RUNNING HEAD: PLURALISM IN CHINATOWN

Pluralism in Chinatown
A brief study of Chinatowns history
Alvin Maniago
West Coast University

Cultural Plrualism
Prof. Crozat
March 24, 2012

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Abstract
What is pluralism, and what ethnicities have embraced it? Chinatowns very existence is
a great example of pluralism. Research on Chinatowns history was fairly easy. Many
entries appeared on web searches, so it all came down to narrowing it down to the best
and most reliable resources. Book sources were also easy to get a hold of, as they were in
my local library. Talking to a few residents gave much insight on what it is like for them
to be living in Chinatown, rather than China itself. The purpose of this paper was to show
that Chinatown as an ethnic enclave is a primary example of pluralism in the United
States.

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Chinatown is a term synonymous with individuals around the globe as a place

outside of China where a concentrated Chinese populace is settled. All over the globe
Chinatowns coexist with the country it is located in. Chinatown has been a widely known
settlement in the United States, and shows no signs of changing.
A Chinatown is an enclave, not limited only to Chinese people. Historically, the
several Chinatowns in existence are known to focus on both tourism, and living
communities. Chinatowns have existed with other communities for hundreds of years.
The oldest known Chinatown was established in 1594, and is located in the Philippines
(Raitsoja, 2006). In the United States, there are many Chinatowns in existence, however
only two are very well known. These two are located in San Francisco and New York
City.
In the United States, the first Chinatown in San Francisco started from many
Chinese immigrating to the United States from the 1850s and onward (SFSU, n.d.). For
years, the Chinese immigrants, from Guandong Province, would arrive by the boatload
for the work they could find. The work that many chinese were able to gain included gold
mining and working on the transcontinental rail road (Virtual Museum, n.d.). Many
Chinese also worked in restaurants and exports as they do today. In 1873, there was

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heavy racial tension due to high unemployment because the Chinese were taking any jobs
available for cheap labor such as textiles or cigar rolling (Waxman, n.d.) Eventually, this
resulted in riots against the Chinese (San Francisco, n.d.). The Chinese Six Companies,
which stemmed from labor recruitment agencies, was established to provide the Chinese
community a voice in the issues that they faced. (Lai H.M., p62, 2006). Despite this, the
Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882 aimed to restrict the growth and assimilation of the
Chinese community (San Francisco, n.d.). San Franciscos Chinatown was also hit hard
in 1906 by an earthquake that practically leveled the area (San Francisco, n.d.). With the
Chinese Exclusion Act in place, it made things very difficult for the Chinese to rebuild
the area. Later, during WWII the laws the Chinese Exclusion Act, as well as all other
laws like it, were reapealed, and granted the Chinese immigrants neutralization (San
Francisco, n.d.). San Francisco may not hold the largest Chinatown, but it most certainly
a memorable place in the history of the United States.
New Yorks Chinatown borders Little Italy, the Lower East Side, Allen Street,
and Lafayette Street. New Yorks Chinatown also started from around the 1850s, in the
Manhattan area. The reason for why the New York Chinatown started later is most likely
because all Chinese immigrants originated from San Francisco, then had to find
transportation to New York. This Chinatown started with more businessmen rather
laborers (Waxman, n.d.). The individual who is responsible for a large Chinese

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settlement is Ah Ken (Hall B. E., p37, 2002). Ah Ken was a businessman who sold
cigars, and after some time many other cigar merchants began dealing through Ken (Hall
B. E., p37, 2002). Some have speculated that Ah Ken held room and board for other
immigrants, allowing for the population to grow, because eventually the area where he
started his cigar store would become Chinatown, as it is known today (Hall B. E., p37,
2002). Like in San Francisco, the Chinese had acts of violence toward them because of
the lack of jobs as well as a decrease in population due to the Chinese Exclusion Act (San
Francisco, n.d.). New York
Chinatown is such a large area with many things to see and explore such as the
arches, road signs, and the vast number of restaurants. The arches, or Paifang in Chinese,
are typically found in most Chinatowns and represent a good relation between China and
the country with the paifang (Chinatownology, n.d.). They are characterizes as a large
structure consisting of 2 red pillars and a multi-tier roof (Chinatownology, n.d.). When
exploring the streets of Chinatown, it is easy to spot the many road signs, or signs in
general written in both Chinese and English (Chinatownology, n.d.). Even though this is
a small detail it is still of great importance. Chinatowns are praised for their traditional
Chinese food. The food that is found in Chinatown frowns upon any fast food
arrangements such as panda express or anything not found in Chinatown. Even though
there are countless Chinese restaurants with similar menus located in a Chinatown,

