Chinatown, Oakland, California
37°48′00″N 122°16′13″W / 37.80000°N 122.27028°W
Oakland Chinatown
屋崙華埠 | |
---|---|
Lake Merritt | |
Website | Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce |
The Chinatown neighborhood in
Chinatown is located in downtown Oakland, with its center at 8th Street and Webster Street. Its northern edge is 12th Street, and its southern edge is Interstate 880 (located approximately at 6th Street). It stretches from Broadway on the west to the southern tip of Lake Merritt in the east. Due to a combination of factors, some more broad-based related to difficult circumstances for Oakland itself, while other factors are more specific to this neighborhood, Oakland's Chinatown faces a struggle for survival.[1]
Geography
Chinatown is located in Downtown Oakland, bounded by Broadway to the west, Interstate 880 to the south, Fallon Street and Laney College to the east, and 12th Street to the north,[2] although the City of Oakland considers the northern edge to be 14th Street.[3] The historic commercial core of the neighborhood lies along Webster (between 7th and 9th) and 8th (between Franklin and Harrison).[4]: 13
Many Chinatowns in America have added a formal entry gate (
The neighborhood can be roughly divided into two distinct areas:
- The western half, between Broadway and Harrison Street, is the commercial area, with busy streets lined with markets, restaurants, banks, and other businesses.
- The eastern half, east of Harrison Street, is more residential in character with more apartments and condominiums, less crowded sidewalks, and a mix of retail stores that are more service and product oriented, with fewer groceries and restaurants.
Though most commercial activity is south of 10th Street, there are nonetheless many retail shops, stores, and restaurants north of 10th Street and in other parts of Downtown Oakland which are owned by Chinese and Korean merchants. In particular at the edge of Chinatown, 14th street between Webster and Harrison is a block which features numerous Korean restaurants and businesses, especially on the north side of the block.
Recent immigrants have also moved south into "New Oakland Chinatown" in the San Antonio neighborhood along
Notable landmarks
- Bill Louie's Corner - 8th and Franklin[5]
Chinese Community United Methodist Church
The Chinese Community United Methodist Church (CCUMC), which was initially the Chinese Methodist Church was founded in 1887. The church was established as part of a chain of
The church was located at several sites in Oakland Chinatown. Chan Hon Fun was the pastor from 1900 to 1909 and established the church's current location in 1905 at 321 8th Street Oakland, CA 94607. In 1913, a fire devastated the building and a new building was erected. But by the 1940s, the church outgrew even this building. Under the leadership of Rev Edwar Lee, a new church and the current main sanctuary was built in 1952. With more growth, more space was needed, and a new social hall and classrooms annex was built in 1970.[9]
Today, the Chinese Community United Methodist Church conducts both a Chinese (Cantonese and Mandarin) language worship service and English worship service on Sundays.
Pacific Renaissance Plaza
A mixed use complex built by Hong Kong investors in 1993,[4]: 13 this plaza with a central fountain with seating is often viewed as the center of Oakland Chinatown. The first and second floors are mixed retail/office/civic spaces; it consists of many restaurants, jewelry store, banks, ice creamery, and other retail and health services as well as the Asian Branch Library and Oakland Asian Cultural Center. There are also residential condos/rentals on three sides of the plaza above the second floor: a 13-story residential building on the west side and two 4 story buildings on the south and east side. Underneath is a 3 level parking lot.
