God) Temple at Kucing, 1991.
Manhattan's Chinatown, the largest concentration of Chinese people in the Western Hemisphere
Chinatown, San Francisco, the oldest Chinatown in North America
Liverpool's Chinatown, the oldest Chinatown in Europe
Chinatown, Philadelphia, the recipient of significant Chinese immigration from both New York City and China
Entrance to Chinatown, Sydney
Paifang in Philadelphia
Paifang in Buenos aires, Argentina
Chinatown, Boston looking towards the paifang
Gate of Chinatown, Portland, Oregon
Chinatown entry arch in Newcastle, England
Chinese Garden of Friendship, part of Sydney Chinatown
Chinese stone lions at the Chinatown gate in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Harbin Gates in Chinatown of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Millennium Gate on Pender Street in Chinatown of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Chinese Cultural Centre in Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Chinese Temple "Toong On Church" in Kolkata, India.
Chinese Temple in Yokohama Chinatown, Japan.
Manhattan Chinatown
San Francisco's Chinatown
Chinatown, Boston
Portland, Oregon's Chinatown
Vancouver Chinatown
Arch honors Chinese-Mexican community of Mexico City, built in 2008, Articulo 123 Street
Yokohama Chinatown's Goodwill Gate in Japan
Kan Yin Temple (Kwan Yin Si), a place of worship for Burmese Chinese in Bago, also serves as a Mandarin school
Chinatown gate in Mangga Dua, Jakarta, Indonesia
Kya-Kya or Kembang Jepun, Surabaya's Chinatown, one of oldest Chinatown in Indonesia
Chinese New Year celebrated in Chinatown, Kolkata, India.
Paifang at Sydney Chinatown
Paifang at Bendigo Chinese Precinct
Adelaide Chinatown
Melbourne Chinatown entrance at Little Bourke Street
Map of Chinatown Milan
Gate of Chinatown, Liverpool England, is the largest multiple-span arch outside of China, in the oldest Chinese community in Europe
Wardour Street, Chinatown, London
Chinese Quarter in Birmingham, England
Chinese new year celebration in Lyon, France.