Chinatowns across the country struggle to stay afloat post-pandemic

[@jayh6900]

Chinatown isn't necessarily going away completely, many Chinese businesses have moved into suburbs and have created new "Asian" commercial clusters.

[@luckarl]

But the authenticity is gone.

[@mehrdadb4731]

That’s not a Chinatown

[@ahriboy]

​@@luckarlI hope Chinese American cuisine wouldn't fade faster

[@geoffoakland]

True, and not only suburbs but other parts of NYC, Brooklyn, Queens. So no need to take the subway into Manhattan if you live in one of these boroughs. San Francisco also has several Chinatowns.

[@GingerBeer-s6v]

Just say Chinese. Not all Asian are Chinese. Chinese doesn’t represent other Asian.

[@P31B]

1) compare Chinatown restaurants to restaurants in general since the pandemic. Restaurant industry is already a high failure rate industry. Pandemic made it worse 2) Chinatown’s often are in big cities, which in general lost foot traffic. Can blame that on remote work, the higher crime rates, etc. see if the drop in foot traffic is comparable to the drop in the city 3) newer Chinese immigrants are not attracted to “Chinatowns.” As chinatowns are generally more Cantonese in culture and represent more of what China was decades ago before the country’s modern development. Chinese people coming to the US now are primarily not as Cantonese and prefer more modern dining, shopping and social experiences. That said there are many Chinese dominated cities or neighborhoods within the US with mandarin signs, or other social hubs with modern cuisines they’ll flock to. In general, the world changes.

[@okwatever3582]

Agreed. Many Chinese friends of mine are not from the south now, many of them are from other parts of China, and they feel like newer restaurants outside of Chinatown are better and more suitable to their taste

[@guysovereign]

What a thorough analysis!

[@kevx12172002]

​@@TruthTeller8888they eat possums and roadkill. Still marry them cousins.😂

[@honkhonk8009]

Also newer chinese immigrants dont exactly want chinese food when their going out unless its some insane 5-star stuff. They would rather try out different food from other cultures. Something different.

[@josedrivera]

Flushing, NY

[@CaliforniaCantonese]

I hope our Old Chinatowns are able to thrive, many are here for more than a century and a half!

[@why_are_you_gae6729]

Hopefully “Chinatowns” can be separated into “HongKongtowns” “ToisanTowns” “HakkaTowns” “TaiwanTowns”

[@ap774]

It’s because most young Asians have moved to the suburbs. LA’s Chinatown was only meant to be a steeping stone, a place to raise your kids so they can go to a Ivy League school then move the family to affluent places like San Marino, Arcadia, Diamond Bar, and Irvine. All of these places have large Asian shopping centers so there’s just no need to go back.

[@RONderluck]

Not true at all.

[@gregegg-ef1kl]

unfortunately true

[@erickn7985]

Yes Exactly my roommate in college grew up in LA Chinatown but right before highschool his family moved to San Marino. He said it was the best decision that his family did for his him and his sisters

[@Botanicalguy91]

True probably only for Los Angeles.

[@johnnytran800]

Lol @ LA Chinatown

[@ericp1139]

Chinatowns are from a bygone era, when Chinese faced discrimination and had no choice but to be forced into them, because they were banned from everywhere else. People have more options today.

[@juniormint3136]

So by that rationale, Americans aren't as racist as NBC news would like us to believe.

[@Baiyoubai]

As a Chinese American I don't go to the old Chinatowns that often anymore. Finding a parking spot is always a challenge, I can easily get Asian stuff online at cheaper prices, and there are newer satellite Chinatowns with much more updated restaurants and grocery stores.

[@LR-mh8hs]

Support local businesses. I boycott amazon for this reason.

[@sparks1792]

This is the real answer lol. People make it over complicated. Amazon and business like that have been killing small businesses for years. Covid just hit the acceleration button on it

[@Baiyoubai]

@ As much as reasonable

[@tdhtran]

@@LR-mh8hs I have to agree.

[@anttycoon]

Parking is extremely difficult at Chinatown with its tight narrow streets. At Koreatown, you can park after 6pm. At Chinatown, you need to wait till 9pm or 10pm. All Chinese stores close too early, either because of crimes against Asians, either Blacks pushes Chinese off Subway platforms, or Blacks punching elderly Chinese women in the face, in the head for no reason.

[@smol-honk]

Seattle had abandoned their Chinatown & international district to drug addicts. Just look at little Saigon, they had to close bus stops due to danger.

[@Drownedinblood]

I have a theory that Seattle was a model that all other major cities have now followed. Basically push criminals/homeless/drug addicts into Chinatowns and Koreatowns as containment centers. If they complain, say they are racist since often times it'll be a Black homeless/drug addict that does something terrible to an Asian person.

[@ianfink2751]

That's Seattle as a whole, lived near u district for over two years and saw no change to fight the addicts or make thing safer, no wonder a bus driver was stabbed to death last week

[@jes6161]

I'm from Seattle - I agree. I miss going to HoneyCourt at 1AM, but with the drug addicts and homelessness, thats an impossible idea these days.

[@ST-rj8iu]

Closing at 7:30pm versus 12am? Could it be the crime and fear of violence by the owners and customers? 🤔

[@nelsonta00]

Its actually normal to close by 8pm for chinese folks.

[@nelsonta00]

my neighborhood is really quiet by 8pm.

