Chinatown, Chicago facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Chinatown, Chicago
|
|
|---|---|
|
Neighborhood
|
|
The Chinatown Gate over Wentworth Avenue
|
|
Map of Chinatown
|
|
| Country | United States |
| City | Chicago |
| Community areas | Armour Square |
| First settled | 1912 |
| Population | |
| • Estimate
(2010)
|
16,325 |
| ZIP code |
60616
|
Chinatown is a neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago, along S. Wentworth Avenue between Cermak Road and W. 26th St. Over a third of Chicago's Chinese population resides in this ethnic enclave, making it one of the largest concentrations of Chinese-Americans in the United States. It formed around 1912, after settlers moved south from near the Loop, where the first enclaves were established in the 19th century.
Chinatown is sometimes confused with an area on the city's North Side, "New Chinatown", which is largely populated by people of Southeast Asian heritage.
Contents
History
Initial migration and "old" Chinatown
Looking to escape the anti-Chinese violence that had broken out on the west coast, the first Chinese people arrived in Chicago after 1869 when the First transcontinental railroad was completed. Aiding this migration was the fact that many Chinese people lost their jobs after the completion of the transcontinental railroad, as they had made up 90% of the workforce for the Central Pacific Railroad.
At first, Chinese people in Chicago were largely welcomed by their fellow Chicagoans of all races. This acceptance led to a prospering early Chinese community in Chicago. By the late 1800s, 25% of Chicago's approximately 600 Chinese residents settled along Clark Street between Van Buren and Harrison Streets in Chicago's Loop. In the mid-1870s, the Kim Kee Company opened a store selling imported Chinese goods and ingredients, and in the basement of the same building stood a Chinese-owned restaurant. In 1889, 16 Chinese-owned businesses were located along the two-block stretch, including eight grocery stores, two butcher shops and a restaurant. Other businesses operated in the early Chinatown included gambling houses, headquarters of family associations, and Christian mission houses. Further, grocery stores in Chinatown could double as a cultural center, where people would gamble, consume rice wine, and smoke cigars. Laundry services were also quite important to the average working Chinese man in the original Chinatown, with 198 Chinese laundries by 1883. However, by 1897, white Chicagoans had begun to open laundry businesses as well. Many white laundrymen offered their services cheaper than the Chinese laundrymen, causing the leaders of Chinatown to declare "war" on the "cheap foreign labor" that was hurting Chinese laundry businesses in the area. By 1903, white Chicagoans also became highly interested in the increasingly popular "fad" of chop suey restaurants in Chinatown, with the cuisine developing a "mysterious" aura among whites. This helped lead to the opening of more restaurants on Clark Street.
By the turn of the century, numerous powerful clans and family associations rose up among the Chinese population in Chicago. The first and most powerful was the Moy clan, who were the de facto leaders of the Chinese people in Chicago, and, even from this earlier period of migration, the Moy Family Association came to be the largest association in the city. From 1898 to 1940, there were over six thousand immigrant files in Chicago, and over one thousand of these files contained the name "Moy". Sam Moy was the first "mayor" of Chinatown, and he acted as an interpreter and interacted with city officials on behalf of the area. Besides the Moy clan, other major clans in early Chinatown were the Wong and Chin clans.
Following the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, Chinese Americans arrived in Chicago in droves and were vehemently supported by the city's Chinese residents, largely due to the preexisting clan associations who sought to take care of their kinsmen. The importance of clan ties for finding success in Chinatown continued for decades, with many clans financing businesses through fellow members of their family association or strictly hiring kinsmen to work in their businesses. The Chinese population more than doubled from 1890 to 1900, with many of these new migrants residing in the original Chinatown. In terms of ties to mainland China, the large majority of the early Chinese people in Chicago were from Taishan, such as influential merchants Chin Foin and Moy Dong Chow.
Relocation South
While Chinese people in Chicago had been relatively welcomed by the locals in the past, the renewal of the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1892, in tandem with the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893, brought a significant amount of discrimination to the Chinese population. Because of this, in 1912, Chinese people living in this area began moving south to Armour Square, with about half of all Chinese people moving out of Clark Street into the South Side by this time. Some historians say this was due to increasing rent prices, as rents were significantly higher for Chinese businesses than similar white businesses. Others see more complex causes: discrimination, overcrowding, a high non-Chinese crime rate, and disagreements between the two associations ("tongs") within the community, the Hip Sing Tong and the On Leong Tong. Largely, however, the move was a result of multiple factors including racial prejudice, cultural bias, and economic competition.
