appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Mabel Lui

Chinatowns are often portrayed as gritty underworlds riddled with prostitution, gambling and drug trafficking. Some of this is rooted in truth, but that unfair depiction is largely the result of rampant xenophobia and cultural ignorance, especially in the West.
In a series of articles, the Post explores the historical and social significance of major Chinatowns around the world and the communities that shape them.
New York has such an established Chinese population that the city is home to multiple Chinatowns.
The original, in Lower Manhattan, is one of the oldest and biggest Chinese enclaves in the United States.

The neighbourhood’s population was estimated to be more than 100,000 at its peak in the second half of the 20th century, mostly immigrants from mainland China’s Guangdong and Fujian provinces and from Hong Kong.
In recent years, however, the neighbourhood’s population has dwindled to less than 60,000, according to a report published by New York’s Department of Small Business Services.
The second most famous Chinatown in New York, in Flushing, Queens, emerged in the late 1970s and is now considered the biggest Chinatown in New York.
The first wave of immigrants to settle there came from Taiwan, followed over the years by immigrants from mainland China and Korea.
Other New York Chinatowns have also grown in the past few decades, including Sunset Park in Brooklyn, which became the primary destination for immigrants from Fuzhou in Fujian province.
Here is a look at the history behind New York’s three biggest Chinatowns.
1. Chinatown, Manhattan
The first Chinatown in New York is said to date back to the 1850s, when Cantonese businessman Ah Ken reportedly became the first Asian immigrant to settle in the neighbourhood.
He ran a small boarding house on Mott Street and eventually opened a successful cigar shop on nearby Park Row.
Around that time, a wave of Chinese immigrants – mostly from Guangdong province – migrated to the US’ west coast to join the California gold rush.
Many settled in San Francisco, taking jobs as miners or labourers. But as anti-Chinese sentiment grew there, some moved to the east coast for better job opportunities.

In the 1870s, New York’s Chinese population came to be concentrated around Mott Street and Canal Street, and by 1880 the area was home to between 700 and 1,100 Chinese immigrants.
Over the next decade, the neighbourhood became known for its Chinese restaurants and Taoist shrines.
In 1893, merchant Chu Fong opened the Chinese Opera House – now the Chinese Tuxedo restaurant – the first Chinese-language theatre “east of San Francisco”, according to government documents.
Though the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 slowed down Chinese immigration to the US, Manhattan’s Chinatown continued to grow and by 1930 was home to 4,000 Chinese immigrants.
Like the one in San Francisco, New York’s Chinatown was dominated by tongs – organised crime syndicates originally set up as associations to help new immigrants.
“On Pell Street, bullets rained, hatchets flew and bodies fell during the tong wars between the Hip Sings and the On Leongs in the first half of the century, and the more recent battles between the Flying Dragons, the youth gang controlled by members of the Hip Sing, and anyone else who came seeking trouble,” wrote The New York Times in 1994.
“Law-enforcement officials say more people have died violently at Bloody Angle, the crook at Doyer Street near Pell [Street], than at any other intersection in America.”
Violence between the tongs blighted Chinatown until the 1990s, when police crackdowns fractured the organisations and crime declined.
By then, long after the Chinese Exclusion Act had been repealed in 1943, more immigrants from Guangdong province and Hong Kong had settled in Chinatown. The area expanded from its original seven blocks to cover 55, including many streets in Little Italy.

Chinese restaurants, laundromats, street vendors, fishmongers and garment factories began to open in the neighbourhood.
Although today subject to gentrification, Chinatown retains its Cantonese identity. This is reflected in the language spoken there, the dim sum restaurants, and Asian grocery stores such as Hong Kong Supermarket.
Among the most historic restaurants in Chinatown is Nom Wah Tea Parlor on Doyers Street, which dates back to 1920. Wo Hop, an 87-year-old Cantonese and Chinese-American restaurant, is another neighbourhood institution.
Kong Sihk Tong is arguably the closest thing to a traditional Hong Kong-style cha chaan teng cafe in New York, while Mei Lai Wah is a Chinese bakery that has become famous on Instagram and TikTok for its barbecue pork buns.
Other notable restaurants include House of Joy for dim sum, Wu’s Wonton King, and Fong On, the oldest family-run tofu shop in the neighbourhood.
Little Fuzhou refers to a section of Chinatown around East Broadway. It was established in the late 1980s after an influx of immigrants from Fuzhou. Since then, however, many have relocated to Sunset Park in Brooklyn.