[@steveh5882]

@@nelsonta00 Normal now, but back in the 80s and 90s, most the Chinese restaurants were open till 12am to 2 am in my area. Even at 1 am, the restaurants were packed. There was a busy night life. This same neighborhood now has restaurants closing by 10 pm. Times have changed.

[@veganpotterthevegan]

​@@nelsonta00 no chinese places have closed that early in any of the 9 or 10 cities I've lived in the US. I'm in Salt Lake now. Everything closes early here...except chinese restaurants and pizza places. Some chinese restaurants are closing at 10 now. It'll probably spread to the rest.

[@mikestewart4752]

In China, you need chainmail armour. It’s real stabby over there

[@CaitliParker]

We had Chinese food this night. It was so good. The owners and staff allows are very nice, polite, and so thoughtful. We love our friends there.

[@pnthrillz]

Hope they dont serve u weird meat

[@TruthTeller8888]

@CaitliParker I ate one time by mistake.. food was gross .. staff rude as 💩

[@CaitliParker]

@TruthTeller8888 I wish you had a better experience. I have eaten at places that were tauted as great and found them to be awful. This restaurant I went to is predictable. The food tastes the same way as all the other dishes. I was just glad it was a peaceful Christmas.

[@TruthTeller8888]

@ yeah .. I stay away from China town

[@rhenry212]

Yep but idiotic NYkers decided to vote for congestion pricing. Now even less foot traffic

[@pwu8194]

I see home prices in Austin, Texas, that went from $350K to $1.2 million in just 4 years. If that's on rental property, you can imaging property tax and property insurance triple, and while costs triple in 4 years, you can't triple prices of your goods in 4 years.

[@guybeingaguy]

I usually make the miter cut at 45 degrees. If you preheat the oven the canckerdowel is not needed. Unless it’s a cross point stick. That requires squirrels to enter or float into. Disregard the tree and sparkles 👍 We get it 🇺🇸

[@TwisterTornado]

​@@guybeingaguy So, you are a bot? A Russian bot?

[@honkhonk8009]

Lol try canada. $400k to $3M in 4 years. Its brainrot here

[@TwisterTornado]

@@guybeingaguy bot? Russian bot?

[@alexwilsonpottery3733]

Well obviously some have.

[@Placebo___]

demographics shifted just like what happen to little Italy

[@Legoman69469]

Now you are gonna see Little Venezuelas pop up everywhere.

[@TruthTeller8888]

@@Placebo___ for good.. we don’t need more drone pilots 😅

[@CharlieCharlie88]

@@TruthTeller8888it’s sad how much propaganda you eat up

[@kennytam9514]

I met a chinese-american couple vacationing in China in April 2024. They live close to SF, about a half hour drive from SF Chinatown. They said they won't go to SF Chinatown as they don't feel safe.

[@stevenchow408]

To Bad has such historical significance

[@fixedit8689]

I live outside San Francisco in the East Bay. I go into Chinatown about once every two years or so to get some good pastries and such. It has changed a lot but in reality, what has changed is the tourist trap area such as Grant Avenue. Go deeper and up to Stockton and that’s where all the Asians do their groceries. Get off the main area and the side streets and “see” Chinatown. Look up and “see” Chinatown. Truth be told, it’s a ghetto, but it’s a ghetto where my childhood memories are rooted though I never lived there. As far as the crime, I never feared the crime.

[@michael1190]

The video makes no mention of the crime in these Chinatowns. Honolulu's Chinatown is no different.

[@michaelmolina5742]

Same with portland. All the homeless and addicts hang out in Chinatown

[@Max-zv8hm]

found the republican bot

[@Patrick-yh5yd]

This station never digs into the truth.

[@kc_1018]

A lot of Asians like myself live in the suburbs and many of these traditional Chinatowns are located deep in urban centers. I'm not going to drive and hour into the city and go to Chinatown, instead I can go to many of these ethnic enclaves (Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, mix) shopping centers in the suburbs. The area is nicer, clean, more variety in food, and you don't have to worry about crime.

[@Drownedinblood]

And why are you moving out there and not developing Chinatown? How does a neighborhood grow? You want your kid to grow up around white kids that are going to other them and make them self hate thinking they are wrong?

[@veganpotterthevegan]

@@kc_1018 it's definitely not the same everywhere. But crime is big cities is often lower when you account for crime relative to population.

[@patrickp8315]

and also easy parking

[@LR-mh8hs]

We waited for over an hour for our Chinese food (our Christmas dinner). There was a long line of people at the door, some calling, and some ordering on line, but it was totally worth the wait.

[@s3cr3tpassword]

The American dream happened. the immigrant parents came, worked hard, kids studied hard got fancy degrees, great jobs, and moved their parents into the suburbs with them.

[@HeatherLewis213]

I don't know how accurate this is. Every Chinatown I visit in the Western world is like the most packed section of the city from London to LA. Everyone loves Chinatown, not just for the food, but the buzz, atmosphere, culture, cheap shopping etc. It's a definite popular destination for everyone in any major city that has one.

[@schadenfreude6274]

Only for people who eat Dogs. Forgetting where Covid came from eh? 🙂

[@ponuni]

Chinatown is following the way of Little Italy. The Chinese will move to the suburbs like the Italians did and then Chinatown will become a tourist spot which it is already becoming. The Chinese in NYC used to depend on Chinatown to hook them up with employment but that is no longer needed because now that's being done online through apps. The relevance of Chinatown is becoming less and less as new immigrants depend on it less and less. The kids of these Chinese immigrants also got older and they want to move to the outer boroughs or a nice suburb in Jersey or Long Island.

