America’s Chinatowns: Inside the push for preservation

Chinatowns are a home away from home for generations and gateway into Asian American culture for visitors. But experts say there are growing concerns these communities could shrink or move. NBC News’ Vicky Nguyen dives into Seattle, Philadelphia and New York’s Chinatowns, where residents and community leaders are demanding a greater voice on decisions that are directly affecting their communities.
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#NBCNews #Chinatown #AsianAmerican

[@davecheng4201]

As an Asian-American with family in Chinatown, thank you to all those fighting to preserve the culture and homes of so many. And thank you to all the allies fighting just as hard.

[@alfazulu6515]

Why do you want to live in a self imposed ghetto, mate?

[@WarRior-rn4kb]

If they really want a "home away from home" they can go back to china. like Mexicans that don't want to assimilate they can go back to Mexico. If you want to be American, be American. If you love communism, you can go back to china. period.

[@angelachanellehuang5663]

People didn't care. I'm chinese

[@creativefantasybox2462]

I Support what's Happening

[@stevenchow408]

@angelachanellehuang5663 I care

[@mcflyfarm]

I'm from Philly and I always love visiting Chinatown and supporting its small businesses. If I still lived in Philly, I'd have definitely joined in the protests.

[@jennyfromtheblock.7153]

Great Chinatown in downtown Philly ❤️

[@Thunders6381]

Make sure to get your rub and tugs lol😂

[@Indiansareallpajeets]

Love you from Philly❤❤❤

[@AmericaUnleashed9327]

I’m from Philly and I can care less about Chinatown

[@mcflyfarm]

It's "I couldn't care less". What you said means you do care (at least a little).@@AmericaUnleashed9327

[@dancemaniac3868]

As real estate become more precious and valuable, places like Chinatown is salivated over by developers with their greed. We need to set the area as protected significant historical zone.

[@ainz1325]

No we dont neee china town here in NY , better develop that to better projects for city

[@stevenchow408]

Yes we need it. It's iconic

[@maggiechan33]

@@ainz1325 Learn to spell and write.

[@colberthunter12]

If they haven't done that for black people why should they do it for Asian people?

[@career5690]

@@colberthunter12This isn’t the struggle olympic.

[@mic1240]

Chicago’s Chinatown is absolutely booming and expanding, growing bigger as more Chinese Americans move further South and West from its core. It’s been able to grow in part because it is far enough away from downtown it wasn’t taken over. The train near it has only helped, with tourists and locals alike making it a bustling neighborhood. Korea Town on other side of city is also growing.

[@cd7856]

Chicago’s seems kind of run down to me. Seems like China 30 years ago before China developed. Flushing’s is pretty good though.

[@JinghisKhan]

Love this vid and the light it shines on Chinatowns. Boston's Chinatown has always been a taste and a link to the old world for me and I still eat there every week. The fortunate thing with that neighborhood is that because it was pretty much located right by Boston Common and South Station to begin with, there is little to no chance of some massive arena or whatnot that can come in and try to displace it because the space is already completely taken up. New York's Chinatown is also a multifaceted story because New York does not have a single Chinatown, it has three major ones and a handful of smaller ones. Manhattan has one along Canal St, Brooklyn has 8th Ave Chinatown, and of course there is Flushing out in Queens on the end of the 7 Train, plus smaller ones in Elmhurst/Bensonhurst and others. Flushing is still packed to kingdom come on weekends with people looking for good eats and good times.

[@maggiechan33]

And your mayor is Taiwanese-American.

[@therealpinoyhapa]

What they should teach n the schools is the fact that Chinese American experienced much discrimination and pain. There is almost a hidden history of Asian Americans. For example, if not for Chinese railroad workers, the rail system connecting cities would not have existed and the rich diversity of food and culture would not be seen in the Chinatowns across the globe. Sadly, this has lost meaning and is now considered antiquated.

[@alfazulu6515]

Asia is more than china, mate or do you subscribe to the notion china is the middle kingdom?

[@peekaboopeekaboo1165]

​@@alfazulu6515 Chinese railroad workers

[@gwatt9239]

So we’re suppose to ignore the black slaves the railroad companies owned 🤔.

[@tys1646]

When was the last time you went to school in the 80s?😂😂😂

[@metsrus]

Chinese were more oppressed in their main homeland than even in America. China doesn't exactly have the best track record on human rights.

[@Basta11]

Another problem is that ChinaTowns are not really allowed to be built as they use to before. A Chinese immigrant use to be able to live in a ChinaTown, work at a restaurant and live upstairs in an apartment. Today's newer immigrant communities can't do that because zoning has separated the living area from the business area. You need a car just to get to work, and that is really difficult if you are just starting out.

[@Twestliw]

Go back to China then it’s fun over there I hear

[@mathewlee5712]

Sadly, I see the same issue in Vancouver and Montréal. Québec City's Chinatown has pretty much been wiped out except for one restaurant remaining.

