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Chinatown, Boston (
Cantonese Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding ar ...
: 唐人街;
Jyutping Jyutping is a romanisation system for Cantonese developed by the Linguistic Society of Hong Kong (LSHK), an academic group, in 1993. Its formal name is the Linguistic Society of Hong Kong Cantonese Romanization Scheme. The LSHK advocates fo ...
: ''Tong4jan4gaai1'') is a neighborhood located in
downtown Boston Downtown Boston is the central business district of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. The city of Boston was founded in 1630. The largest of the city's commercial districts, Downtown is the location of many corporate or regional headquarters; ...
,
Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
. It is the only surviving historic
ethnic Chinese The Chinese people or simply Chinese, are people or ethnic groups identified with China, usually through ethnicity, nationality, citizenship, or other affiliation. Chinese people are known as Zhongguoren () or as Huaren () by speakers of s ...
enclave in
New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
since the demise of the
Chinatown A Chinatown () is an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Austra ...
s in
Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...
and
Portland, Maine Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metropol ...
after the 1950s. Because of the high population of Asians and
Asian Americans Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of such immigrants). Although this term had historically been used for all the indigenous people ...
living in this area of Boston, there is an abundance of
Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
and
Vietnamese Vietnamese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia ** A citizen of Vietnam. See Demographics of Vietnam. * Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam ** Overse ...
restaurants located in Chinatown. It is one of the most densely populated residential areas in Boston and serves as the largest center of its
East Asian East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The modern states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. China, North Korea, South Korea a ...
and
Southeast Asian Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainland ...
cultural life. Chinatown borders the
Boston Common The Boston Common (also known as the Common) is a public park in downtown Boston, Massachusetts. It is the oldest city park in the United States. Boston Common consists of of land bounded by Tremont Street (139 Tremont St.), Park Street, Beacon ...
,
Downtown Crossing Downtown Crossing is a shopping district within downtown Boston, Massachusetts, located east of Boston Common, west of the Financial District, south of Government Center, and north of Chinatown and the old Combat Zone. It features la ...
, the
Washington Street Theatre District The Boston Theater District is the center of Boston's theater scene. Many of its theaters are on Washington Street, Tremont Street, Boylston Street, and Huntington Avenue. History Plays were banned in Boston by the Puritans until 1792. Bost ...
, Bay Village, the South End, and the Southeast Expressway/
Massachusetts Turnpike The Massachusetts Turnpike (colloquially "Mass Pike" or "the Pike") is a toll highway in the US state of Massachusetts that is maintained by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT). The turnpike begins at the New York state li ...
. Boston's Chinatown is one of the largest Chinatowns outside of
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
.


Demographics

Because it is a gathering place and home to many immigrants, Chinatown has a diverse culture and population. According to 2020 census data, the total population in Chinatown is 5,460. This is an almost 25% increase since 2000, when there were only 3,559 people. The white population rose 241.7% from 228 in 2000 to 779 in 2010. The Black and African American population rose from 82 in 2000 to 139 in 2010, showing an almost 70% increase. The American Indian population dropped 75% from 2000 to 2010, going from 8 to 2 residents. The Asian population grew about 7.5% from 3,190 in 2000 to 3,416 in 2010. People who identified as another race grew from 18 in 2000 to 30 in 2010, a 66.7% increase. Those who identified as more than one race grew from 32 in 2000 to 77 in 2010, as increase of 140.6%. With more white residents moving into Chinatown, there is worry about
gentrification Gentrification is the process of changing the character of a neighborhood through the influx of more Wealth, affluent residents and businesses. It is a common and controversial topic in urban politics and urban planning, planning. Gentrification ...
. For instance, the Asian population dropped to 46% in 2010. Another major concern is that historic towns and places are becoming more touristy and less cultural. Among Boston, New York, and
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
, Boston has shown the highest increase in non-Asian residents moving into non-family shared households, with a 450% increase from 1990 to 2000. The total number of housing units in Chinatown has increased by 54% from 2000 to 2010. Chinatown went from 1,367 to 2,114 housing units. There has been an almost 50% increase in the occupied housing units in Chinatown from 2000 to 2010, going from 1,327 to 1,982. With the increase in occupied housing units, there has also been a 230% increase in vacant homes, going from 40 in 2000 to 132 in 2010.