2. Flushing, Queens
Downtown Flushing is among the world’s fastest growing Chinatowns.
It emerged as New York’s second major Chinese enclave in the 1970s after a wave of immigrants from Taiwan settled there.
They were the first major group of Mandarin-speaking people to arrive in New York, and chose to establish their own settlement in Flushing- which was previously a predominantly white neighbourhood – because of cultural differences with Manhattan’s Cantonese population.
The Taiwanese spoke Mandarin, not Cantonese, and lamented the lack of quality housing options in Manhattan’s Chinatown.

Flushing’s Chinatown was known as Little Taipei at first, but came to be known differently as immigrants from various provinces in mainland China settled there.
Many Chinese asylum seekers and undocumented immigrants have sought refuge in the neighbourhood, which contains various legal service centres, non-profit organisations and immigrant networks that provide support to new arrivals.
Today, Flushing’s diverse Chinese population is reflected in its restaurants, which serve Hakka, Shanghai, Hunan, Sichuan, Cantonese, Fujian, Xinjiang and Zhejiang cuisine. The neighbourhood’s Korean population is also represented.
There are also a number of satellite Chinatowns elsewhere in Queens, one of which is Elmhurst, with various Southeast Asian restaurants and Chinese shops and businesses.
Chinese have also settled in Corona, next to Elmhurst, and Whitestone, which borders Flushing.
3. Sunset Park, Brooklyn
Sunset Park was home to Scandinavian immigrants in the first half of the 19th century and was in decline in the second half of the 20th.
In the 1980s, drawn by affordable housing, some of Manhattan’s Chinese community settled there.
Chinese grocery stores and restaurants began opening, mostly on Eighth Avenue, which Chinese business owners associated with prosperity because of the eight in its name. By 1988, there were around 3,000 Asian-Americans living in Sunset Park.
Like Manhattan’s Chinatown, Sunset Park’s Chinatown was initially dominated by Cantonese speakers, but that changed in the 2000s with an influx of immigrants from Fuzhou.
Since then, some of Sunset Park’s Cantonese population has moved to nearby Bensonhurst and Avenue U in Sheepshead Bay. Sunset Park now has many Mandarin and Fuzhounese speakers.
Today, the Chinese community in New York – including people from mainland China and Hong Kong – makes up 12 per cent of all New York’s immigrant population, with Asian and Pacific Islanders as a whole the fastest-growing racial group in the city.
The transformation of New York’s Chinatowns offers a fascinating glimpse into the city’s history of immigration, and will continue to do so as its Chinese settlements evolve and new ones emerge.


How Wang Zhenyi, Chinese female astronomer and mathematician, defied gender expectations

How Chinese first lady Peng Liyuan is a symbol of China’s fashion soft power

Traditional wind instruments from both East and West blow up a storm in Hong Kong concert

From moongazing to bus tours: how to celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival in Hong Kong

Chinese culture

Of New York’s many Chinatowns, 3 stand out. How immigration shaped them over the decades

The Chinatown in Lower Manhattan is New York’s oldest, shaped by immigrants from Hong Kong, and from Guangdong and Fujian provinces in mainland China. Photo: Getty Images

Pell Street in Lower Manhattan Chinatown in 1979. Photo: Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

A street in Lower Manhattan Chinatown in the early 20th century. The Chinatown is said to date back to the 1850s. Photo: Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Nom Wah Tea Parlor, on Doyers Street, is one of Lower Manhattan Chinatown’s historic restaurants. Photo: Shutterstock

Mei Lai Wah is another restaurant in Lower Manhattan Chinatown with a long history. Photo: Google Maps

A street in Lower Manhattan Chinatown in 1955. Many Taiwanese immigrants arriving in New York in the 1970s were put off by the neighbourhood’s lack of quality housing options, and instead opted to settle in Flushing. Photo: Circa Images/GHI/Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

History of the world’s oldest Chinatown, Binondo in Manila, now a foodie paradise

While Binondo today is known as a foodie’s paradise, it was once better known as a financial hub. Photo: Shutterstock