[@andrepoiy1199]

I would say that Montreal's Chinatown is pretty alive and well. Vancouver's though is now almost an extension of Downtown Eastside. The real Chinatown is Richmond, BC.

[@Blaze6432]

​@andrepoiy1199 I was going to say, they don't need a chinatown, they have Richmond. I think Chinatowns generally preserve more than just people but it's more about the esthetic and architecture. Richmond has a ton of Chinese people but it's not really that much esthetically Chinese.

[@mathewlee5712]

@@andrepoiy1199 Unfortunately, Chinatown in Montréal has regressed over the decades. When they built Place des arts back in the 60's, Complexe Desjardins in the 70's, and Complexe Guy Favreau in the 80's, it really shrunk the size of Chinatown. There's hardly any Chinese people that live in Chinatown anymore. Clark street looks sadly abandonned.

[@stevenchow408]

@@Blaze6432 no character in the burbs

[@eliseshen7344]

I would say the real Chinatown in Great Vancouver Area is Richmond...

[@amyt2400]

It’s important to note that Chinatowns in the U.S. sprang up because of anti-Chinese racism, and because of laws that prevented assimilation. This discrimination started in the West (San Francisco) in the 1850’s when many Chinese people arrived as a part of the Gold Rush and to build the train tracks. Life became even harder for this group with the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. Please read about that. What fascinates me is that now, so many people are perhaps “over assimilated” and wish that they could reconnect to their roots and in a way “self segregate” (for lack of a far better term) In a way, I get it. In the case of the Chinese, Blacks and Jews, it was ironically the need for each group band itself together in district neighborhoods that helped prevent “over-assimilation”. Read about the once thriving neighborhoods of Atlantic City,,NJ that were historically Black. They were filled with prosperous locally owned businesses! And despite the restrictions regarding which beach area they couldn’t attend, the community was cohesive and had great pride. Today we all run to get DNA tests and do genealogy searches to find out who we really are. It’s a phenomenon and it fascinates me.

[@ciello___8307]

Now, theres no need to settle in a chinatown, or little tokyo, or little italy… people can move or open business anywhere. Thats why the enclaves change

[@creativefantasybox2462]

This Towns Harbor alot of Foreign Spies, undocumented immigrants and Crimes like illegal Prostitutes, Animal, Human and Organ Trafficking.

[@maggiechan33]

@@ciello___8307 Most immigrants DON'T have the capital to open businesses, right after arriving in the States.

[@dannychu2014]

I can still remember growing up as a kid in around Chinatown in Los Angeles. It was the center of my childhood. So much happy memories there. I hope I can help contribute to the revitalization of Chinatown someday.

[@nintenmetro]

As a fellow Angelino, I really hope you can and wish you all the absolute best. Our Chinatown has practically become a ghost town, and now they wanna build a gondola for the Dodgers Stadium which is definitely something I don’t approve. I’ve been to the one in San Francisco, and they’re bustling by comparison. Maybe we can learn a thing or two from our upstate brethren.

[@linlin-hb6qr]

你们好棒，谢谢为文化的传承努力。好羡慕美国有Chinatown

[@stevenlouie6922]

You can go back to give them some business. My mother is mad, because it's dangerous at night. The thing is , it's now taken over by non-chinese business. I just went there for Howling Ray's

[@blackpanthar906]

I think Chinatown is a cultural centre, it must be preserved, we have grown up seeing it in movies, and cartoons, it's a different world which add to the experience of American tourism.

[@maggiechan33]

Not just "American tourism", but more so American History.

[@al821]

All chinatowns need to be preserved. The newer generation needs to pull their money together and invest in Chinatown heavily.

[@jerseypup]

D.C. Chinatown is a joke unfortunately. There are maybe 3 Chinese businesses and a pho shop. The rest are all regular American businesses with Chinese characters, probably to "placate the protesters." It's a cautionary tale of what can happen when these cultural centers are neglected. Having said that, your report falls into the typical outsider trap of only considering Manhattan when talking about NY. The "New York Chinatown" is falling with the rest of Manhattan frankly. But we have several other Chinatowns, notably Flushing and 8th Ave Brooklyn, which are thriving. To be fair, they have had their struggles too. A lot of my favorite places to eat did not survive the pandemic, but new ones have taken their place and are just as busy as their predecessors before covid. Another thing to keep in mind with NYC is locals generally avoid the Manhattan Chinatown. It's seen as the Time Square of Chinatowns. Those in the know go to the outer boroughs. Manhattan Chinatown was already on shaky ground before the pandemic as they relied on tourists and office workers, and because of that, they felt the effects of the pandemic first, harder, and longer than the others. Even some of these tourists have learned from the locals are now choosing to spend more time in Flushing than Manhattan.

[@alfazulu6515]

You sound like a banana, mate

[@sct4040]

DC Chinatown is so small, I was really surprised. Maybe 2-3 ethnic restaurants and the rest hipster bars.

[@lcc726]

Thank you nbc for shedding light on this ever growing problem of chinatowns across the country.