Parks
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Chinese Garden Park has a small pagoda
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Junk-themed play structure at Lincoln Square Park
-
The small sand playground at Wilma Chan Park is encircled by a concrete dragon
There are three city parks in Chinatown,[10] all east of Harrison and occupying one block each:
- Chinese Garden Park (bounded by Harrison, Alice, 6th, and 7th). This formerly was named Harrison Railroad Park, which displayed Southern Pacific 2467 and several historic cars for thirty years until 1990. The building was designed by Henry Chang Jr.[11]
- Lincoln Square Park (bounded by Harrison, Alice, 10th, and 11th). The mural on the recreation center was painted by LuQman.[11][12]
- Wilma Chan Park (bounded by Jackson, Madison, 8th, and 9th). This was formerly Madison Park, renamed in 2022 for Alameda County supervisor Wilma Chan, who died after being hit by a driver while walking her dog.[13]
History
Early days
The Chinese immigrants first settled in shrimp camps on the
Present location
Fears of the
The first Chinese in Oakland fished in the San Francisco Bay for shrimp similarly to the Chinese at China Camp near San Rafael.[15] In 1868, Chinese laborers built the Temescal Dam in Oakland providing water for the East Bay as well as the Lake Chabot Dam in 1874–75. They worked in canneries, cotton mills and fuse and explosive factories as well as farms.
In the 1880s, discriminatory laws made it difficult for Chinese immigrants to own land or even find work. They found work as
Settlers from other Asian countries began arriving after the Chinese Exclusion Act. Japanese immigrants began settling in Oakland in the 1890s mostly in
Earthquake alternative
The 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire destroyed most of San Francisco's Chinatown and more than 4,000 Chinese survivors found refuge in Oakland. Even while San Francisco Chinatown was rebuilding, many stayed in Oakland, bringing the Chinatown population to about 2,500. Because of continuing immigration restrictions barring Chinese women and children, a bachelor society was created.
In the 1920s, Oakland Chinatown grew from 10th Street to the waterfront from Broadway to Harrison. Even in 1940, the Chinatown population grew only to about 3,000. With the United States involvement in World War II and the fact that China was an ally, the Chinese Exclusion Act was repealed in 1943, however the immigration quota was maintained at 105 immigrants per year.[20]
Post-war growth
In 1950, Chinatown had grown to a population of 5,500, but local housing was lost due to the construction of
Oakland Chinatown was economically stagnant for many years, especially after multigenerational Chinatown residents began moving to the suburbs in the late 1960s.
Contemporary pan-Asian center
Chinatown saw much steady development during the 1980s and 1990s as Chinese American merchants relocated from San Francisco to Oakland, and due to increased immigration from mainland China,
People and culture
The residents of Oakland Chinatown include
The Oakland Asian Cultural Center offers cultural programs including performances, workshops, festivals, school tours, classes, and exhibitions.
Annual cultural events and fairs
- Tết)
- Treasure Island, California.
- The Oakland Chinatown StreetFest has been held on the 4th weekend of August annually since 1988.[22]
- Mid-Autumn Festival (also known as Moon Festival or Vietnamese Tết Trung Thu)
Performing arts
Libraries
The Asian Branch Library is one of many of Oakland Public Library's branches and is located in Chinatown's "Pacific Renaissance Plaza."[23] The Asian Library is unique among public library branches in the United States as it houses eight Asian languages (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, Cambodian, Tagalog and Laotian) in major reference titles and general subject titles, an Asian Studies collection, in addition to an English-language Asian American collection.
The Asian Community Library was founded in 1975 as part of a Federal Library Services Construction Act grant to create a model library serving the Asian community in Oakland with multilingual staff and collections. It shared space with the Park Boulevard Branch at 1934 Park Blvd which was 1.5 miles from Chinatown. To improve access to Asian patrons it operated the Asian Bookmobile in Chinatown and Berkeley. In 1978, it moved to the Main Library about 0.5 miles from Chinatown. In 1981, it moved to a storefront among Chinatown shops and food stores in the 15 story City Center Plaza condos building at 449 9th Street at Broadway becoming the Asian Branch Library. The current location in the Pacific Renaissance Plaza opened in 1995.[24]
Notable natives and residents
- Amy Tan, author
- Ben Fong-Torres, journalist, author, radio personality
- Bruce Lee, martial artist, actor
- Dong Kingman (1911–2000), watercolorist, created paintings for Flower Drum Song and The World of Suzie Wong
- Dr. Charles Goodall Lee (1881–1973), dentist, first licensed Chinese dentist who financed the lodge building of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance in Oakland
- Frank Chin, writer
- Fred Korematsu resisted, and then challenged in court, the forced internment of Japanese Americans during World War II (See Korematsu v. United States for more information.)