Race and ancestry

According to the 2012-2016 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, the largest ancestry groups in ZIP Code 02111 are:


History


Early history

Part of the Chinatown neighborhood occupies a space that was reclaimed by filling in a
tidal flat Mudflats or mud flats, also known as tidal flats or, in Ireland, slob or slobs, are coastal wetlands that form in intertidal areas where sediments have been deposited by tides or rivers. A global analysis published in 2019 suggested that tidal fl ...
. The newly created area was first settled by
Anglo Anglo is a prefix indicating a relation to, or descent from, the Angles, England, English culture, the English people or the English language, such as in the term ''Anglosphere''. It is often used alone, somewhat loosely, to refer to peopl ...
-Bostonians. After residential properties in this area became less desirable due to railway developments, it was settled by a mixed succession of
Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
,
Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
,
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...
, Lebanese, and
Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
immigrant Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...
s. Each group replaced the previous one to take advantage of low-cost housing and job opportunities in the area. During the late-nineteenth century, garment manufacturing plants also moved into Chinatown, creating Boston's historic garment district. This district was active until the 1990s. In 1870, the first Chinese people were brought from
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
to break a strike at the Sampson Shoe Factory in
North Adams, Massachusetts North Adams is a city in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its population was 12,961 as of the 2020 census. Best known as the ...
. The arrival of these Chinese workers were met with much hostility from members of the community. There was ill-intentioned words spread about them that were meant to create a bad image for the Chinese to the rest of the community in Boston. Prior to the immigration of Chinese workers from California in 1870, Boston's Chinese population consisted of tea merchants or servants. In 1874, many of these immigrants moved to the Boston area. As history and tradition details, many Chinese immigrants settled in what is now known as Ping On Alley. The first
laundries Laundry refers to the washing of clothing and other textiles, and, more broadly, their drying and ironing as well. Laundry has been part of history since humans began to wear clothes, so the methods by which different cultures have dealt with t ...
opened on what is now Harrison Ave in Chinatown. In 1875, as laundries were becoming more and more popular, the first restaurant, ''Hong Far Low'', opened. In the 1800s and the 1900s, many Chinese immigrants came to Boston looking for work and for new opportunities. Due to the
Chinese Exclusion Act The Chinese Exclusion Act was a United States federal law signed by President Chester A. Arthur on May 6, 1882, prohibiting all immigration of Chinese laborers for 10 years. The law excluded merchants, teachers, students, travelers, and diplo ...
of 1882, Chinese immigration was halted, and the population of Chinatown remained mostly male. There were many attempts to drive out the Chinese from Chinatown, including the widening of the main street (Harrison Avenue) which backfired and led to further development for the Chinese community. One example of the attempts to drive out the Chinese population was the murder of Wong Yak Chong in 1903 known as the
Boston Chinatown immigration raid The Boston Chinatown immigration raids refers to an incident on October 11, 1903, in Chinatown, Boston where immigration officials arrested 234 Chinese Americans Chinese Americans are Americans of Han Chinese ancestry. Chinese Americans const ...
. The murder gave the police the opportunity to gather Chinese men and deport them. The police and immigration officials were able to arrest 234 people, and then eventually
deport Deportation is the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country. The term ''expulsion'' is often used as a synonym for deportation, though expulsion is more often used in the context of international law, while deportatio ...
45. During the time of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 until the 1900s, the Chinese population in the United States almost halved, while the Chinese population in Massachusetts exponentially increased. In 1916 the
Kwong Kow Chinese School Kwong Kow Chinese School (KKCS; 中華廣教學校) is a supplementary school located in Chinatown, Boston. Founded in 1916 for immigrants in Chinatown, as Qwong Kow Chinese School, it has offered classes for not only members of the local Chinese Am ...
was established to teach the community Chinese, specifically Taishanese. The population of Chinese in Boston were primarily from the
Taishan, Guangdong Taishan (), alternately romanized in Cantonese as Toishan or Toisan, in local dialect as Hoisan, and formerly known as Xinning or Sunning (), is a county-level city in the southwest of Guangdong province, China. It is administered as part o ...
where the dialect of Chinese is
Taishanese Taishanese (), alternatively romanized in Cantonese as Toishanese or Toisanese, in local dialect as Hoisanese or Hoisan-wa, is a dialect of Yue Chinese native to Taishan, Guangdong. Although it is related to Cantonese, Taishanese has little ...
. The school was heavily supported by the community, and by 1931 became a vital part of Chinatown.
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
created a shift in the public opinion of Chinese immigrants with the Republic of China being in the Allied nations. A new wave of Chinese immigrants entered the United States mostly in Chinatown, Boston during this time, after the repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act. Post-World War II came with an influx of Hong Kong immigrants, who introduced new garment laborers and a new dialect. The language at the Kwong Kow Language School switched from Taishanese to
Cantonese Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding ar ...
with the growing Hong Kong immigrant population. In the 1950s, Chinatown saw a major increase in population after the Exclusion Act was abolished in 1943. In 1956 there still remained negative attitudes towards Chinatown and attempts to break down the community. The Urban Renewal Division of the Housing Authority tried to demolish most of the South Cove district in favor of urban development. However, before the demolition could occur Mayor John Collins created the Boston Redevelopment Authority to combat the Urban Renewal Division of the Housing Authority's attempt to destroy the community. Construction in the late 1950s, in what is known as the "central artery", affected many homes and businesses in Chinatown. The
Massachusetts Turnpike The Massachusetts Turnpike (colloquially "Mass Pike" or "the Pike") is a toll highway in the US state of Massachusetts that is maintained by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT). The turnpike begins at the New York state li ...
, constructed in the 1960s, took away much of the land from Chinatown that had been used for businesses. After construction was completed, many businesses and homes in Chinatown were affected. Despite this, the population there continued to grow by at least 25%. During the late 19th century, manufacturing plants began to emerge in Chinatown for the garment stores that were thriving there. This became known as the historic garment district in Boston. However, the garment district only lasted until the 1990s due to the rising cost of rent, property sales, and the removal of homeowners. Negotiations resulted in the provision of funds for the construction of new community housing in Chinatown. During this period , city officials also designated an area adjacent to Chinatown as Boston's
red light district A red-light district or pleasure district is a part of an urban area where a concentration of prostitution and sex-oriented businesses, such as sex shops, strip clubs, and adult theaters, are found. In most cases, red-light districts are partic ...
, also known as the Combat Zone. This zone, while still in existence, had almost disappeared by the 1990s for many reasons. These causes included city pressure, the rise of marketing movies on VHS home video, and the move of night clubs to the suburbs, where they became more upscale. A general increase in property values, which encouraged building sales and the removal of former tenants, also contributed. In the 21st century, much of the former Combat Zone has evolved into the
Washington Street Theatre District The Boston Theater District is the center of Boston's theater scene. Many of its theaters are on Washington Street, Tremont Street, Boylston Street, and Huntington Avenue. History Plays were banned in Boston by the Puritans until 1792. Bost ...
.