Binondo in Manila is the world’s oldest Chinatown. We look at its past and how it has shifted from a financial hub to a culinary hot spot. Photo: Shutterstock 

The Minor Basilica and National Shrine of San Lorenzo Ruiz, popularly known as the Binondo Church, is an architectural highlight of Binondo. Photo: Instagram/lanie.puno28

The Filipino-Chinese Friendship Arch. Photo: Shutterstock

The El Hogar Filipino Building. Photo: Instagram/mrdaleasuncion

Pei Pa Koa Latte with Ube Cheese Ensaymada at Apologue Coffee & Pastry in Manila. Photo: Instagram/apologueph

People pose in front of a restaurant on Ongpin Street. Photo: Instagram/flowry_maze

London Chinatown’s evolution from Hong Kong Chinese outpost to multicultural melting pot

Wardour Street, Chinatown, London. The area, which dates back to the 1970s, has evolved over time to become the multicultural enclave it is now. Photo: Getty Images

Chinese pedestrians on a street in Liverpool, 1940. A partially inflated barrage balloon can be seen in the background. Photo: Getty Images

David Tang Hon-sing (left), former vice-chairman of the London Chinatown Chinese Association, with a friend on Lisle Street in 1980. Photo: David Tang

A street in Limehouse, East London circa 1930. In the first half of the 20th century, Limehouse was home to London’s largest Chinese community. Photo: Getty Images

A large crowd watches traditional celebrations for Lunar New Year in Liverpool in 1983. Photo: Getty Images

People gather to watch the Year of the Snake celebrations in Chinatown, London, on February 1, 2025. Photo: Getty Images

A Lunar New Year parade in London. Photo: Allan Hong

How Seoul and Incheon’s Chinatowns tell stories of Chinese immigration to Korea

The main entrance gate to Incheon Chinatown, South Korea’s oldest Chinese enclave. Photo: AP

The Chinatown in Seoul’s Daerim neighbourhood is full of shops selling goods from China that are difficult to find elsewhere in South Korea. Photo: Erika Na

The Jjajangmyeon Museum in Incheon Chinatown documents the invention and evolution of jjajangmyeon, a Korean-Chinese cold noodle dish. Photo: Park Chan-kyong

Daerim Chinatown has faced several challenges in recent years, including rising rents. Photo: Erika Na

A shop selling street food in Daerim Chinatown in Seoul. Photo: Erika Na

Although Daerim Chinatown is the South Korea’s most vibrant, it does not have a paifang gate.

Year of the Snake 2025 predictions for 12 zodiac signs. How is your health, luck, wealth?

Feng shui master Tong Pik-ha predicts the varying fortunes of people born under the 12 Chinese zodiac signs in the coming Year of the Snake. Illustrations: Victor Sanjinez

Lifestyle

Travel & Leisure

Chinatowns around the world

The turbulent history of San Francisco’s Chinatown, oldest in North America

Large crowds fill Grant Avenue in San Francisco’s Chinatown in the US state of California for the annual Mid-Autumn Festival. Photo: Hearst Newspapers via Getty Images

The Dragon Gate at the intersection of Bush Street and Grant Avenue marks the main southern entrance to San Francisco’s Chinatown. Photo: Getty Images

A Chinese butcher and grocery store in San Francisco’s Chinatown circa 1885. Photo: Getty Images

A Chinese apothecary in San Francisco’s Chinatown in the mid-1880s. Photo: Getty Images

Much of San Francisco was destroyed by the 1906 earthquake and ensuing fires. Photo: Getty Images

Chinese lanterns line a street in San Francisco’s Chinatown. Photo: Getty Images

Pedestrians walk along a crowded Stockton Street in San Francisco’s Chinatown. Photo: Getty Images

History of Bangkok’s Chinatown from Teochew enclave to red light district and business hub

Food hawker stalls serve customers during Chinese New Year in Bangkok’s Chinatown in Thailand. Photo: Getty Images

A vendor prepares food in Bangkok’s Chinatown. Photo: Shutterstock

Street food vendors serve customers in Bangkok’s Chinatown. Photo: Shutterstock

Yaowarat Road in Bangkok’s Chinatown in 2017. Photo: Shutterstock

Sun (second left) is the second-eldest son in the Assakul family. Photo: Baan Trok Tua Ngork