[@TheFlagUnit]

Americas anti China strategy was always rooted in racism

[@Thunders6381]

Chinese are super racist too though

[@tecamey]

I love my Chinatown in LA n grew up there. I go bargain hunting there all the time. But with the pandemic, so many places are closed. 😢 BTW, Chinese first came to USA for the railroad.

[@maggiechan33]

Actually we 1st came for the 1849 CA Gold Rush; when the mines dried up or when we were kicked out, we transitioned to the 1863-1869 Transcontinental Railroads.

[@stevenlouie6922]

no the few who came first was because the west needed skilled laborers. They were the best carpetners, which was to build Ships. They came here for business, but mass numbers came for gold, but used Railroad to pay for the trip. But what they found was that it is easier to make money selling goods back to China, like Shrimp, Abalone, Yellow Topaz. When they saw the Chinese getting rich from preserved seafood, the locals banned these foods. It took nearly a century before California shrimp was sold for food. And the reason the chinese exclusion act was enacted is a half a lie. Racist made one half, but Chinese were turning into the new slave through out the world. They didn't want it to happen in California , so Aboilitionist actually supported the Chinese exclusion act. The leftist professor was right, that California railroad did not constitute slaves, but other areas they were, and that includes the areas in the Greater United states. the case of Luz Maria in Japane, which was an international court, judged by Russia found Coolies were slaves.

[@kevinly171]

Love to see Chinatown being preserved 🙂

[@hhydar883]

I hope people realise how important it is to preserve these areas. Diversity is the face of this nation and without it what else are we presenting to the world? Also we need to seriously punish and address the hate being fed from everwhere against East Asians especially Chinese ppl to the general public.

[@stevenchow408]

Those who forget the passed are doom to repeat it.

[@mevans4953]

Diversity also promotes conflict, especially in its current forces form. It should happen naturally.

[@chriscain7333]

The us "promotes" diversity, but failed to manage diversity. The reality is, merica is too young of a nation, too short of a history to begin with, too naive to figure out what to do to reduce conflicts, manage interest groups and bring everyone together (truthfully).

[@antihypocrisy8978]

The violent culprits against Asians are also "diverse" faces. America was great when immigrants were predominantly from Europe.

[@stevenchow408]

@@antihypocrisy8978 come in all forms. White can be racist against other whites. Same with asians or blacks

[@houchi69]

While as a Taiwanese immigrant, I fully understand that preservation is important, as this is part of history and culture. At the same time, we also are obligated to move forward. We can't stay in the past while rest of the world around us move forward. That will never work, and would not have brought so many Asian culture into America if we kept that mind set.

[@Willxdiana]

there will be no asian culture in america very soon. they never preserve their culture and history until its too late. especially the young ones. now they are just defending the old ones from being displaced. but it will happen sooner than later

[@tecpaocelotl]

It's a bit sad seeing it shrinking and gentrification in Chinatown LA, and it was before COVID.

[@daveotuwa5596]

My sister dwells in a Chinatown. I've been to her home.🥠

[@newyorkernewjersey]

Hop Kee - the food really needs some rethinking. Lol.

[@LuckyG831]

If they need an example of what happens when an arena is built in chinatown, look at downtown Washington DC. There are little chinese people or businesses left in "Chinatown" DC.

[@bigasianLA]

How do we get in contact with some of these people. I would love to see a change in nyc Chinatown.

[@andrepoiy1199]

I think another factor is simply that a lot of Asians have made it in life and move to opulent suburbs, which are pretty far from Chinatown, meaning that they also don't frequent Chinatown that often. In addition, many of the recent immigrants (so post-1980) have different histories and have no connection to the local Chinatown at all.

[@hoyasaxa215]

I was born and raised outside Philadelphia (my immigrant parents went to Temple University in 1990 and settled after graduation). Growing up, went to Chinatown for groceries, dim sum, pickup airline tickets, and a get haircut (still loyal to my barber for 30+ years). Today, our main go-to Chinese restaurant is on the Main Line, and there are places in the suburbs to shop for groceries outside the city. The last dim sum restaurants closed in 2018. Our suburban PA friends even trekked to Edison, NJ, and Flushing, NY, on weekend day trips to get their needs. The inner city, working-class Chinatown demographics differ significantly from some post-1980s Taiwanese immigrants who live in the suburbs. I never ate a pork bun or used a chopstick in Manhattan before, as we prefer Flushing, Elmhurst, and Whitestone restaurants.

[@stevenchow408]

@hoyasaxa215 make it an adventure support nyc chinatown has alot of significant history. Like the most bloody street in America Dover street

[@hoyasaxa215]

Which one? Lower Manhattan, Sunset Park, or Flushing?

[@stevenchow408]

@hoyasaxa215 lower Manhattan Dover street.

[@kenjifong2900]

@hoyasaxa215 as a fellow Philadelphian, I would say that Chinatown would still be an essential part of the region. A lot of my friends would still go to Chinatown since stuff there is cheaper than the burbs. Sorry to hear that a lot of your suburbanite friends have to go far sometimes to get Asian essentials.