Culture in Early History

There was a need for a sense of community for the Chinese men who had no family with them in Boston and worked six out of seven days of the week. Various grocery stores and restaurants began catering towards the normalcy of Chinese cuisine and culture. The village associations were a place for the men to create a connections to their far away families because they could exchange letters to them and talk with the other men like them. The gambling rings and ‘opium dens’ were frequent places to go to for leisure. Other groups sought to help the Chinese immigrants with assimilating to the United States. English lessons and other efforts to convert the Chinese immigrants to Protestantism were provided by multiple Protestant churches in Boston, as well as establishing the
Young Men's Christian Association YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...
.


Modern day

Chinatown remains a center of Asian American life in
New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
, hosting many
Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
and
Vietnamese Vietnamese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia ** A citizen of Vietnam. See Demographics of Vietnam. * Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam ** Overse ...
restaurants and markets. Chinatown is one of Boston's most densely populated residential districts, with over 28,000 people per
square mile The square mile (abbreviated as sq mi and sometimes as mi2)Rowlett, Russ (September 1, 2004) University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved February 22, 2012. is an imperial and US unit of measure for area. One square mile is an are ...
in the year 2000. Nearly 70% of Chinatown's population is Asian, compared with Boston's nine percent of Asian Americans overall.Boston Icons: 50 Symbols of Beantown
" ''Chinatown''. Scheff, Jonathan. Retrieved on September 5, 2012.
Chinatown has a median household income of $14,289. The traditional Chinatown Gate (''
paifang A ''paifang'', also known as a ''pailou'', is a traditional style of Chinese architectural arch or gateway structure. Evolved from the Indian subcontinent's ''torana'' through the introduction of Buddhism to China, it has developed many styles ...
'') with a foo lion on each side is located at the intersection of Beach Street and Surface Road. This was once a run-down area, housing little more than a ventilation-fan building for the Central Artery Tunnel; however, a garden was constructed at this site as part of the
Big Dig The Central Artery/Tunnel Project (CA/T Project), commonly known as the Big Dig, was a megaproject in Boston that rerouted the Central Artery of Interstate 93 (I-93), the chief highway through the heart of the city, into the 1.5-mile (2.4&n ...
project. The Gate is visible from the
South Station South Station, officially The Governor Michael S. Dukakis Transportation Center at South Station, is the largest railroad station and intercity bus terminal in Greater Boston and New England's second-largest transportation center after Logan In ...
Bus Terminal, and is a popular tourist destination and photo opportunity. Offered by the Taiwanese government to the City in 1982, the gate is engraved with two writings in Chinese: ''Tian Xia Wei Gong'', a saying attributed to Sun Yat-sen that translates as "everything under the sky is for the people", and ''Li Yi Lian Chi'', the four societal bonds of propriety,
justice Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...
, integrity, and honor. , an area near Chinatown, located at the mouth of an expressway tunnel, was also a
red light district A red-light district or pleasure district is a part of an urban area where a concentration of prostitution and sex-oriented businesses, such as sex shops, strip clubs, and adult theaters, are found. In most cases, red-light districts are partic ...
.''
AsianWeek ''AsianWeek'' was America's first and largest English language print and on-line publication serving Asian Americans. The news organization played an important role nationally and in the San Francisco Bay Area as the “Voice of Asian America”. ...
'' Staff and ''
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
''.
Philadelphia Chinatown Wins Stadium Fight
. ''
AsianWeek ''AsianWeek'' was America's first and largest English language print and on-line publication serving Asian Americans. The news organization played an important role nationally and in the San Francisco Bay Area as the “Voice of Asian America”. ...
''. November 24–30, 2000. Retrieved on November 8, 2011.
Starting in 2005, community-based civilian "Crime Watch" volunteers patrol the streets every day to discourage and report crime. Chinatown had issues with gang activity. In 1991,
Ping On The Ping On ( zh, t=平安, j=ping4 on1) was a Boston-based criminal organization. The organization rose to power in the 1970s and continued to operate throughout the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s. The Ping On was founded by Stephen "Sky Dragon" T ...
gang members killed five men and wounded a sixth man at a gambling den in the
Boston Chinatown massacre The Boston Chinatown massacre or Tyler Street Massacre was a gang-related shooting in which five men were killed execution-style in a Boston Chinatown gambling den in the early morning hours of January 12, 1991. A sixth victim was seriously inj ...
. Two of the three gunmen were arrested in China in 1998, extradited to the United States in 2001, and were sentenced to life imprisonment in 2005. The area's crime rate has since declined dramatically. There are three newspapers that are popular among the residents of Chinatown. One is the '' World Journal Newspaper'', which is the largest, most influential Chinese daily newspaper in the United States. There is also the Sing Tao Daily Newspaper, which is published out of New York and the Boston branch has been in Chinatown for over 40 years. There is also the non-profit community newspaper, '' Sampan'' published twice a month which provides both English-language and Chinese-language news and information about Chinatown.