Baan Trok Tua Ngork is a space in Bangkok’s Chinatown created by Sun’s family that restores and revitalises their family’s shophouse, as well as several other neighbouring shophouses. Photo: Baan Trok Tua Ngork

The interior of Baan Trok Tua Ngork. Photo: Baan Trok Tua Ngork

How Toronto’s Chinatown is fighting back against development that threatens its existence

People attend a Toronto Chinatown Land Trust mahjong fundraising event at the Wong Association of Ontario. Photo: Maylynn Quan

A drag performer sings at a Queens of Dim Sum brunch at Sky Dragon Chinese Restaurant. Photo: Yi@postyism

Men in Toronto’s original Chinatown read a newspaper in a window in 1945. Photo: City of Toronto Archives

Victory celebrations to mark the end of World War II take place in Toronto’s original Chinatown on August 26, 1945. Photo: City of Toronto Archives

Toronto’s Chinatown in the late 1970s. Photo: City of Toronto Archives

Shoppers and vendors in Toronto’s Chinatown in 1988. Photo: City of Toronto Archives

Toronto’s Chinatown at Dundas Street West and Spadina Avenue in 2008. Photo: City of Toronto Archives

Author Christina Wong was born and raised in Toronto. Photo: Daniel Innes

People queue outside a supermarket on Dundas Street West in Toronto Chinatown in 1988. Photo: City of Toronto Archives

What to see and eat in Melbourne’s Chinatown, cultural hub that grew from gold rush roots

A dragon dance troupe perform in Chinatown in Melbourne, Australia during Lunar New Year festivities in 2024. The Chinatown is one of the world’s oldest. Photo: Getty Images

Chinatown in Melbourne, Australia. One of the oldest in the world, it was founded by Chinese prospectors who stayed on after the 1850s gold rush and opened businesses. Photo: Shutterstock 

People in Chinatown, Melbourne, celebrate the 2025 Chinese Lunar New Year. Photo: Instagram/chinatownmelbourne

Yum cha is best enjoyed at Secret Kitchen, known for dim sum favourites, Peking duck pancakes, fried rice in an omelette pouch and piggy-shaped steamed buns. Photo: Secret Kitchen

A A$450 million lifestyle, dining and residential complex being built in Box Hill, Melbourne, has been referred to as “New Chinatown”. Photo: Golden Age Group

How the oldest and largest Chinatown in Mexico rose despite terrible xenophobia

A traditional gate marks an entrance to Mexicali’s Chinatown, known as La Chinesca, in the city in Mexico’s Baja California state.

Lanterns line the street outside restaurants in La Chinesca. Photo: Instagram/sl_mr05

A view of La Chinesca in 2023. Photo: AFP

Tourist guide Elvia Chen, granddaughter of a Chinese migrant, shows historical pictures in a museum in La Chinesca. Photo: AFP

A showcase displaying souvenirs is seen next to a curtain made of Chinese food containers at the entrance to a museum in La Chinesca. Photo: AFP

A mural depicting scenes of the history of the Chinese community in Mexico adorns an abandoned building in La Chinesca. Photo: AFP

Buildings display Chinese-style architecture on a street in La Chinesca. Photo: Shutterstock

Lunar New Year celebrations take place in La Chinesca. Photo: Instagram/nic.maynardp

How Sydney’s Chinatown has survived poverty, racism, pandemic and gentrification

The gateway to Chinatown, in Sydney. Chinatown is a reflection of the struggles of the Asian community in Australia since the early 1800s. Photo: Shutterstock

Sydney’s Chinatown is in Haymarket in the southern part of the city’s central business district. Photo: Shutterstock

Paddy’s Markets in Haymarket, Sydney dates back to the 1850s. Photo: Chinatown

Marigold had two locations. The original restaurant (pictured) on Sussex St, Sydney, opened in 1982 and was a popular location for events and weddings. Photo: Lena Lai

George Street in the historic Rocks district of Sydney, Australia. This was the site of Sydney’s earliest Chinatown. Photo: Shutterstock

How Singapore Chinatown went from slum to diverse tourist hub that puts heritage first