- Lew Hing (1858–1934), tycoon, founded successful cannery building an empire in banking, shipping, and real estate
- March Fong Eu, politician
- Matt Fong, politician
- Maxine Hong Kingston, writer of The Woman Warrior and China Men
- Joe Shoong, founder of the National Dollar Stores and philanthropist
- Derrick Soo, homeless advocate; 2022 Oakland mayoral candidate
- Rodney Yee, yoga instructor
- Wendy Yoshimura, watercolor artist
- William Wong, journalist and author
Government
Representatives
- United States Senate represented by Laphonza Butler and Alex Padilla
- United States House of Representatives District 13 represented by Barbara Lee
- California State Assembly District 18 represented by Mia Bonta[25]
- California State Senate District 9 represented by Nancy Skinner
- Alameda County District 3 (Chinatown, Jack London, Fruitvale, and San Antonio portions of Oakland, Alameda, San Leandro, San Lorenzo, Hayward Acres) represented by Lena Tam.[26]
- Grand Lake-Chinatown)[28]represented by Nikki Fortunato Bas.
- Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao.[29]
- Alameda County District 3 (Chinatown, Jack London, Fruitvale, and San Antonio portions of Oakland, Alameda, San Leandro, San Lorenzo, Hayward Acres) represented by Lena Tam.[26]
Police and fire
The Oakland Police Department's Administration Building is located at 455 Seventh St.
Chinatown is in Oakland Police Department's Beat 3X.[30] The Community Services Section hosts the Asian Advisory Committee on Crime and the Asian Youth Services Committee.[31][32]
The Chinatown Neighborhood Crime Prevention Council for beat 3x, a neighborhood
Oakland Fire Department, Fire Station No. 12 is located at 822 Alice Street at 9th Street.
Infrastructure
Transportation
Located at the crossroads of the 880 freeway, the
The neighborhood is connected to I-880 at an off-ramp (at 6th and Oak) and a corresponding on-ramp (at 5th and Oak); it also is connected to I-980 at off-ramps (at 6th & Broadway and 5th & Jackson) and an on-ramp (at 6th and Jackson). Oakland's Public Works Agency reconfigured travel lanes on Jackson Street to separate traffic travelling south on Jackson from traffic merging into Jackson from the slip lane of eastbound 7th Street. This effectively eliminated any possibility of the lost art of the alternating "zipper" merge, initially through signs and later updated with flex posts added around 2014.
The volume of automobile traffic travelling away from the core of Chinatown on 7th Street towards these
A safety campaign resulted in the first pedestrian scramble system in Alameda County, implemented in 2002 at the intersection of 8th and Webster to reduce pedestrian fatalities and injuries;[36][37] it subsequently was expanded to four intersections (8th/9th and Webster/Franklin) in 2004.[38] In addition, the I-880 Oakland Alameda Access Project, sponsored by the Alameda County Transportation Commission (CTC), is intended to improve connectivity between I-880/I-980 and Alameda, via the Posey and Webster Street Tubes. Currently, motorists must travel along busy Chinatown streets between the tubes and the freeway, and a more direct connection will reduce conflicts between cars and pedestrians.[39] Caltrans and Alameda CTC propose to remove and reconfigure the freeway off-ramps in the area to reconfigure traffic flows.[40]: 1–20
Until recently, California Auto Insurance company actuarial models charged higher rates to residents in the Chinatown's zip code under a practice known as territorial rating, or zip code profiling. The insurance actuarial theory behind this market practice purports that drivers residing or "principally garaging" their cars in a certain area face a greater loss and accident ratio. This practice was outlawed by California voters in 1988 by Proposition 103 on the statewide ballot. The law made its way through the courts for 18 years before several insurance companies settled with California Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi in 2006 to put an end to the practice.