Cuisine

Chinese cuisine in Boston reflects a mélange of multiple influential factors. The growing Boston Chinatown accommodates Chinese-owned bus lines shuttling an increasing number of passengers to and from the numerous Chinatowns in New York City, and this has led to some commonalities in the local Chinese cuisine derived from Chinese food in New York. A large immigrant Fujianese immigrant population has made a home in Boston, leading to Fuzhou cuisine being readily available in Boston. An increasing
Vietnamese Vietnamese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia ** A citizen of Vietnam. See Demographics of Vietnam. * Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam ** Overse ...
population has also been exerting an influence on Chinese cuisine in
Greater Boston Greater Boston is the metropolitan region of New England encompassing the municipality of Boston (the capital of the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the most populous city in New England) and its surrounding areas. The region forms the northern ar ...
. Finally, innovative dishes incorporating chow mein and chop suey as well as locally farmed produce and regionally procured
seafood Seafood is any form of sea life regarded as food by humans, prominently including fish and shellfish. Shellfish include various species of molluscs (e.g. bivalve molluscs such as clams, oysters and mussels, and cephalopods such as octopus an ...
ingredients are found in Chinese as well as non-Chinese food in and around Boston.


Transportation

The MBTA Orange Line stops at the
Chinatown A Chinatown () is an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Austra ...
station and the
Tufts Medical Center Tufts Medical Center (until 2008 Tufts-New England Medical Center) in Boston, Massachusetts is a downtown Boston hospital midway between Chinatown and the Boston Theater District. The hospital is a community based medical center for biomedical ...
station, located within and at the southern edge of the district, respectively.
Boylston Boylston may refer to the following communities: ;Canada * Boylston, Nova Scotia ;United States * Boylston, Massachusetts * Boylston, New York * Boylston, Wisconsin * Boylston Junction, Wisconsin It may also refer to: * Helen Dore Boylston, au ...
station on the MBTA Green Line is located just beyond the northwest corner of Chinatown. Just east of Chinatown,
South Station South Station, officially The Governor Michael S. Dukakis Transportation Center at South Station, is the largest railroad station and intercity bus terminal in Greater Boston and New England's second-largest transportation center after Logan In ...
is served by the MBTA's Red Line, Silver Line, and
Commuter Rail Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Generally commuter rail systems are con ...
. South Station also accommodates
Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
, the long-distance rail to New York City and other cities on the
Northeast Corridor The Northeast Corridor (NEC) is an electrified railroad line in the Northeast megalopolis of the United States. Owned primarily by Amtrak, it runs from Boston through Providence, New Haven, Stamford, New York City, Philadelphia, Wilmington, a ...
. Entrance and exit ramps serving
Interstate 93 Interstate 93 (I-93) is an Interstate Highway in the New England states of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont in the United States. Spanning approximately along a north–south axis, it is one of three primary Interstate Highways ...
and the
Massachusetts Turnpike The Massachusetts Turnpike (colloquially "Mass Pike" or "the Pike") is a toll highway in the US state of Massachusetts that is maintained by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT). The turnpike begins at the New York state li ...
are at the southern edge of Chinatown. The bus terminal at South Station handles regional buses to
New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
, New York City,
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, Albany (New York), and other destinations. The New England destinations include Concord (New Hampshire) and
Portland (Maine) Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metro ...
. The regional and national bus companies include Greyhound Lines,
Peter Pan Bus Lines Peter Pan Bus Lines operates an intercity bus service in the Northeastern United States. It is headquartered in Springfield, Massachusetts. It operates service to/from to Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hamps ...
,
Megabus Megabus may refer to: *Megabus (Europe), a low-cost coach service with services in Europe owned by ComfortDelGro. *Megabus (North America) Megabus, branded as megabus.com, is an intercity bus service of Coach USA/ Coach Canada operating in the ...
, and
Bolt Bus BoltBus was an intercity bus common carrier and a division of Greyhound Lines that operated from March 2008 until July 2021 in the northeast and western United States and British Columbia, Canada. As least one ticket on every bus was randoml ...
. In Chinatown itself, Chinese-owned bus service Lucky Star/Travelpack provided hourly connections with
Chinatown, Manhattan Manhattan's Chinatown () is a Neighborhoods in Manhattan, neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City, bordering the Lower East Side to its east, Little Italy, Manhattan, Little Italy to its north, Civic Center, Manhattan, Civic Center to its ...
in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
.