[@user-pj9iq3vd2x]

谢谢你们的报道和呼吁！

[@choco1490]

what cities need to be doing is building store fronts that r affordable to these small businesses & homes (density) to support them or make a program to help with rents to small businesses. only tourists will go to these shops if nobody lives there and when the tourists r gone, the small business suffer. that's why that lady's Chinatown was deserted, so few live there, a business cant be sustainable with such a low pop (plus cities need to move away from car dependency, nobody wants to walk around in a parking lot)

[@Henry-teach-Chinese-in-jokes]

Chinese language is concise and beautiful. I’ve spent lots of time in making many videos teaching Chinese in a humorous way. How can I reach my target audience who want to learn Chinese?

[@yadediuburekyolu8481]

Try contacting Chinese education companies in the U.S. They may be able to help you.

[@Henry-teach-Chinese-in-jokes]

@@yadediuburekyolu8481 Thanks

[@xmuta]

Are you a yellow fever white man looking for Asian girlfriends?

[@Indiansareallpajeets]

Love USA from China🇨🇳❤️💙🇺🇸

[@rileymcnair1992]

why did this video not dig deeper into why traffic is down in chinatowns across america

[@scionchamp]

Vicky...i really miss these segments from you.

[@catmi3068]

I hate to say some of the younger generation does not want to be associated with Chinatown at all. They feel that they are American born and don’t need Chinatown. Here in SF, once a sale of the building the cost of renting will be expensive. If the property tax continues to raise it will be hard for small businesses to survive. Every a new business opens the price will definitely be higher regardless of restaurants or grocery stores. If the price is the same as my own neighborhood why should go buy groceries in Chinatown and have to carry the food by bus. During the pandemic I worked at home and started to do my groceries in my neighborhood. These stores are still own by Chinese owners. Sometimes I call it the 3rd Chinatown of SF which is a mini version of SF famous Chinatown where tourists would visit. I do hope all Chinatown will survive years to come. Our younger generation needs to understand the importance of Chinatown.

[@kaze987]

Same in Toronto. My family and I used to go down to Chinatown every Sunday no exceptions by order of my grandfather haha. Now the TO Chinatown will do just fine as the University of Toronto is right next door and students always need stuff cheap like rent, groceries, bars and food. But there are dozens of Asian malls scattered throughout Toronto and its suburbs. Easier to go there and you're right, they are still Asian-owned stores. It is a tough problem to solve. Practicality vs nostalgia vs gentrification vs aging senior residents vs apathy.

[@stevenchow408]

​@@kaze987redevelopment never works. It just get recycled

[@parrotcracker6629]

@@kaze987 Me and my family would go to SF Chinatown almost every weekend when I was a kid as well! We'd go for dim sum, groceries, and the pastries. There was also this exotic fish pet store my dad liked to go to to buy some fancy goldfish and my mom would go for the Asian dramas that were, probably illegally recorded........that they sold in some shops. This was back in the 90s and early 2000s.

[@kaze987]

@@parrotcracker6629 Oh they were definitely illegally recorded LOL but sometimes great quality and subititled! Score!

[@peppadog6606]

Chinatown in Portland, Oregon is for homeless.

[@irvingchu6797]

Wing Luke Museum in Seattles Chinatown is great. The plan for the light rail station is bleak for the Chinatown community. Some options close down streets for 10 years!

[@bigasianLA]

Love to get a committee together to change the welcome booth in nyc Chinatown.

[@kevinmanan1304]

I do enjoy going to chinatown. Everywhere else in America is bland, boring, & more or less the same. It's a nice escape from the normal grind of the city.

[@WindFireAllThatKindOfThing]

I heard there was Big Trouble....

[@oskarngo9138]

... the Asian-Big-Foot monster is still on Jack’s truck...

[@bangkok1817]

As The Most Asian Man in the World, I love going to Sounders games and then get slammed off Boiling Point and taking the light rail back home.

[@kaze987]

I acknowledge you, sir!

[@bingzhang931]

I was in New York Chinatown many years ago, and my impression was very bad. Watching this video now, the impression has changed a bit. Chinatown in Yokohama, Japan (said it is the largest in Asia), looks like this: kzbin.info/www/bejne/poqWont7e5h6odE

[@ranx9078]

Now days most Asian Americans are upper middle class now. No longer the enclaves of new low income immigrants.