Chinatown residents are twice as likely to take transit as residents city-wide, and 38% of households do not have access to a private motor vehicle.
Education
Public schools
Residents of Chinatown are zoned to schools in the Oakland Unified School District. Zoned schools include [1]:
- Westlake Middle School[46]
- Oakland Technical High School[47]
American Indian Public Charter School II, a charter school campus of the American Indian Model Schools system, is located in Chinatown.[48] It caters to students living in the Chinatown and Lake Merritt areas.[49] In 2008 it shared a campus with Oakland Charter Academies (now Amethod Public Schools).[48]
The Lighthouse Community Charter School[50] was established in Oakland's Chinatown in the 2004 – 2005 school year with grades K-2 and 6–8 and later expanded to serve grades K – 12. In the 2009–2010 school year, the school relocated to a facility close to the Oakland airport.[51]
Yu Ming Charter School,[52] a Mandarin immersion charter school, currently serves grades K through 4. It will eventually grow to K through 8 by adding a grade every year. Formerly located at 321 10th Street, the school moved to 1086 Alcatraz Avenue in February 2013.
Colleges and universities
- Laney College is a community college located at the south end of Chinatown. Course offerings include Asian and Asian American Studies, Chinese language, Japanese language, and Chinese Opera (Music Department). It is a part of the Peralta Community College District.
- Cal State East Bay has the Oakland Professional Development and Conference Center at Broadway and 11th Street. Continuing education courses includes a certificate program in Teaching Chinese as a Heritage or Other Language.
Other education services
- The Mun Fu Yuen "Chinese school" has after school and weekend classes in Cantonese and Mandarin to promote the Chinese language and culture at the Shoong Family Chinese Cultural Center on 9th Street at Harrison. The Center was established in 1953 by philanthropist Joe Shoong with the support of the Oakland Chinese community. It is the original and longest established Chinese school in Oakland with graduates that have contributed much towards the welfare of our Oakland community.
Healthcare Services and Options
A source of healthcare for the surrounding community include Asian Health Services. Since 1974, they have provided the densely populated Asian community with health services including mental health, dental care, advocacy and opportunities to participate in community leadership. "To serve and advocate for the medically underserved, including the immigrant and refugee Asian community...", is an integral part of their mission statement.[53]
There are several Asian Health Services buildings in Chinatown, centered on 8th and Webster, including:[54]
- Chenming & Margaret Hu Medical Center (818 Webster)
- Rolland & Kathryn Lowe Medical Center (835 Webster)
- ARC Clinic (817 Harrison)
- Main Dental Clinic (345 9th)
- Mental Health (310 8th)
See also
- History of Chinese Americans in San Francisco
- Jack London Square
- Lakeside Apartments District
- List of ethnic enclaves in North American cities
- Oakland City Center
- Old Oakland
References
Books
- Bagwell, Beth (1982). Oakland, the Story of a City. Novato, California: Presidio Press. LCCN 82-13262.
- Collins, Willie R. (Ed.) (1994). Chinese traditional arts and folklore in Oakland. City of Oakland Cultural Arts Division's Traditional Arts Program.
- Ma, Eve Armentrout and Ma, Jeong Huei (1982). The Chinese of Oakland: Unsung Builders Oakland Chinese History Research Committee.
- National Park Service History. A History of Chinese Americans in California. Retrieved June 7, 2005.
- Wa Sung Community Service Club. Oakland Chinatown Community Directory 2005.
- Wong, William (2004). Oakland's Chinatown (Images of America: California).
- Fong Torres, Ben (1994). The Rice Room: Growing up Chinese-American—From Number Two Son to Rock 'n' Roll. ISBN 0-452-27412-5
Websites
- ^ a b c Ralph Jennings (July 21, 2023). "US Chinatowns are shrinking, and while some want to fight, new ones are springing up". South China Morning Post. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
In San Francisco's Chinatown, the oldest hub of Chinese-owned businesses in the United States, vacancy signs pockmark the district's dining establishments, gift shops and herb stalls. And at a Chinatown across San Francisco Bay in Oakland, rampant storefront graffiti and the fear of robbery chill the daily bustle of kerbside grocery shopping.