[@everything-is-everything]

In Chinatown in New York nothing really stood out to me or maybe there are parts I didn't see. It was kind of a letdown I was expecting it to be the best because its New York and so old. I would say from Los Angeles to Vancouver they have more of the traditional style. Toronto's Chinatown seems like more of a modern style that leads to other great places on the train ride in that direction like the free zoo.

[@ponuni]

@@everything-is-everything it's pretty much dead tbh. once the older generation passes it's up to anyone's guess what will become of it. Flushing in Queens is probably the IT Chinatown of NYC these days if we're being honest. I've been to Toronto's CT and Montreal's CT and I enjoyed Montreal's much smaller CT a lot more. It's probably the cleanest CT I've been to lol.

[@ctrl-shift-run8681]

SF Chinatown was some of my fondest childhood memories back in the 80s and 90s.

[@dreamslovesoul]

In Houston Metropolitan Area, its quite the opposite. It's gotten so big that new pockets of Chinatown has expanded to the suburbs. Places like Katy Asiatown is blowing up, while Bellaire Chinatown is still busier than ever. There's also the rapid expansion on Westheimer and a new Asiatown being developed in Pearland.

[@calvinmak2547]

Yes, but Bellaire and Houston in general does not capture the traditional Chinatown feel. Everything is a strip mall with no open air markets or an actual community that lives there. Only the store signs give it away otherwise you wouldn't know it was Chinatown.

[@dreamslovesoul]

@@calvinmak2547 sure if you only care for the visual appearance of a building, but all the cultural aspect is still there. We use to have those visuals back in the day before OG Chinatown relocated to Bellaire.

[@P31B]

@@calvinmak2547hey Calvin. If you visit China today, you’ll see mall after mall. That said, the size of our malls don’t even come close to theirs…you have to see it to understand… As for traditional architecture, in China there is some of that standing obviously but the CCP is very focused on modernizing. Unless if it is a historic neighborhood with tourists, older buildings will often be removed to make way for newer ones. I’m just saying this because I used to think like you. My gf (now wife) at the time wasn’t impressed with chinatowns at all and I couldn’t understand until I stepped into her world

[@calvinmak2547]

@@dreamslovesoul it's not exactly the same when you don't have a community that actually lives in Chinatown, which is what it traditionally was. Whether that was out of practicality or by design is another story.

[@calvinmak2547]

@@P31B That's not exactly the same because you wouldn't call it Chinatown in China, because it's just China. A big part of the Chinatown experience is when you have an actual community that lives there. It's just very different than strip malls, but I understand that in some places in the US, that is all that there is.

[@MH_6160]

The Chinatown in Las Vegas is blowing up….typical wait times even mid week can be up to 2 hours at many locations, new restaurants and stores opening up almost monthly.

[@JP-eo8xb]

Las Vegas Chinatown is honestly the biggest Chinatown I’ve ever been to. It’s unlike any-other, and more Asian-Americans are moving from California or Asian immigrants moving straight to Nevada (instead of California). Almost all of Spring Valley is essentially Chinatown now.

[@kristineeee]

Yeah I was just in Chinatown Las Vegas on Sunday and there's never parking. It's always bumping no matter what time of day.

[@Wongseifu548]

@@JP-eo8xb You've never been to New York then. Been to Vegas does not come even close to NYC

[@thomast.9191]

Come to Toronto. I don’t even know if we have a Chinatown anymore. Chinese restaurants and stores are across the entire city and suburbs. Some streets are bilingual with English and Chinese.

[@Unitybrown12345]

All of the Asians are tired of Newsom and Pelosi and being victims of hate crimes and are moving to Nevada.

[@echan275]

It’s not the pandemic, it’s the change of demographics. For the last 120 years, most of the Chinese in the US and Canada were from the region of my family, that is ToiShan, Hoiping and Enping. The first wave came after the depression was in the late 1968-1973 ( we came in 1969). All of us then had family sponsors and that was when all the Chinatowns started to grow. When Taiwan got out of the UN, people from Taiwan started to come but most of them did not settle in Chinatown areas as they came more equipped ( money). In the 1990’s, people started came from mainland ( the CCP), except for NYC, most of this wave of immigrants settled in Chinatowns were from again ToiShan and Hoiping as were speak the same dialect, and most of them don’t have much money. Others from China had more money just trying to leave China. Generation like us came in the late 1960’s got educated, work in mainstream America companies and moved to the suburbs. A typical example is the SFBay area. From SF to South Bay. Within the next 29 years, Chinatowns will be like Japantowns, will get smaller and some will disappeared.

[@fixpacifica]

It was the pandemic. SF's Chinatown was bustling until covid. It's never recovered.

[@McNohammer-xh3vp]

This is not the history Channel

[@HKim0072]

Ktown in LA is thriving.

[@CharlieCharlie88]

CCP took over in 1949. So you came from CCP China too

[@CharlieCharlie88]

It’s so funny the way you talk about different waves of immigrants. Toishan Hoiping and Enping are all located in mainland China and since the CCP took over in 1949, your family came after the takeover. Yet you refer to immigrants coming from mainland in 1990 as if you were any different from them.