[@CrimsonAlchemist]

The local government is not willing to invest, clean up or dumping other stuff is true

[@vakkachan1]

I'm INDIAN, but I LOVE VISITING THESE UNIQUE PLACES IN AMERICA, WHTHER THEY BE POLISH, UKRANIAN, GREEK, HISPANIC COMMUNITIES OR CHINESE, THERE'S SO MUCH CULTURE. IF YOU'RE IN CHICAGO, THE AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURE IS ALSO SO RICH, BUT UNFORTUNATELY THE BLACK SIDE OF TOWN IS ABANDONED, THEY DON'T EVEN HAVE PUBLIC RESTROMS AND THE HOMELESS ARE PRETTY MUCH CRAPPING ON THEMSELVES. IF I HAD MONEY AND LAND I WOULD PRETTY MUCH BUILD AT LEAST PUBLIC RESTROOMS SO PEOPLE OF THE CITY COULD RELIEVE THEMSELVES, BECAUSE THE PRIVATE ESTABLISHMENTS ALL HAVE RESTROOMS FOR THEIR PATRONS THAT ARE LOCKED, INACCESSIBLE TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC, SURPRISED THAT ALL THESE YEARS NOBODY CARED ABOUT THIS.

[@windsong3wong828]

Chinatown around the world is in decline and in extinction mode. The Chinese population is going mainstream. Should Chinatown be preserved? Interesting question.

[@alfazulu6515]

What is main stream, mate? Why does Chinese need chinatown when there is china the real thing, mate?

[@scchua1720]

I think most Chinese culture and east asian culture has been destroyed over the past decade by their evil government. The only place preserving east asian culture is probably Southeast Asia country, Japan and Korea. It is sad to see the decline of one of the oldest east culture.

[@mic1240]

Chicago’s is booming

[@desmondkwang5945]

Chinatown is a relic of the past when Asian immigrants who failed to be assimilated into the mainstream hold themselves up. The more they isolate themsleves, the more they develop apart of the the society at large. It is not a loss, it's progress to see these places gone.

[@maggiechan33]

WRONG !!! Not "failed to assimilate", but WERE PREVENTED from it, bc of bigotry ! Even though 80% of the Pacific Central Railroad were Chinese, specifically Toisanese, we were still ostracized. During the dreadful 1871 LA Massacre, 19 Chinese men were lynched, the largest lynching in US history. It you want to be a banana, fine, but don't go around dispaarging Chinatowns. I am very proud of my Toisanese roots, + I am a physician.

[@maggiechan33]

Tere is a white lady, a KZbinr "Adventure Mom Life", whom understand Chinatown/s infinitely better than you.

[@desmondkwang5945]

@@maggiechan33 That it takes a white lady to understand Chinatown shows how badly the Chinese in Chinatown have isolated themselves from the general mainstream population. A bit like how white people in Brazil and Africa uncover and document the lives of the native Indians and Africans. The Chinese there must be so much like these people - a subject of somebody's study. How humiliating.

[@ApproachingPerfection]

@@maggiechan33over 100 years ago? Get over it.

[@maggiechan33]

@@ApproachingPerfection NOT over 100 yrs ago, I will NOT "get over" the bigotry and there isn't anything you can do about it.

[@cad5000]

This video sort of bothers me. I understand the need for people to hold on to their heritage, I just wish nbc news could have done a piece on how my people where displaced due to real estate investors and gentrification 😢

[@Joe1000Cool]

I'm from northern VA and I love Chinatown

[@nnf9431]

Chinatowns in North America are awesome and should be preserved!!!

[@ApproachingPerfection]

I disagree

[@stevenchow408]

I support ng and amy

[@angelachanellehuang5663]

You gotta have the chinatowns

[@pleanne8376]

Now thinking about it, the Chinatown i've been to in boston and philly are close to homeless shelters. That's so despicable! i'd rather move to Canada whom has more respect for the Chinese culture.

[@AliasHSW]

SF Chinatown is dying..because the property owner which are the benevolent associations are taking CT for granted for sure and unwilling and slow to do tenant improvements and assist in business development with the young guns entrepreneurs

[@warrior5203]

There are no Irish town nor Italian town!

[@thesypno]

I understand the need to preserve these streets for cultural impact, but at least here in Los Angeles, the decline of Chinatown is actually a positive sign for Asian integration in my opinion. What I mean by that is with the migration of Asians from one or two streets out into suburban cities, there are now many large populations of cities with significant Chinese influence. Alhambra, Diamond Bar, Hacienda Heights, Arcadia, Rosemead, Monterey Park, just to name a few. And those really are just a few as the Chinese population has dispersed throughout Los Angeles County where you can find pockets that look like a Chinatown street in every city. I find this to actually be more inclusive to American and Los Angeles culture than just a centralized section of DTLA. I was born to immigrant parents and grandparents who did have their lives centered around Chinatown before moving to the suburbs in the 60s. The sad reality is that none of them really need a Chinatown now as they get the community from other sources. Chinatown is just a form of nostalgia for them now.

[@ApproachingPerfection]

If you come to America you should want to be American and integrate not the opposite, same goes for all the Hispanics who have been here 40+ years and can’t speak English. It’s low class

[@maggiechan33]

Chinatowns are living history of the Chinese-American (+ others) Experience; they must be protected and preserved. Power to Betty Lau + Brian Chow !!! Amy Chen Lozano is absolutely correct; she should run for City Council.