Health care

Tufts Medical Center Tufts Medical Center (until 2008 Tufts-New England Medical Center) in Boston, Massachusetts is a downtown Boston hospital midway between Chinatown and the Boston Theater District. The hospital is a community based medical center for biomedical ...
occupies a large portion of the area, and includes a full service
hospital A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...
and various health-related schools of
Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learning. ...
including
Tufts University School of Medicine The Tufts University School of Medicine is the medical school of Tufts University, a private research university in Massachusetts. It was established in 1893 and is located on the university's health sciences campus in downtown Boston. The '' ...
, Tufts University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, and
Tufts University School of Dental Medicine Tufts University School of Dental Medicine (TUSDM) is a private, American dental school located in the Chinatown neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, and is connected to Tufts Medical Center. It is one of the 8 graduate schools that compri ...
.Concise Encyclopedia of Tufts History. Ed. Anne Sauer. http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/vor type=phrase&alts=0&group=typecat&lookup=New%20England%20Medical%20Center&collection=Perseus:collection:Tufts150 In addition, South Cove Community Health Center operates the Chinatown Clinic at 885 Washington Avenue. Volunteers founded South Cove in 1972 to provide better health care for Asian Americans in the Chinatown area.


Community organizations


Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center

The Chinatown Neighborhood Center (BCNC) is a community center that primarily serves the immigrant Chinese community of Chinatown. The BCNC's mission is to ensure that the children, youth, and families they serve have the resources and support to achieve greater economic success and social well-being, by providing child care, bilingual education, and youth recreation programs. BCNC strives to provide the support and resources needed for participants to integrate into American society, while preserving the community's rich culture. Most of those served are immigrant Chinese, with low family incomes and limited English ability. In 2014,
The Boston Foundation The Boston Foundation, founded in 1915, is one of the oldest and largest community foundations in the nation.https://www.tbf.org/-/media/tbf/files/financial-information/financial-statements/tbf-fy2018-audited-financial-statements.pdf?la=en&hash=FB ...
donated nearly $500,000 to support many summer programs and activities in the greater Boston Area, including funding for the BCNC. BCNC is located in the heart of Chinatown at 3 sites. The 885 Washington Street BCNC is part of the Josiah Quincy School building. In 2005, BCNC created a permanent home at 38 Ash Street, in a five-story community center, which was the first certified green building in Chinatown. The building meets the performance standards under the LEED Green Building Rating System. In 2017, the Pao Arts Center located at 99 Albany Street was opened in partnership with Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC), which also teaches a number of introductory courses there in subjects such as accounting, food service, business, writing, psychology, statistics, and acting. Located in the Charlestown neighborhood of Boston, BHCC is connected to Chinatown by the MBTA Orange Line, and serves a large number of students from Chinatown at its main campus. The BCNC is also known for its annual Oak Street Fair, occurring every autumn to celebrate Chinese culture in Boston's Chinatown. The event is aimed at children and families, and includes a variety of activities.