The move to the new South Side Chinatown was led by the On Leong Merchants Association who, in 1912, had a building constructed along Cermak Road (then 22nd Street) that could house 15 stores, 30 apartments and the Association's headquarters. While the building's design was typical of the period, it also featured Chinese accents such as tile trim adorned with dragons. The total cost of the building was $200,000. In addition, the On Leong Merchants Association purchased a series of ten year leases to develop the surrounding area. Thus, starting in 1912, the area near Wentworth Avenue and Cermak Road was officially proclaimed the "New Chinatown".
The new Chinatown would come to hold over one-third of Chicago's two thousand strong Chinese population soon after its founding.
Economically, by the 1930s, a large portion of Chinese businesses in the new Chinatown were large grocery stores stocking imported goods. Through transnational associations, these initial Chinese-owned stores substantiated a strong link between Chicago's Chinatown, other Chinatowns in the United States, and even East Asia itself. By 1930, there were at least eleven restaurants located in the new Chinatown. Often, these restaurants were places of fine dining, and, because of this, they also acted as gathering places to connect Chinatown’s elites with the elites of Chicago in general. The majority of Chinatown's residents were poorly-educated immigrants who made their livings through low-skill, manual labor or through restaurant-related work. In turn, the wealthy merchant families still wielded immense power in the area, with the Moys wielding the most.
Numerous important buildings and structures in Chinatown arose in the area during this early period. The Canal Street railroad bridge, built in 1914, remains a tall vertical structure in the backdrop of Chinatown. The Hung Mun building in Chicago was and is still inhabited by the Chicago branch of the Hung Mun Association. While it only occupied the building starting in the 1920s, the local branch of the association played an active role in the 1911 revolution that founded the Chinese Republic. The Won Kow Building was built from 1926-1927 by the same architects that designed the On Leong Merchant Association Building. As can be expected, it shares many of the same design characteristics as the former building, and it has since housed a restaurant in the building that is the oldest restaurant in Chinatown. Finally, reflecting the prominence of the Moy clan once again, the Moy Association Building still stands as one of the more impressive and beautiful buildings in Chinatown. It was originally built in 1928 and added onto in 1932. Like the On Leong Merchant Association Building and the Won Kow Building, the Moy Association building was designed by Michaelsen and Rognstad.
Post-World War II Chinatown
Before World War II, Chicago's Chinatown remained a largely insulated enclave, with little of the racial mixing seen in cities such as New York City. The residents only grew closer together from the war as they collectively united against fascism. However, this unity increasingly became frayed in the years that followed. The influx of refugees and educated Chinese people into Chicago dramatically changed the importance of Chinatown to Chicago's Chinese residents. Instead of living and working in Chinatown, many newcomers decided to move to the suburbs. Further, as Chinese immigration came to be more accepted following the passing of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, young, educated Chinese Americans began to take a greater role in Chinatown, clashing with the old family associations.
In an effort to improve connectivity between Chinese residents throughout the city, construction began on the Chinatown Gateway in 1975, meant to act as a symbol of unity and encourage greater cultural exchange between Chinese communities. During the late 1980s, a group of Chinatown business leaders bought 32 acres (130,000 m2) of property north of Archer Avenue from the Santa Fe Railway and built Chinatown Square, a two-level mall consisting of restaurants, beauty salons and law offices, flanked by 21 new townhouses. Additional residential construction, such as the Santa Fe Gardens, a 600-unit village of townhouses, condominiums and single-family homes was developed on formerly industrial land to the north. Perhaps the most outstanding feature of the new addition was the creation of Ping Tom Memorial Park in 1999; located on the bank of the Chicago River, the park features a Chinese-style pavilion that many consider to be the most beautiful in the Midwest.