[@davidchen7342]

The 76ers organization already drove out the Greyhound station to 6th and market street. They’re definitely going to drive out everyone out of Chinatown if this proposal goes through. #noarenainchinatown

[@RR-lt8cm]

I hope Chinatown survive. At the same time, I blame the community for selling out the community as whole to benefit themselves, especially those who are supposed to represent the community. Like Margaret Chin and many others

[@challenger516]

You seriously think a few people run the entire city LOL

[@RR-lt8cm]

@@challenger516 I’m not gonna argue w someone who has no idea who is representing the neighborhood of Chinatown rn. All I’m saying she has been in power since the 90s and hasn’t done anything for the nyc Chinatown and others who are representing the community, also hasn’t done anything either

[@georgesharkey9119]

Chinatown in NYC died with the demise of the garment industry

[@batt3199]

Chinatowns are disintegrating because there are not enough new immigrants from China who need Chinatown. Chinatown is really for people who don't speak English. Today's Chinese immigrants are rich, educated and understand English, so they can live and dine anywhere . There is no need to depend on Chinatown.

[@maggiechan33]

Not necessarily true. Presently there are less Cantonese immigrants, but there still are Mandarin-speaking ones, leading to couple of more recent Chinatowns in Queens, NY + Brooklyn.

[@stevenlouie6922]

no, China is still one of our largest source of immigrants. they aren't the same people that built Chinatown. Like maggie said, less Cantonese, and More mandarin. It is more complicated than that, but Mandarins do not have the same respect as those in the south has.

[@Sartorius988]

As a Asian-Canadian I say we should rebuild these chinatowns with new condos and new restaurants, these chinatown buildings are all falling apart and they are sitting on prime real estate.

[@ganymedehedgehog371]

So…gentrification?

[@particle4005]

I can't help laughing. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣☝️ 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣☝️

[@rongeorge574]

So they are proposing race based zoning?

[@kprime2314]

There isn’t any systemic problem these people need to stop playing victim and work harder to preserve their communities. Asking the government for handouts is pathetic. Pull yourself up by your boots straps and stop being lazy.

[@maggiechan33]

"Stop playing victim" + "asking for gov'mt" handouts" are extremely rich from a black guy.

[@stevenlouie6922]

Yes, it is. Los Angeles is gerrymandering the city so Asians lack representation. They take away police so no one wants to be there. In San Francisco, atleast a group of Chinese are trying to reclaim it. They manage to kick out racist school board members and DA, who outright have been caught saying racist tstuff against Asians, and try to run for city council, but they refuse to let the leader run .

[@WilliamFromPenn]

Error. The map shows a Chinatown in Pittsburgh PA but there isn't one there. Never has been. You oughta double check your sources

[@waltchan]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinatown_(Pittsburgh)

[@stevenchow408]

Yes there one but only couple of blocks

[@MusicStillRules]

preservation is needed so brandon’s documents can remain unharmed

[@tys1646]

What😂😂😂

[@bubujibujibuji958]

If don't no how to speak Chinese language go Chinatown registration tuition class guarantee you will improving 😂😂😂😂

[@jacktran7024]

chinatown in beijing is doin great

[@kenyup7936]

I saw the culture shock dude, in China protest is not a thing , in America it’s another cases, no offense to American ppl

[@scchua1720]

I think it has to do with their culture. East Asian often more reserved in politics. They distance themselves from politics and focus on business and academic. When you see east asian ppl protest it often meant they might not able to survive another month. It's often too late to do anything to help and so their voice never reach the public.

[@carlchen7948]

LULW It's not ChinaTown. It's Canton Town or Fujian Town

[@Halcon_Sierreno]

Is the CCP going to view those Chinatowns as "ancient Chinese territory"?

[@Thunders6381]

The one in philly needs to be shut down. Between the shady massage parlors and the roaches in the resturants. Also I saw one guy cleaning his walls with water in a wok he was cooking out of. Not to mention the shady business practices. Places get shut down then open up a week later. Burn it down

[@maggiechan33]

If Philly's Chinatown irritates you immensely, you have the option of avoiding the area. Disgusting + hateful of you to post, "Burn it down".

[@sammyhamawi6407]

Justin bieber of hong kong on youtube

[@jarrodyuki7081]

The som and the holy spiritual intp!!!!!!!!

[@qake2021]

👏👏👏😃👍👍👍✌️

[@vihuynh3813]

Whenever I go to Chinatown in U.S, SINGAPORE, or other countries, the street is always very dirty.

[@lionelwong5842]

I hope China can open its door wide to receive back all overseas Chinese facing increasing dangers, racial discrimination and social injustice. There's still much land space in China that can be developed into many more major cities. Why not build one for overseas Chinese. And they can contribute richly to China with their language skills, talents, experience in foreign countries. Many of them are rich and highly educated and China could offer great opportunities to grow. Reverse migration back to China should be encouraged. And it's already happening in many countries.

[@edgarlara2411]

I’m sorry but the person in the black suit with his phone is very disrespectful

[@RaymondHng]

Timecode?