People take photos in front of a giant golden rooster lantern in Singapore’s Chinatown in preparation for the upcoming Lunar New Year on January 4, 2017. In recent decades the area has become a tourist hub where boutiques stand beside old tea houses and Buddhist temples Photo: Xinhua

In October 2023, the Tai Thong Cake Shop, a family-owned bakery in Singapore’s Chinatown, closed its doors after 73 years in business. Photo: Koh Kim Tat Dean

Singapore Chinatown’s Food Street in January 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic forced its closure. Photo: Shutterstock

A woman offers a joss stick at the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, one of Singapore Chinatown’s most notable places of worship. Photo: AFP

Singapore Chinatown is awash with murals by local artist Yip Yew Chong. Photo: Tamara Hinson

How Vancouver’s Chinatown, rich in history but plagued by poverty, fights for survival

Chefs and volunteers at Light Up Chinatown, an outdoor event held in the neighbourhood and organised by the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation. Photo: Light Up Chinatown

Chefs and volunteers attend Light Up Chinatown, a free two-day festival that celebrates the living heritage and diverse history of Vancouver’s Chinatown, organised by the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation. Photo: Light Up Chinatown

The cover of Chinatown Vancouver: An Illustrated History. Photo: Donna Seto/House of Anansi Press

Donna Seto is an author and self-taught artist. Photo: Donna Seto

Andy Yan is an associate professor at Simon Fraser University. Photo: Andy Yan

Chinatown in Vancouver in 1975. Photo: Getty Images

A painting from Chinatown Vancouver: An Illustrated History. Photo: Donna Seto/House of Anansi Press

Carol Lee is the chair of the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation. Photo: Carol Lee

A view of Chinatown, featuring the Chinatown Storytelling Centre, an exhibition space showcasing items and stories from residents in the area, past and present. Photo: Chinatown Storytelling Centre

Tracy To and Ross Lam of Forum Home Appliances. Photo: Forum Home Appliances

Why Japan’s largest Chinatown is unlike any other around the world

Yokohama Chinatown’s transformation from its migrant enclave roots to today’s tourist attraction is one steeped in history and culture. Photo: Getty Images

Children view lanterns in Yokohama Chinatown in 2024. Photo: Xinhua

A lion dance is performed outside a restaurant in Yokohama Chinatown in 2020. Photo: Getty Images

Crowds of people fill Yokohama Chinatown in 2023. Photo: Xinhua

Chen Kentaro is the third-generation chef of Shisen Hanten. Photo: Shinsen Hanten

Pedestrians walk through Yokohama Chinatown in 2020. Photo: AFP

How Boston’s Chinatown overcame constant threats to win its place in history

A paifang gate marks an entrance to Boston Chinatown. Although at one time or another, Chinatowns existed in other cities in the United States’ New England region, today, Boston’s is the only one remaining. Photo: Hei-kiu Au

Roast meats hang in the window of a restaurant in Boston Chinatown. Photo: Hei-kiu Au

Empire Garden is a long-standing Chinese restaurant located in a historic building in Boston Chinatown. Photo: Hei-kiu Au

A street vendor sells Asian produce in Boston Chinatown. Photo: Hei-kiu Au

The Auntie Kay and Uncle Frank Chin Park in Boston’s Chinatown is named after the volunteers who for years served as the park’s unofficial custodians. Photo: Hei-kiu Au

Established in 1960, China Pearl is Boston Chinatown’s oldest restaurant. It serves dim sum the old-school way – from trolleys. Photo: Hei-kiu Au

The face of Michelle Wu, Boston’s first Asian-American mayor, can be seen all over Boston Chinatown. Photo: Hei-kiu Au

From Manhattan’s Cantonese enclave to Flushing, where Mandarin rules, the food and language in city’s Chinatowns tell stories of immigration


From Manhattan’s Cantonese enclave to Flushing, where Mandarin rules, the food and language in city’s Chinatowns tell stories of immigration.


United States

Of New York’s many Chinatowns, 3 stand out. How immigration shaped them over the decades

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}From Manhattan’s Cantonese enclave to Flushing, where Mandarin rules, the food and language in city’s Chinatowns tell stories of immigration

From Manhattan’s Cantonese enclave to Flushing, where Mandarin rules, the food and language in city’s Chinatowns tell stories of immigration