Other organizations

The Chinatown Lantern Cultural and Educational Center was formed by the Chinatown Cultural Center Committee (CCCC) in order to address the longtime lack of a public library in the neighborhood (the Chinatown branch of the
Boston Public Library The Boston Public Library is a municipal public library system in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, founded in 1848. The Boston Public Library is also the Library for the Commonwealth (formerly ''library of last recourse'') of the Commonwea ...
was demolished in 1956 to make way for the
Central Artery The Central Artery (officially the John F. Fitzgerald Expressway) is a section of freeway in downtown Boston, Massachusetts; it is designated as Interstate 93, US 1 and Route 3. The original Artery, constructed in the 1950s, was named aft ...
). The Reading Room opened in April 2012, and provided library services, educational workshops, and cultural events to the Chinatown community. The Reading Room had a rotating collection of approximately 8,000 books in both English and Chinese, and also ran a small art exhibit gallery. The Reading Room closed on Feb 25, 2013. The Chinatown community and extended communities of Chinese around Greater Boston (including North Quincy and Wollaston in Quincy) are serviced by the Asian Community Development Corporation. The ACDC helps preserve Chinatown's culture, and foster youth and economic development. It was established in 1987 and since its inception has worked on addressing housing development concerns (such as the notable 2002
Big Dig The Central Artery/Tunnel Project (CA/T Project), commonly known as the Big Dig, was a megaproject in Boston that rerouted the Central Artery of Interstate 93 (I-93), the chief highway through the heart of the city, into the 1.5-mile (2.4&n ...
construction) to gain back a piece of land lost due to urban renewal called the Parcel 24. In 2006, Boston's
Mayor Menino Thomas Michael Menino (December 27, 1942 – October 30, 2014) was an American politician who served as the 53rd mayor of Boston, from 1993 to 2014. He was the city's longest-serving mayor. He was elected mayor in 1993 after first serving three ...
opened up land formerly owned by the BRA (Boston Redevelopment Authority). It became a new home to the nonprofit organization Asian American Civic Association (AACA) and the
Kwong Kow Chinese School Kwong Kow Chinese School (KKCS; 中華廣教學校) is a supplementary school located in Chinatown, Boston. Founded in 1916 for immigrants in Chinatown, as Qwong Kow Chinese School, it has offered classes for not only members of the local Chinese Am ...
(KKCS). These two groups teamed up on this project to build an education center, which includes a day care center, a community room, classrooms, and office space. There are many more organizations in the Chinatown area of Boston which provide community outreach and resources such as the Wang YMCA of Chinatown, the Chinese Progressive Association, and many grassroots organizations such as the Campaign to Protect Chinatown. There are over 75 organizations in Chinatown, and most are ethnically based. Chinatown has always focused on organizations for the youth such as the YMCA, Marching Band, and
Boy Scouts Boy Scouts may refer to: * Boy Scout, a participant in the Boy Scout Movement. * Scouting, also known as the Boy Scout Movement. * An organisation in the Scouting Movement, although many of these organizations also have female members. There are ...
. In the 1930s, there was even a major development for culture and support for women and Chinese American girls.


Urban policies

One of the major difficulties facing Boston's Chinatown is the issue of
gentrification Gentrification is the process of changing the character of a neighborhood through the influx of more Wealth, affluent residents and businesses. It is a common and controversial topic in urban politics and urban planning, planning. Gentrification ...
. Construction of new housing and the repair of existing housing may occur, but if rental and purchase prices increase, existing residents will be displaced. As property prices rising, the demographics of an area may change, and this partly explains why Chinatown is seeing more and more non-Asians and white residents. Chinatown faces several major issues including: the upkeep of houses, keeping trash off the streets, and keeping the place up to date. With parts of Chinatown looking like they are falling apart, it almost implies a historical struggle for survival. According to Kairos Shen, a planner for the
Boston Redevelopment Authority The Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA), formerly the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA), is a Massachusetts public agency that serves as the municipal planning and development agency for Boston, working on both housing and commercial de ...
(BRA), "the fact that so many Asians — roughly 5,000 residents, according to US Census data, with the vast majority of them Chinese —– still call Chinatown home is no accident, resulting from a decades-long effort by the city to find a right balance between providing affordable housing and encouraging development projects aimed at revitalizing the neighborhood." The idea for Chinatown is to provide more affordable housing to make it seem less gentrified. There are already a number of projects that have been worked on and are still being built. Long time residents fear that they may lose their homes due to construction. One of the main goals of urban policy is to create and sustain businesses in Chinatown so that residents have a place to work. In 2010, The Barr Foundation granted Sustainable Chinatown $100,000 for a community led effort to "green" local businesses, in partnership with the Boston Redevelopment Authority, the city, and the Asian American Civic Association (AACA). The effort was intended as a "project to help Chinatown businesses address the issues of rising energy, water, and solid waste management costs by providing practical and affordable solutions to help business owners save money and reduce environmental impacts, while building long term sustainable business expertise capacity in the community." Community involvement and programs in Chinatown help jobs and community organizations. As of October 2014, many Boston residents, including Chinatown residents, received aid for jobs and support. As referenced by the BRA, "All told more than 200 Boston residents will receive job training under these grants." Many places and businesses in Chinatown received funding through this grant. The AACA received $50,000 and the Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center (BCNC) received $50,000 as well. Additionally, the YMCA, which many Chinatown residents use, received $50,000. Many projects have been and are still in works in Chinatown, such as the 120 Kingston Street development (240 units), the Hong Kok House at 11-31 Essex Street (75 assisted living units), Kensington Place at 659-679 Washington Street (390 units and retail space), and Parcel 24 on Hudson Street (345 units), among others. However, not all of these units will be affordable for Asian Americans. Tunney Lee, a professor of architecture and urban studies at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...
, said he sees Chinatown maintaining its ethnic and economic character well into the future. "Immigration is still strong and keeping Chinatown vibrant." This can make the culture and liveliness of Chinatown return. These types of housing projects aim to solve the issues of affordability and gentrification, which would keep pushing out Asian residents. Tunney Lee also said, "The various developments now under way in the area, while welcome and a sign of economic vitality, are putting pressures on the neighborhood and will lead to an influx of more non-Asian residents." Lee added. “But I think the number of Asian-Americans will stay constant as the total population goes up.”