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theyre all quite different. Each restaurant possesses its own atmosphere and unique
working staff. Only at a Chinese restaurant is where an individual could purchase a
roasted duck to consume. The marketplaces at Chinatowns are indefinitely a sight to see.
Another great part about Chinatown is the amount of Chinese souvenirs you can buy
without actually having to take a 14-hour flight to Hong Kong. Chinatown is a place full
of wonders. It really is rewarding to just walk and see what you can find.
Today, Chinatown in both San Francisco and New York boast having the largest
Chinese population in the United States of America. According to the 2010 United States
Cuncus Bureau, San Francisco at the time had 172,181 Chinese Americans, and New
York had 466,463 Chinese Americans. Each Chinatown has its own array of various
restaurants and attractions. Even today, the citizens of Chinatowns all over the world
hold celebrations for Chinese New Year with parades and all sorts of festivities. On a
recent trip that I took to Chinatown I asked an elderly man, Mr. Chen, what it was like
living in the Chinatown located in Los Angeles. He explained to me that he much
preferred to live in the San Francisco Chinatown (S. Chen, personal communication,
March 10, 2012). He kept mentioning the fact that on some days he would forget that he
was no longer in China. He also said that even though he spent most of his years in

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China, he was happy here in America. When I asked him why, he simply replied this is
my home now.
Chinatown is a great example of cultural pluralism. The reason for this is its
sheer existence along with the presence of multiple locations. The break down definition
of cultural pluralism is, cultural - Of or relating to the ideas, customs, and social behavior
of a society; pluralism - A condition or system in which two or more states, etc., coexist
(dictionary.com, n.d.). So in result, cultural pluralism literally means culture is
coexistent with that of another. The Chinese have not only been living with Americans
but many with many other different countries as well. Despite how long these
Chinatowns existed as a haven for Chinese immigrants, they all stay true to their culture.
They also have no problem with tourists or non-Chinese individuals walking the streets
of Chinatown.
Chinatowns have been the way they were since they were first established, full of
life and culture. Chinatowns all over the world are well established and show no signs of
changing fully embracing pluralism. Imagine what the world would be like without the
existence of Chinatown.

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References
Chinatown San Francisco (n.d.). History. Chinatown San Francisco. Retrieved March 3,
2012, from http://www.sanfranciscochinatown.com/history/index.html
Hall, B. E. (2002). Tea That Burns: A Family Memoir of Chinatown. (p. 37). New York
City, New York: The Free Press.
Lai, H. M. (2004). Becoming Chinese American, A History of Communities and
Institutions. (p. 62). Walnut Creek, California: A division of Rowman& Littlefield
Publishers Inc..
Raitisoja, G. (2006, July 8). Chinatown Manila: Oldest in the world . All About China.
Retrieved March 3, 2012, from http://radio86.com/travel/destinations/chinatownmanila-oldest-world
San Francisco Bay Area Television Archive (2011, September 22). The Faces of
Chinatown. https://diva.sfsu.edu/collections/sfbatv/bundles/191373. Retrieved
March 3, 2012, from https://diva.sfsu.edu/collections/sfbatv/bundles/191373
Sfmuseum (n.d.). San Franciscos Old Chinatown. The Virtual Museum of the City of San
Franciso. Retrieved March 3, 2012, from http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist9/cook.html
Waxman, S. (n.d.). The History of New York's
Chinatown.http://www.ny.com/articles/chinatown.html. Retrieved March 3, 2012,
from http://www.ny.com/articles/chinatown.html