[@petesmitt]

@@RaymondHng 5:41 if he means this guy, that's not being disrespectful.

[@RaymondHng]

@@petesmitt That is random B-roll that was edited into the timeline to provide a visual for the voice over. There's usually one camera recording these events. First, B=roll of the public speaking their comments in front of the council is taped. Then B-roll of the council members listening to public comments is taped. The two different shots taken at two different times are then edited into the timeline. The assembly of the two clips adjacent to each other on the timeline only gives the illusion via the Kuleshov effect that they were shot simultaneously when, in fact, they were not. So that council member checking his phone may not have been actually doing it during the public's comments.

[@waterboi772]

I don’t live far from Chinatown here in NYC. That area is very disgusting over here.

[@maggiechan33]

It is a working class community - far from "disgusting". It is safer than many neighborhoods in NYC; criminal elements are usually outsiders, + homeless people the mayor won't manage.

[@waterboi772]

@@maggiechan33 No, it is disgusting

[@maggiechan33]

@@waterboi772 That is just your biased opinion. I grew up near Manhattan's Chinatown; I would much rather live in Chinatown, than the nearby crime-ridden Alfred E Smith Project, where I had resided, then + now. Seems like you can't think of a synonym for "disgusting".

[@waterboi772]

I live in the fiDi area. Trust me when I say, my neighborhood is not disgusting like Chinatown. The smell, garbage & the rats are tremendous that area @@maggiechan33

[@maggiechan33]

@@waterboi772 It is highly ridiculous of you to write, "Trust me...", when obviously you are prejudiced. For a NYC resident, you are quite naive, to be ignorant that there are rats in many NY neighborhoods. You definitely need a thesaurus for "disgusting".

[@user-vj2ng5el9r]

Everything gets gentrified.

[@lujiang2390]

Next chinese Exclusion act 2024.

[@frikandelkroket9335]

Pokkai again after so many years.

[@maggiechan33]

Hong Konger ?

[@sct4040]

Don’t they pay taxes too? Equal treatments for all minority neighborhoods. The demise of the traditional Chinatown in a way is positive. The younger generation, don’t feel the need to stay together in a low income area. They are doing better financially and have spread their wings to the outer boroughs, Long Island, Westchester, etc. Also, many young Chinese have intermarried outside of their ethnicity and now live in more diverse neighborhoods.

[@stylesva3469]

Man, I'm just glad I'm WOKE enough to learn about and appreciate another American culture different from my own. Great report.

[@user-vj2ng5el9r]

Woke is sponsored by the left and a disease rooted in CRT

[@teole6364]

Appreciate other cultures is great. Being Woke is annoying

[@sct4040]

You don’t need to be woke to appreciate another ethnicity.

[@Damndrrtyapes]

OP uhh really? So “appreciating” another culture is part of your leftist costume?

[@lapidaryland]

Here's some culture we can say no too.

[@maggiechan33]

Like your own.

[@lapidaryland]

@@maggiechan33 Covid Americans

[@maggiechan33]

@@lapidaryland You are a perfect example of the racist individuals alluded to in this video. Not surprised you are completely ignorant that most US Covid cases came from Europe, esp Britain.

[@lapidaryland]

@@maggiechan33 Mine are American. Not Chinese, maybe china wants to protect your American culture?

[@maggiechan33]

@@lapidaryland Whatever your "culture" is, it came to North America after the original Americans: Native Americans, whom came to this continent from northern China, approx 20,000 yrs ago. Therefore, as a Chinese-American, I have more of a right to be here than you. Furthermore, your people are the ones that genocided the Native Americans + stole their/our land.

[@Tan92lfc]

I live in London for past 1 year, I have not pay Chinatown a visit.

[@stevenchow408]

Maybe you should

[@jarrodyuki7081]

Istj estj istp estps!!!!!!!!!

[@jarrodyuki7081]

Istj estj istp estp!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@alfonsodacullo3040]

Where's human rights 😂

[@john_wick1]

real problem is even Chinese don't invest in Chinatown or keep it clean

[@mrj0hnster]

Is that true or is that your perception?

[@Steven-xf8mz]

Most people spending money there aren't the local. The city needs to manage better, that's what taxes are for. The stores have liability inside their premises and their store front. The city needs to allocate bigger bucks to keep those parts clean and maintained. if it is busy enough, then there is money in it to improve it. If it's busy enough and not enough money then tax auditors need to show up. If city is collecting a lot and don't spend there, then free market will do what it gonna do.

[@maggiechan33]

@@mrj0hnster Definitely his flawed perception.

[@douglaslee6324]

Oversea Chinese have no interest in politics, only making money. This costs them dearly.

[@lung21]

Agree, but so many haters. A lot of Asian got some kind of discrimination.

[@maggiechan33]

There always are exceptions to any generalization: Andrew Yang, Michelle Wu + all the Chinese- Americans in Congress.