Buildings

, Chinatown is experiencing
gentrification Gentrification is the process of changing the character of a neighborhood through the influx of more Wealth, affluent residents and businesses. It is a common and controversial topic in urban politics and urban planning, planning. Gentrification ...
. Large, luxury residential towers are built in and surrounding an area that was predominantly small three-to-five story apartment buildings intermixed with retail and light-industrial spaces. A property developer has purchased the Dainty Dot Hosiery building, which is listed in the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
, with plans to transform it into condominiums. Chinese community organizations, such as the Asian Community Development Corporation, are also building housing developments which offer mixed-and low-income housing. The Hayden Building, located on 681-683 Washington Street, is a historic building designed by
Henry Hobson Richardson Henry Hobson Richardson, FAIA (September 29, 1838 – April 27, 1886) was an American architect, best known for his work in a style that became known as Richardsonian Romanesque. Along with Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright, Richardson is one ...
. Originally constructed in 1875, the Hayden Building remains one of the last commercial stores for retail in Boston's Chinatown, and is the last remaining one built by Richardson. It was added to the
National Historic Register The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 1980.The building was purchased by Mayor Menino and the City of Boston in 1993, and has since been restored with the intent of marketing it to tenants . On March 1, 2013, Menino, along with Historic Boston Inc., teamed up to revitalize, refurbish and reopen this building with a contribution of $200,000, which is part of the Boston's and Chinatown's trilogy fund. The bottom floor of this building has been redone as a Liberty Bank. In the future, projects costing $5.6 million will be used to turn the upper levels of this building into apartments.


Businesses and shops

One of the major reasons tourists visit Chinatown is to see how immigrants live and work today. They can see how the job market has grown as immigrants made a life for themselves from the early markets to the laundries that opened when the settlers first arrived in Chinatown. Many Boston residents visit restaurants for everyday and special events, occurring either in Chinatown, or in nearby areas such as the
Boston Theater District The Boston Theater District is the center of Boston's theater scene. Many of its theaters are on Washington Street, Tremont Street, Boylston Street, and Huntington Avenue. History Plays were banned in Boston by the Puritans until 1792. Bos ...
,
Financial District A financial district is usually a central area in a city where financial services firms such as banks, insurance companies and other related finance corporations have their head offices. In major cities, financial districts are often home to s ...
,
Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway The Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway is a linear park located in several Downtown Boston neighborhoods. It consists of landscaped gardens, promenades, plazas, fountains, art, and specialty lighting systems that stretch over one mile through Chin ...
,
Boston Public Gardens The Public Garden, also known as Boston Public Garden, is a large park in the heart of Boston, Massachusetts, adjacent to Boston Common. It is a part of the Emerald Necklace system of parks, and is bounded by Charles Street and Boston Common to t ...
, or
Boston Common The Boston Common (also known as the Common) is a public park in downtown Boston, Massachusetts. It is the oldest city park in the United States. Boston Common consists of of land bounded by Tremont Street (139 Tremont St.), Park Street, Beacon ...
. Food stores in Boston's Chinatown specialize in selling Chinese foods, spices, herbs, and Asian food products. Since 2000, the number of establishments selling specialty
Chinese bakery products Chinese bakery products ( or ) consist of pastries, cakes, snacks, and desserts of largely East Asian origin, though some are derived from Western baked goods. Some of the most common "Chinese" bakery products include mooncakes, sun cakes (Beij ...
has increased, with Hong Kong, Taiwanese, and Japanese styles also available. As one of the last remaining remnants of the area's Historic Garment District, the only textile store still found in Chinatown is Van's Fabric. Founded in the early 1980s, it is one of the community's oldest operating businesses and a pillar of old Chinatown before gentrification began in the area.