[@yoomsuu]

The Chinatown in Utah is super busy all the freaking time. 😭 I guess its different here.

[@chuckxu5910]

Merry Christmas 🎄🎁 and happy new year 🎊🎈🎆 my Chinese brothers and sisters across the world 🌍

[@Digimonisbetterthanpokemon]

Our Chinatown is nowhere near as big as elsewhere though.

[@LostChildOfTime]

What else is there to go in Utah?

[@veganpotterthevegan]

@@yoomsuu that's not a Chinatown. It's a small shopping center based around a grocery store. Also, it's not a grocery store I'd give money to if you look into how they've neglected to pay their workers. RF is right next door, and Ocean Mart are great alternatives.

[@veganpotterthevegan]

@@Digimonisbetterthanpokemon it's not a Chinatown at all

[@catmi3068]

I still live in San Francisco but not inside Chinatown. When I was working, I go to Chinatown during my lunchtime since my office is on the edge of Chinatown. Ever since I was forced to retire, I only go to Chinatown once a month. The district that I currently live has almost every thing what Chinatown has to offer. In the past Chinatown was cheaper than my neighborhood Chinese grocery stores. After the pandemic there is not much difference in pricing.

[@everything-is-everything]

You're right it sounds like you live in probably the Richmond district or Sunset district. The have those busy night markets and cheap store plus some chain stores you don't even need to go downtown. Also, much safer and cleaner.

[@confusedzentradi]

“Modernizing and accepting credit cards”. That made me laugh.

[@nicolewilson4058]

It is true though. Many of the businesses in Chinatown would only accept cash. Until the pandemic they started accepting credit cards.

[@confusedzentradi]

@ There is a very specific reason they take cash only. Care to guess it?

[@nicolewilson4058]

@@confusedzentradi I know they would always tell me I wouldn't pay any tax if I would pay with cash. Report only a certain amount of money coming in. I know alot of the older generation preferred cash over credit too.

[@tanthony298]

Restaurants of all kinds have gone way down hill the food is usually sub par the service sucks and the price is higher than ever before

[@reisebus-m4j]

Half the time you feel extorted into tipping. If you can't afford to tip, take your business elsewhere, and many do.

[@maestrovso]

The problem is Americans think PF Chang and Panda Express are Chinese food.

[@ManChan-w5p]

What do you mean?

[@Nabrolo]

​@@ManChan-w5p those aren't real Chinese food. It's like calling Hawaiian Pizza Italian food.

[@bodyloverz30]

Both were founded by American Chinese!

[@bodyloverz30]

@@Nabrolo Both were founded by Chinese, same as with Italian immigrants, who stated Italian eateries in America!

[@ManChan-w5p]

@@Nabrolo You know what's real? Benjamin Franklins.

[@borednow5390]

When the chinese property owners gentrify chinatown to try to line their own pockets, its businesses will suffer or close completely 😅

[@DangerDingoDan]

This. My family used to go to the manhattan chinatown all the time but now they rarely go. It is a shadow of itself from even a decade ago and has even furthered gentrify from even then. It really is in a depressing state.

[@szvqorwnpstahskypfwmp9821]

Sadly, all these Chinese or Asian ladies who speak really good English in this video probably get asked, "Where are you really from? wherever they go in the U.S. for just being Asian, even if they were born and raised in the U.S.!! Or "Where did you learn your English?"

[@atlas9001]

As a new Chinese immigrant, I gotta admit I’m not really drawn to Chinatown in most American cities. They don’t really represent the modern day China in any way, and they heavily favor Cantonese speakers. Canton town might be a more accurate description of these enclaves.

[@timothybrown1763]

Many of the workers are either Fujian or latino. 学习汉语里饭馆很难

[@lazurusknight2724]

Didn't realize Canton was the 2nd largest economy and largest country by population

[@MeiinUK]

It's not Canton town. It's actually a Latino Filipino town. And what you don't know is that most Cantonese got killed first. Those were the past generational issues. It's also kind of sad that you don't know these histories, and you too side with the enemies. Lol.... But it's fine and okay. Doesn't expect much from migrants. Those who avoided death went back to China.

[@MeiinUK]

​@@timothybrown1763: That is because the Fuijian, the Latinos, and South Americas had the support of each other. And they're different to the Cantonese. Many went to Australia and not via this way ? Chinatown's were mostly based on hometown associations. So... They should basically open a branch of Bank of China in those locations and turn things around imho. Reopen their family banks. Once again. As it used to be.

[@jase298hkhk]

there's at least 3 china towns in NYC if you don't count the 2 smaller ones in Brooklyn, the aging population of the one in Manhattan is the real cause. Chinese people just moved to Brooklyn and Queens for the last 3 decades. The China town didn't die, it just moved to other neighborhoods. This video sounded like the pandemic killed the China town, it didn't and has little to do with it. This is something that every Chinese lives in NYC for the last 30 years can tell you.

[@jerseypup]

The pandemic accelerated an already obvious decline. Manhattan Chinatown was reduced to relying on tourists who didn't know any better in the years before. That was cut off in the pandemic and they've never fully recovered.

[@darrylt8502]

For me, it's not just Chinatown but across many restaurants; it's the rise in cost (40%-100%) with drop in quality...

[@IdratherNot8337]

Right it’s 20 dollars for a decent sized burger and a small nugget at Wendy’s

[@Janet175]

Nobody has money.... Everything is to high.