[@lung21]

@@maggiechan33 this is about the percentage. However, ppl like to amplify the 1% of people and talking like they are the major group. In fact, most of Chinese is not interested in the politic.

[@maggiechan33]

@@lung21 You just can't tolerate being corrected; if you are smart, you would not write blanket statements.

[@lung21]

@@maggiechan33 did u see what I said? I said” a lot of people “not “all the people” You are so smart. Read carefully before u reply.

[@ryanphung7734]

Can we just as a collective pack all our things up and move back to Asia or Australia lol !!

[@CarolineKitchen-jd3cg]

Chinerica with Ameritown is where we're headed.

[@thequokkahaslanded321]

Since without those people we wouldn't have had our trains... I'm for it. Ooops here's your entitlement card Karen

[@maggiechan33]

It will be an improvement over the present crime-riddened, ramdon mass shooting, drug fulled USA.

[@angelachanellehuang5663]

Immigration

[@United-States-of-Africa]

Remember to hold your pets tight when u in China town

[@Thunders6381]

🤣

[@maggiechan33]

Racist, + you are probably black. Because of your ignorance, you need to know that China is helping more African countries, than your own nation.

[@zoneman168]

Just can’t stop yourself from making a racist comment

[@United-States-of-Africa]

@@zoneman168 come on its true

[@maggiechan33]

@@United-States-of-Africa It is ONLY "true" in your bigoted mind.

[@user-lj3qu8dt7g]

It's not Asian hate 🙄it's Chinese hate😏

[@DearBill]

They’re not responsible. And sometimes both Biden and Jingping governments exaggerating the issues.

[@haha1737]

because most of the Chinese stores require cash only, not tax no maintenance!

[@thequokkahaslanded321]

Did you come to complain? After coming to America and taking it from native Americans? Move on

[@episode6691]

@@thequokkahaslanded321 native americans didn't need the land anyways nor did they ever own the land. Savages who killed each other don't deserve an opinion or pity.

[@BM-qg7hl]

Chinese culture is beautiful. But it doesn’t have to exist in USA. Just like we don’t have American town in China.

[@sts265]

True Chinese culture has been wiped from China by the communists. Places where it is preserved, like in Taiwan and other small pockets internationally via diaspora should be preserved!

[@creativefantasybox2462]

This Towns Harbor alot of Foreign Spies, undocumented immigrants and Crimes like illegal Prostitutes, Animal, Human and Organ Trafficking.

[@maggiechan33]

The US is a nation of immigrants, not China.

[@Aaa-ct4xb]

What ?

[@harchuspam3698]

All these Chinatown all over North America. Look and act the same as 50 years ago. Very little has changed over the year. The new Asian area are all in the suburbs of all these major cities. They are doing better than ever with strong connection to Asian. Stop looking to the government to save you. People will come to the area when their something to come to.

[@conradtrinh6470]

Chinese American or immigrants learn to know they live in new land new country among new people new culture so embrace other too instead hide in Chinatown make living know nothing else that give impression foreigner immigrants outsider spy terrorists traitor. I'm Chinese American I'm proud my heritage culture but same time learn English embrace all culture civilization people too. Chinatown look like it's just scoop up town from China seem no connection they live in America at all. Chinese American careless about politics stand up speak up fight up racist just make money along they're so shy scare square stiff silly stupidd serious shameful small with jinky eyes so make them look alien n easy prey to pick on.

[@stevenchow408]

Nope they should support their community instead of selling out .

[@scchua1720]

I do think they have the responsibility to raise the next generation to appreciate their culture in the first place. However the local government should at least keep the town clean.

[@stevenchow408]

@scchua1720 they been anericanized and only buy corporate labels. They never know the hardship their parents went through.

[@tanjongmalim6869]

There is no such thing as Russian Town, Italian Town, Korean Town, Indian Town.... Why Chinese must make themselves the odd one out? There should not have a China Town deliberately. It is causing so much problem for the Chinese to integrate with the new country that wanted to live their life.

[@sts265]

There are... what are you smoking?

[@tanjongmalim6869]

@@sts265 am I smoking or are you being silly is not the argument here. There is NO such places like so call China Town decoration or set up other national or races.

[@andrepoiy1199]

@@tanjongmalim6869 in Toronto there's Koreatown, India Bazaar, Little Italy, Little Portugal, Greektown, in addition to Chinatown...

[@sts265]

@@tanjongmalim6869 so now decorations are the difference? NYC alone has ethnic enclaves for every single one of the groups you mentioned. Especially if you look in queens and Brooklyn.

[@tanjongmalim6869]

@@sts265 ha ha ha ... please... there are more then just meet the eyes in Chinatown superficial surface.

[@GnomeChomsky9999]

Where else is the freeway going to go? Looks at the geography instead of promoting conspiracies.

[@martinabellamy9944]

If you look at history they alway put freeway or construction projects in thriving POC neighborhoods before going to white neighborhoods.

[@maggiechan33]

The freeway should go through the homes of the people whom will drive on it.