The oldest of Los Angeles'
tradition-rich, highly visited Asian neighborhoods is Chinatown.
Its origins date back to the 1850s, the decade when California
entered the Union. The California Gold Rush and construction of
the Transcontinental Railroad in the mid-19th century attracted
Chinese by the tens of thousands. The promise of jobs and
opportunity led many to settle in San Francisco and Los Angeles
and resulted in the development of recognized
"Chinatowns" in both cities.
Los Angeles' Chinatown, which boasts
one of the largest Chinese populations outside of China, Hong
Kong and San Francisco, will celebrate its sesquicentennial near
the turn of the 20th century. Chinatown is a true "city
within a city." Located between the 700 and 1000 blocks of
North Broadway in an area bordered approximately by Ord,
Alameda, Bernard and Yale Streets, it's not far from the Los
Angeles civic center.
In actuality, this area where thousands
of visitors and locals shop and dine is known by many as
"New Chinatown." The original settlement on Alameda
Street was moved a few blocks northeast during the 1930s to
clear the site for Union Station (LA.'s historic art deco-style
Amtrak railroad terminal). New Chinatown opened in 1939 and
while all the architecture was in Chinese style, the emphasis
was on providing a modern, comfortable shopping and dining area
on land that the Chinese would own for the first time.
Many of the theme buildings, especially
along Gin Ling Way (Street of the Golden Palace), are built in a
Chu Chin Chow style with exaggerated, curved roof lines and
abundant ornamentation. Many visitors to Chinatown may hear
sounds that seem peculiar for a shopping district -- but the
squawking of chickens, quacking of ducks and sloshing of
swimming fish only signal that the food is very, very fresh.
As a cultural center for the nearly
quarter-million Chinese Americans living in the Southland,
Chinatown is the site of rich pageantry on Chinese holidays. The
greatest spectacle is the exciting and colorful Chinese New Year
celebration, held each February or March depending on the
Chinese calendar. Parades with undulating dragons, beauty
contests, lots of fire crackers and plenty of authentic food
highlight the festivities.
While Chinatown embodies the color and
flavor of the Chinese community, other cultural areas do serve
the Chinese population as well. The nearby residential suburb of
Monterey Park is home to the largest concentration of
Chinese-Americans in the nation, with more than 60 percent of
its 61,000 residents Chinese-Americans. Visitors will find fine
Chinese dining and shopping in the many new, modern
Chinese-style buildings and restaurants which line Atlantic
Boulevard and Garvey Avenue.