[@Patrick-yh5yd]

This story stupid. They go places where you tip workers? They hate to tip.

[@webwatcher75]

SF Chinatown is a pain to go there esp with the parking issues and crime. Many stores and restaurants have moved to other areas and still remain relevant.

[@3434abab]

I have wonderful memories of going down to Chinatown for a delicious bowl of duck soup during college in NY. It was like leaving the USA and experiencing full immersion in the Chinese culture. Unforgettable.

[@nickthinkpainting1978]

Unfortunately one Tripp to the grocery store will put a huge dent in your finances…never mind eating out or paying for parking, congestion fees, fuel…

[@eeship]

On average, restaurants in the NYC Chinatown are simply not as good as those in other parts of New York, from the Flushing in Queens, Brooklyn’s Sunset Park, to even midtown Manhattan.

[@goodfay]

Yeah, I don't know what happened

[@Lykapodium]

New York actually includes tens of thousands of other square miles.

[@swenja761110]

No. Flushing Chinatown has the best restaurants in NYC, or maybe in the country. Midtown ones are mediocre, some better, some worse, not much good to be noted. Others are just a place to eat something. The key is to look for modern style ones, not those old ones.

[@Jice-w7n]

I know what you are saying but I did find the Hey Tea in Chinatown a lot better than the Hey Tea in every other location including flushing.

[@Salty.Peasants]

Nearly all Chinese restaurant's took a huge hit in food quality during and after the Pandemic. A spot I used to go to for years won't even heat up their Sweet & Sour sauce and serves it cold. The Eggs rolls are now more than twice as small, but more than twice as expensive Vs. pre Pandemic. Rice now tastes like's it's been sitting out for days. 🤢

[@TruthTeller8888]

@@Salty.Peasants they never had quality.. and god knows what meat is there😅

[@steak5599]

I found this to be true to many resturaunts. My Local Mexican and Greek resturaunt experienced the same problem you just described.

[@lostmoose9994]

Once 3rd or 4th gen takes over - its over. Because its a lot of hard work

[@letsgowalk]

Most Chinese now live and shop in the enclaves instead of the traditional Chinatowns. In LA, it's San Gabriel Valley. In the Bay Area, it's Fremont, Cupertino, Millbrae, Milpitas, etc.

[@jerryakbar6147]

La Chinatown is pretty dirty I wouldn’t eat a meal there,I work in ktown, it’s full of clown world NPC’s and filthy as well. I ask myself daily why anyone would want to leave beautiful Korea and move there. It has to be for the money and American benefits.

[@TruthTeller8888]

@@letsgowalk lets see how many remain after deportation 😅

[@Legoman69469]

I will answer this one… I saw the same thing you did when I went to Korea for my first vacation. After being here more then 4 times now and also being in other countries in Asia and Europe, it may look prettier and more well kept, but don’t let that fool you.. Korean society is super competitive and very hard to find a job in. Although US is dingy, dirty, we still have the most promise of finding a good job and good opportunity. And Asians are taking advantage of that in droves because us Americans are too lazy to study and get the good paying tech jobs…

[@user-cw8ej4gd3v]

Wow it’s almost like the bad economy is affecting everyone. Little Italy is going through the same thing- where is their national news spot about their ethnic replacement or how they need support?

[@everything-is-everything]

I always wanted to go to the Italian neighborhoods but when I see them, they are so busy in San Francisco is always so busy. Places are busy when I go to New York I settle for pizza. When I go to Boston its the off season so it can be hard to find food.

[@SimonCU]

Americans are struggling while in China their are doing a lot better. Most Chinese cities and tourist attractions are packed with their own Chinese tourists.

[@maoba4040]

The good food with affordable prices is the main reason why I travel to NYC.

[@angelinimartini]

When it comes to the essence of the old school Chinatown’s which are more Cantonese style, and I always found run by people who moved here ages ago from Honk Kong, it’s sadly disappearing because the people who are representative of that essence are dying and times are changing. It sucks because it’s some thing I personally loved, must be in the blood because my dad spent many years in Hong Kong, but now people want more modern aesthetics… you have people flocking more towards “k towns” and just generally more modern aesthetics. I do think we should find a way to keep there businesses alive. I think it’s some thing very beautiful. From the bakeries and restaurants, the Knick knack shops, Chinese medicine places…. It’s just such an interesting bubble.

[@MeiinUK]

You just need to look a little bit more clean, and tidy. Presentable. And hide the stocks and chaos. Nothing to it. In fact do what we do here in the UK. Do a "clean your way to wealth" TV show. And then turn things around. We have such a TV programme here in the UK about bed and breakfasts... Lol.... Owners of each place rate one another's businesses and then compare. Lol. After the critique, it gets implemented, and mostly ... it reopens... There used to be a lot of "turn your business around" show, show... In fact, go on Oprah !!! 😅 Better than KZbin !... Somebody needs to find a famous person from KZbin and then turn it around for them. Then go through the processes... Create different episodes. Then spam online with ideas, and be interactive... They could ask direct feed back on how to clean. Then tag it with "clean with me" !!!

[@DangDuctri-ky8vg]

🤢🤢Me and my friend got sick very stomachache , had to go to hospital 7,8 times at china town food already, and the first few time we eat vendor food, then after the stomachache, we just eat at big place , restaurant china town, food, but still stomachache, illness

[@LanaMyslyvetsPlanners]

Chinatown in my city died over a decade ago, they do not keep up with renovations and then got pushed out by the homeless. Sad, used to eat there all the time.