Community events and celebrations

A major part of the culture and history of Chinatown are the events celebrated by the people who live here. There are many community programs and events held in Chinatown annually, but the most noted are the New Years celebration, the Lion Dance Festival, and the August Moon Festival. One of the biggest festivals of the year celebrated in Chinatown, is the August Moon Festival. This festival is often held in the middle of August and usually lasts for the entire day. During this Festival, there are vendor booths for handmade and traditional Chinese items and plenty of traditional food for sale. Chinese dough art is taught for those interested in learning the art. Additionally the Chinese Opera performs during this time. There is also children's Chinese folk dancing,
martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; a ...
performances, and lion dancers from around Chinatown and throughout the world, many who come just for the festival. Another notable celebration that happens every year in Chinatown is the New Years Parade, also known as the Lion Dance Festival. The Chinese New Year Parade marks the biggest annual celebration in Boston's Chinatown and each year a new animal of the
Chinese zodiac The Chinese zodiac is a traditional classification scheme based on the lunar calendar that assigns an animal and its reputed attributes to each year in a repeating twelve-year cycle. Originating from China, the zodiac and its variations remain ...
is celebrated. The name Lion Dance comes from the costumes worn by those in the parade who often wear lions or dragon costumes. The dance is part of the parade each year. In China, this celebration begins on the first day of the first month in the lunar calendar traditionally used in much of
Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...
. It is sometimes called the
Lunar New Year Lunar New Year is the beginning of a calendar year whose months are moon cycles, based on the lunar calendar or lunisolar calendar. The Lunar New Year as a celebration is observed by numerous cultures. It is also named " Chinese New Year" becau ...
, but it is different in Boston's Chinatown based on when spring begins. Another popular event is Fall Cleaning Day, which brings the community together to help clean up trash and litter. It is seen almost as an Earth Day for Chinatown. Additionally, there is the annual
Lantern Festival The Lantern Festival ( zh, t=元宵節, s=元宵节, first=t, hp=Yuánxiāo jié), also called Shangyuan Festival ( zh, t=上元節, s=上元节, first=t, hp=Shàngyuán jié), is a Chinese traditional festival celebrated on the fifteenth d ...
which is one of the largest tourist attractions and includes Lion Dances, Asian folk dances, martial arts performances, and traditional Chinese singing.


Satellite Chinatowns

A new
satellite A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioisotope ...
Chinatown has emerged on Hancock Street in the neighboring city of Quincy, about to the south of the original Chinatown. This is due to a rapid influx of
Hokkien The Hokkien () variety of Chinese is a Southern Min language native to and originating from the Minnan region, where it is widely spoken in the south-eastern part of Fujian in southeastern mainland China. It is one of the national languages in ...
-speaking
Mainland Chinese Mainland Chinese or Mainlanders are Chinese people who live in or have recently emigrated from mainland China, defined as the territory governed by the People's Republic of China (PRC) except for Hong Kong ( SAR of the PRC), Macau (SAR of the PRC), ...
immigrants from the province of
Fujian Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capi ...
, as well as a large and growing ethnic Vietnamese population. There are already several large
Asian supermarket In the West or non-Asian countries, an Asian supermarket largely describes a category of grocery stores that focuses and stocks items and products imported from countries located in the Far East (e.g. East, Southeast and South Asia). These st ...
s such as the Kam Man Foods and Super 88 supermarket chains, and other businesses that are competing with Boston's Chinatown. Several businesses operating in Chinatown now have branches in Quincy. The MBTA Red Line connects via either
South Station South Station, officially The Governor Michael S. Dukakis Transportation Center at South Station, is the largest railroad station and intercity bus terminal in Greater Boston and New England's second-largest transportation center after Logan In ...
or
Downtown Crossing Downtown Crossing is a shopping district within downtown Boston, Massachusetts, located east of Boston Common, west of the Financial District, south of Government Center, and north of Chinatown and the old Combat Zone. It features la ...
near Boston's Chinatown, to three rapid transit stations in Quincy, including Quincy Center station. A similar, but much smaller, enclave has developed in Malden to the north of Boston. Malden Center station is directly connected via the MBTA Orange Line to
Chinatown A Chinatown () is an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Austra ...
station, in the original Chinatown.


See also

*
Chinatowns in the United States Chinatowns are enclaves of Chinese people outside of China. The first Chinatown in the United States was San Francisco's Chinatown in 1848, and many other Chinatowns were established in the 19th century by the Chinese diaspora on the Wes ...
*
Chinatown bus Chinatown bus lines are discount intercity bus services, often operated by Chinese Americans. They have been established primarily in the Chinatown communities of the East Coast of the United States since 1998, and similar services operate on ...
* Chinese Progressive Association – Boston Chinese community service organization *
History of the Chinese in Boston The Boston metropolitan area has an active Chinese American community. As of 2013, the Boston Chinatown was the third largest Chinatown in the United States, and there are also Chinese populations in the suburbs of Greater Boston, including Qu ...


References


Further reading

* * Stacey G.H. Yap, ''Gather Your Strength, Sisters: The Emerging Role of Chinese Women Community Workers'' New York: AMS Press, 1989 (Study of women community organizers in Boston's Chinatown)


External links


Chinatown Heritage Project
* Th

are located in the Northeastern University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections Department, Boston, MA. * Th

are located in the Northeastern University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections Department, Boston, MA.
Chinatown Profile Census 2000
Unofficial websites
Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center

Asian American Civic Association

Asian Community Development Corporation

Chinatown Main Street, a Boston Main Streets initiative



Boston Chinatown Pics

Chinese Newspaper in Boston and Chinatown


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Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
Neighborhoods in Boston Restaurant districts and streets in the United States Triad (organized crime)