Commerce
| Chinatown, Chicago | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wentworth Avenue looking south.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 芝加哥華埠 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 芝加哥华埠 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chicago's Chinatown is home to a number of banks, Chinese restaurants, gift shops, grocery stores, Chinese medicine stores, as well as a number of services that cater to people interested in Chinese culture, including those speaking varieties of Chinese, especially Cantonese. It is a community hub for Chinese people in the Chicago metropolitan area, a business center for Chinese people in the Midwest, as well as a popular destination for tourists and locals alike.
Demographics
In 1990, about 10,000 Chinese people lived in Chinatown's business district and the area south of 26th Street; several Italian Americans still remained in the neighborhood.
As of 2013[update], about 8,000 people lived within Chinatown itself, and 90% were ethnic Chinese. As of that year, many of the residents were elderly.
In 2010, about 16,325 people lived within Chinatown.
Landmarks and attractions
- Chinatown Mural, a mural showing the history of Chinese immigrants in United States
- Chinatown Square, Shopping area opened in 1993. Decorated with sculptures of animals in the Chinese zodiac
- Wentworth Avenue, with shopping, restaurants, and landmarks, including the Chinatown Gate
- Pui Tak Center was designated a Chicago Landmark on December 1, 1993. It was the On Leong Merchants Association Building.
- Chinese American Museum of Chicago, conducts research and exhibits objects and pictures relating to the history of Chinese people in the American Midwest. The museum experienced a fire on September 19, 2008, and was temporarily closed. Thanks to strong community support, it reopened in the fall of 2010 with improved facilities.
- Ping Tom Memorial Park, Opened in 1999 with Chinese gardens on the northern edge of Chinatown along the Chicago River
- Chicago Fire Department Engine 8 Company firehouse, firehouse used in the 1991 Ron Howard film Backdraft
- Chinatown Gate, which spans Wentworth Avenue at the intersection of Cermak Road, designed by Peter Fung
- Moy Association Building, built in 1928 and added onto in 1932.
Education
Primary and secondary schools
Residents are zoned to schools in the Chicago Public Schools including John C. Haines School (traditional Chinese: 興氏學校; simplified Chinese: 兴氏学校; Mandarin Pinyin: Xīngshì Xuéxiào; Jyutping: hing1 si6 hok6 haau6) and Phillips Academy High School.
Haines, which had its current facility built in 1994, serves students from Chinatown and formerly from the Harold L. Ickes Homes; students from the latter used a tunnel to get to school.
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago supports the St. Therese Chinese Catholic School (traditional Chinese: 聖德力天主教學校; simplified Chinese: 圣德力天主教学校; pinyin: Shèng Délì Tiānzhǔjiào Xuéxiào), a K-8 private Catholic school, which has one of its two campuses in Chinatown. It was established in 1941. In 1990, almost all of the students were ethnic Chinese.
The Pui Tak Christian School (simplified Chinese: 培德基督教学校; traditional Chinese: 培德基督教學校; Mandarin Pinyin: Péidé Jīdūjiào Xuéxiào; Jyutping: pui4 dak1 gei1 duk1 gaau3 hok6 haau6) is a private pre-kindergarten to 8th grade school.
Public libraries
The Chicago Public Library operates the Chinatown Library at 2100 South Wentworth Avenue.
Culture
Chicago Chinatown celebrates the founding of the Republic of China with the Double Ten Parade, which includes lion dances and much display of the flag of Taiwan.
Chicago Chinatown also celebrates the National Day of the People's Republic of China with members of the PRC consulate.
Transportation
Chinatown also has many public transportation options. The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) runs an elevated train and four bus routes. The Red Line, which is the busiest train line, stops at the Cermak–Chinatown station, located right in the middle of Chinatown at the corner of Cermak Road and Wentworth Avenue. Running north–south, the #24 bus route runs on Wentworth Avenue on the eastside of Chinatown, while the #44 route runs on Canal Street on the westside. The #21 runs east–west on Cermak Road, and the #62 runs southwest–northeast on Archer Avenue.
There is a taxicab stand on Wentworth Avenue, and a water taxi service also runs along the Chicago River from Michigan Avenue to Ping Tom Memorial Park in Chinatown during the summer months.
Annual events
- Chinatown 5K
- Lunar New Year Parade
- Dragon Boat Races
- Chinatown Summer Fair
- Chicago Chinatown Chamber of Commerce Tours