[@Lp0tr33]

Most these cities favored the criminals over the business owners. Less foot traffic and tourism because they keep getting robbed. They also have to deal with all the homeless people.

[@dlk3904]

Problem is most Chinese food requires a lot of labor. Much is not single pot boil then done. That’s not good as minimum wage goes up.

[@staceship8580]

As a chinese who lives in Seattle over 6 years, I don't mind to eat taco everynight instead as it is more easier, healthier and faster. Plus that parking in chinatown is extremely difficult any time throughout the day and super dangerous as where locates in a notorious part of city. No needs to take the risk for a meal.

[@everything-is-everything]

Where is a good taco place in Seattle? I have a hard time finding any food I like there beyond a chain restaurant.

[@CharlieCharlie88]

Taco is healthier, what a joke. Latinos have the highest obesity rate.

[@kenjones6046]

Not all Chinatowns are busy or slow. It depends on geographic locations. Cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York have lost lots of legacy business because rampant crimes and high cost of rents along with labor cost. These are factors contributed by bad public policy by city officials in local government

[@everything-is-everything]

I stayed at a hotel in Chinatown in Los Angeles it was nice the staff was nice. I would go back it was cool they had two huge red dragons in front of the hotel. The people in the neighborhood were not very friendly but i would recommend the hotel. So, I took the free buses and went to other areas.

[@fenris91]

In a VERY HARD REVERSAL to this story our China-town AND Korea-town in Las Vegas is absolutely crowded full tilt especially on the weekends. 😅

[@abcdefghi9]

We are still feeling the economic effects of the pandemic. Its one of the reasons cost of living is outta controll.The city should have a law to set rents for business over 75 years old so we dont lose them.

[@ertw1]

Thank you for this story!

[@bstaznkid4lyfe392]

I stopped going to Chinatown in Boston, MA..Only old people hangout there..

[@johngrantham5508]

The Chinatown in Chicago is growing. Its thriving and its very deversified. A lot of people live here. There is a business I have been patronizing since 2017. It stays busy 365 days a year. We support our chinatown in Chicago. Chicago's Chinatown is bustling 365 days a year.

[@pavelow235]

It's not a Chinatown problem it's an urban city problem fix your headline.

[@JohnAranita]

I lived in Huntington Beach at around 8 years of age. Months every now and then, Dad would leave house very early in the morning and drive to the Chinatown of Los Angeles. Just in time for lunch he would arrive with those iconic paper boxes of Chinese food. One of the best things living there at that time.

[@tranimal72]

I live in vancouver,Canada same here too cause the area is next to the drug area and the politicians don’t about the violence and mental health crisis.

[@lesliehuynh7086]

Chinatown in downtown LA was struggling way before the pandemic. I was there in 2017 and it was vacant-shops, trashy, urine smelled,...but San Gabriel/Rosemead/Monterey Park was/is blooming and blossoming....

[@Lalalalala98872]

the old-old chinese restaurants are mostly all Guangdong/fujian food while most chinese people in LA nowadays are from all over the country. hotpot, boba, bbq and other things popular in china nowadays are doing much better. the chinese people in san Gabrie, Rosemead, Monterey mostly came recently

[@venonat80]

I know a Chinese restaurant owner. They said it’s tough mainly for 2 reasons, the increase in goods, ingredients and rent but one thing that the article doesn’t touch on is the labor and Chinese tourists. More specifically, labor from China and Asian countries. It’s difficult for Chinese people to come from China to work in the US now who know how to do the traditional cooking related to the food. Also, people have a tendency to gravitate to things that are familiar. No chinese tourist mean fewer people wanting their favorite foods.

[@williamMaezawa]

I am very very very happy to know that Chinatowns in America are struggling to survive and I hope the trend will continue

[@Starkardur]

Haven't businesses in Chinatown NYC just moved to Flushing?

[@simply-x-me]

The places here close early. Why places close at 6-8pm when people want dinner is beyond me

[@SM-cd9xw]

I recently ate in Boston’s China town. It was a cold night and the place was packed. Good food, vibe and as I am old you could order thru your phone… I needed help! Great dinner!!!🥰

[@L6J6C6]

Wow shocker…. People aren’t buying houses, having kids, buying cars, or buying food, and every mouth a whole business from our childhoods goes out of business. Meanwhile the jobs that do last people go on strike. Welcome to America

[@qingshanyipian1936]

Good luck finding a parking space anywhere near a huge Chinatown in Houston. Always so packed with people, especially on weekends. It’s impossible to……..

[@juderickman8275]

I’ve been in Carrolton TX ‘s Koreatown and Japantown/ Chinatown malls and they’ve been hopping and upbeat. They’re anchored by supermarkets and the clientele has been very diverse

[@juderickman8275]

PS the whole town is a far suburb of Dallas, so the Asisn communities are suburb dwellers also. I rarely go to downtown Dallas

[@DWilliam1]

In NYC there are really 2 Chinatowns…one in Manhattan and now a larger one in Flushing Queens. I wonder if they counted the Queens one…

[@TF-2q1]

Chinese cooking is a craftmanship. It’s so hard and so complicated and menu is so wide. source materials are so hard to get. Like any craftsmanship, it’s dying if you can’t have the crowd appreciating the craftsmanship. As for small china town gift shops, they are replaced by Temu, amazon and walmart. I don’t think they have a way to make out. US customers are more like burger eaters. They can’t appreciate the chinese cooking craftsmanship. I barely went to a Chinese restaurant in the last a few years. #1, my cooking skills are better than some of those. #2, because of the covid, environment and wait time, I’d rather stay home. #3, this one’s killing. I don’t have a big circle or events to celebrate at chinese restaurant. It’s dying because Asian, especially Chinese populations and visiting populations from China are declining. My rentals barely has a single chinese vistors this year, while we had 10s and 20s vistors in previous years from china.

[@julienrockingham-ip4co]

Stand strong, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles

[@philippeplouchart8156]

But there are also other and more Asian restaurants and food trucks that compete and include Chinese cuisine on their menus.....Thai, Vietnamese, Filipino, Korean, Japanese, etc.

[@JebusHypocristosX]

I used to go out all the time, now rent takes most of my money. Corporations are robbing everybody blind. FREE Luigi

[@Iloveyounot]

In Los Angeles, Chinatown has been dead for awhile now. They have slowly been moving East, like Alhambra, Arcadia, Hacienda Heights, Rowland Heights, and Diamond Bar. When I was growing up in Rowland Heights in the 80's, there were very few Chinese Americans but a lot of Koreans and Japanese Americans. Today, there are so many Chinese stores, I don't even recognize my own hometown I grew up in.

[@andos2923]

Maybe the "New Normal" that people bragged about a few years back was not a good idea after all.

[@jasonqw1]

Most chinatowns across North America serve the same food as they did 40 years ago. The real modern chinese restaurants usually locate elsewhere.

[@MyMovie5858]

I think in general, retail sales from the brick and mortar stores are down across the nation. When you combine that with the decline in tourism, that is what's happening with the Chinatowns. Of course, the escalation in rent, labor, and cost of goods made it even worse.

[@CatWhiskering]

In 2019 I was in London, staying about a mile from Chinatown. We were picking out a Chinese restaurant in Chinatown based on reviews. Many reviews identified restaurants that were corrupt: some added steep "service charges" to checks without warning, inflated the cost of dishes a few pounds over the menu prices, charged for things they brought to the table automatically without asking guests, or charged for things that they never ordered and received. It was difficult to find a Chinese restaurant with no such reviews. Maybe this is why Chinatowns are dying.

[@Jzak25]

When price (cost of living) go up, people move out, it doesn't take a genius to figure it out. Sooner or later the Chinatown in Manhattan will be pushed to other lower cost areas.

[@dannyhk2504]

Food quality is degrading while the price is going up and up. That's the reasn.

[@TruthTeller8888]

@@dannyhk2504 there was no quality ever…

[@Wadser]

Back in the 80s and 90s. Chinatowns were full of young families. That generated a lot of business opportunities. But now the kids are grown up. They moved out to suburbs. The parents are older, they don’t spend as much, go out less. The shopkeepers too are aging. Their kids work corporate jobs instead of running restaurants. For Chinatowns to survive they need new blood. That means finding ways to entice younger people to live there. Higher density and more affordable housing

[@arkwyo]

Just had 2 buffets, and 2 ice teas...$39. It's the economy.

[@jetgeo4]

That's the real problem. People act like it's the quality of food or services that business goes down.

[@kevinchen7403]

Chinese restaurants now accepting credit cards? Does anyone understand why, for a few hundred years, Chinese restaurants only took cash? Two words. Tax evasion.

[@ashurafreedan]

they learned from american corporations like apple, google tesla and others

[@pgdog888]

Chinatown in SF got more foot traffic than downtown. Slowly recovering from the crov19.

[@paulcunningham2859]

We ate at a Chinese restaurant today. They were fairly busy to. It was nice to get away

[@steak5599]

This is just resturaunt business in General. Rising rent and wage. Food cost is inconsistent. Resturaunt has always been a somewhat low margin business, you simply can't double the food price and expect the same volume to compensate with rising operating cost.

[@Jayl__]

As a Torontonian, I used to hit New York every so often maybe a couple years or so and would check out China town. Now I wouldn’t even want to visit as a tourist to NYC because of the crime I see on social so may have impacted overall tourist visits since the pandemic

[@everything-is-everything]

I used to go to Chinatown in San Francisco all the time with family and friends. I even had friends that lived in Chinatown. I even worked in a Chinese neighborhood, and it was made clear I wasn't wanted when I wanted to buy a slice of pizza, I asked the person at the register the price and the manager came turns out when I talked to coworker some people didn't want us in the neighborhood and made it clear by treating us like a threat. I was on the bus and moved my stuff so a elderly person could sit down they refused to sit near me, so people stood up. I even worked at a Chinese school on the day I quit head of the school told m everyone was talking about me in front of me and I didn't know it. If something happened to me, I was told I needed training. I was told my skin color scared the children. I was confronted for being cold it was horrible. I would do the same things as others and called out and confronted. They even refused to sign paperwork to say I worked there. It was weird I faced so much racism and bullying in a federal government building and it was funded by the government. I'm from the suburbs so I don't always understand somethings, but I am always nice, and people don't like that. It was also, weird almost everyone in a highly secure federal building was from China. Reasons like these are why I don't go to Chinatown anymore I go to Amazon. When it's made clear I am not wanted and a possible dangerous situation I will not return. I just go to Target if I want to go somewhere in person. I have been to Chinatowns all across North America and Canada's Chinatowns /Asian neighborhoods seem much more welcoming like no one is watching you or cares what color you are.

[@MeiinUK]

Why was that ? Are you black ? Or are you on a watch list ??...

[@wkdewok]

Wait its tha Greatest (D) Economy ever...

[@Johnnydoenyc]

Maybe the “traditional” Chinatown. But, new Asian/Chinese enclaves are popping up all the NyC metro area. For example, the Chinatown in Manhattan has shrunk, just like its neighbor Little Italy. But, the new Chinatowns in Flushing and Sunset Park are busier than ever. And new Asian strip malls and businesses are opening up all the time out in Long Island. There is a huge move into the suburbs. I’m guessing for the schools. Whole neighborhoods have changed over the last 10 years, moving from mostly white to mostly Asian due to Asians pursuing better school options.

[@user-yz3uz4ny8j]

According to Biden and his administration everything is fine....

[@JC-ws5ld]

Yes, record highs in spending. People have been going shopping all year long for 4 years lol

[@maneshipocrates2264]

Looked for this troll- so Biden was in charge of the supply chain?

[@Ria-xl7kz]

Closed at 7.30pm??? 😲

[@_Just_Another_Guy]

In Canada, Chinatowns are still pretty much in business because they're often the only ones importing a lot of Asian products for other Asian customers to buy. They don't just sell products from China here in Canada's Chinatowns: you can buy Vietnamese food, Thailand spices, Filipino products, and even some Japanese & Korean skincare products get shipped to these stores in Canada's Chinatowns. It's more like Asia-town than Chinatown in Canada nowadays. The only Asian products that can't be found in our Chinatown are South Asian items from India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, etc.

[@GreenLion19134]

Chinatowns were created as safe havens from racism which were rampant in the pre-1940s. Following that era, many in these areas moved to suburbs or other places, and Chinatowns became less of a safe haven than they once were. In Such, there is a natural movement out, and as a result, Chinatown will end up becoming a lost remnant

[@ytzpilot]

Also gentrification means the rents go up, and these small business' are pushed out when they can't cover their lease anymore, these are the last remaining valuable central real estate in many city centers for developers to make over

[@kevinjenner9502]

Yellow Peril rhetoric is alive and well today.

[@popeyegordon]

Clueless. These centers are a place to celebrate and organize Asian Cultures. Suburbs can have their own Chinatown style communities, only smaller. The high energy of Chinese New Year needs somewhere to celebrate. That spectacle in Seattle is forever in my memory. Nothing else like it.

[@honkhonk8009]

Also racism is pretty nonexistent, and most newer immigrants move cus they wanna explore the domestic culture rather than be enclaves in it. Its a shift in that aswell.

[@plumeria66]

They could’ve stayed in China to avoid racism but why didn’t they? Guess it’s not as bad as whatever the were facing.

[@michaellaw5876]

There aren’t even that many Chinese restaurants in Chinatown LA but rather San Gabriel Valley and Rowland Heights. For SF most are moving to Silicone Valley like Milpitas and Fremont. Who’d want to run a Chinese restaurant let alone even eat at a Chinese restaurant in the most dangerous and dilapidated areas of LA and SF? Plus the restaurants in most Chinatowns make food that tastes horrible.

[@ArashiLee]

Chinatown are somehow always being zoned in not so nice part of town, especially historical Chinatowns with good restaurants are always in big blue cities where there's lots of crime nowadays. In Chinese social media we see weekly stabbing, robbery, car breakin stories and my wife is too afraid to go there anymore. It's pretty sad since there are some very good resultants and fair price grocery stores. However every time walking by these places there are tons of homeless, drug addicts, people selling stolen goods and asking for money...

[@inspectorkemp7439]

According to Office of Homeland Security 1.2 million Chinese entered USA illegally between 2018-22. That number is likely closer to 2 million+ if you add 23 & 24. Hard to understand how Chinatown businesses are struggling more than other groups of people. They are actually Booming in population. Many businesses from all ethnicity’s closed during covid or are struggling today. State and local gov't forbad Travel, Dining Out, Going to School, Going to your House of Worship, etc. Add in 20% inflation over the past 5 years and it’s bad for all walks of life. Go ask Bow Flex, Big Lots, Hertz, Party City, Red Lobster, Spirit Airlines, Stoli Vodka, Tupperware, TGI Fridays, La Grenouille, Carnegie Deli and the list goes on. The icing on the cake, many Chinatowns are located in areas experiencing high rates of crime. Queens, San Fran, Manhattan, Los Angeles. Or to put it another way, at a popular chinese takeout in NYC, rice with cabbage, sausage and a cold beer will run you $27. Add tax and tip and its now $35.00.

[@xukeepax1286]

So what happend to the real estate after closing?My guess is another Chinese speciality business. What is failure rate of Chinese speciality business across the city? or business in general?

[@SgtMeowenstein]

Chinese Food hasn't been the same in 15 years. Its gotten even worse over the last 6 years.

[@davidl242]

The US is dealing with a declining chinese students inflow and many chinese nationals moving out of big cities due to remote work and inflation. So these factors kinda take a good % of their core customers, then you factor in homeless and crimes in these areas, it’s just not worth it for some of them to keep the door open.

[@davefil6102]

80% of the places i deliver to were open on christmas .