- ^ "Oakland Chinatown". Visit Oakland. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
- ^ a b c "Chinatown Complete Streets Plan". City of Oakland. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
- ^ ISBN 1-56639-830-4.
- ^ "In Oakland's heart, a different world". East Bay Times. 2005-07-03. Retrieved 2020-01-02.
- ^ "Chinese in California". Retrieved July 19, 2012.
- ^ "Chinese Mission". Retrieved July 30, 2012.
- ^ "Chinese Community United Methodist Church (about us page)". Retrieved July 30, 2012.
- LCCN 87-90526.
- ^ "Parks". City of Oakland. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
- ^ a b Hession, Stephanie Wright (August 20, 2014). "Explore Oakland's Chinatown". SF Gate. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
- ^ "Top Murals in Oakland Chinatown". Visit Oakland. April 13, 2017. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
- ^ Sciacca, Annie (May 4, 2022). "Oakland's Madison Park to become Wilma Chan Park in honor of late supervisor". The Mercury News. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
- ^ Oakland's Old Uptown Chinatown
- ^ China Camp State Park
- ^ Downtown Oakland Japanese American Businesses of 1940 with a detailed inset map of Oakland Chinatown. Japantown Atlas. Accessed 2010-08-14.
- ^ "I Am An American" photo by Dorothea Lange
- ^ Buddhist Church of Oakland website
- ISBN 978-0-7385-5832-5
- ^ "Milestones: 1937–1945 – Office of the Historian". history.state.gov. Retrieved 2018-01-18.
- ^ "Lake Merritt Station Area Plan" (PDF). San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. December 2014. p. 2-4.
- ^ Oakland Chinatown StreetFest website
- ^ Asian Branch Library website
- ^ Kelly Wong, website writer-curator. (circa 2019-2020). The Asian Community Library. The Berkeley Revolution: A digital archive of the East Bay's transformation in the late-1960s & 1970s. UC Berkeley's Digital Humanities and Global Urban Humanities initiatives. Accessed 2021-04-17.
- ^ "Members | Assembly Internet".
- ^ Alameda County Board of Supervisors – District 3
- ^ City of Oakland Officials
- ^ City Council District 2 map Archived 2005-12-13 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Mayor Sheng Thao
- ^ Beat 3x website
- ^ Asian Youth Service Committee
- ^ Community Services Section at http://oaklandpolice.com
- ^ Oakland Fire Department: Home Archived 2005-05-07 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Citywide Crash Analysis" (PDF). City of Oakland. August 2018. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
30% of streets in majority Asian census tracts fall on the City of Oakland Pedestrian High Injury Network - the largest percentage of any ethnicity (Source: Equity Indicators Report, Office of Race & Equity, 2018)
- ^ "High Injury Network" (PDF). Oakland Department of Transportation. 2018. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
- ^ Pedestrian scramble evaluation (Report). UC Berkeley. Archived from the original on 2005-04-26.
- ^ Bechtel, Allyson K.; MacLeod, Kara E.; Ragland, David R. (December 17, 2003). Oakland Chinatown Pedestrian Scramble: An Evaluation (Report). U.C. Berkeley Traffic Safety Center. Paper UCB-TSC-RR-2003-06.
- ^ Roth, Matthew (January 13, 2009). "Eyes on the Street: History of Oakland Chinatown's Barnes Dance". Streetsblog SF. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
- ^ "Oakland Alameda Access Project". Alameda County Transportation Commission. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
- ^ Oakland Alameda Access Project: Final Environmental Impact Report (PDF) (Report). Alameda County Transportation Commission. August 2021. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
- ^ a b "Transit Stops [near Lake Merritt BART station]" (PDF). AC Transit. August 4, 2020. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
- ^ a b "Transit Stops [near 12th St/Oakland City Center BART station]" (PDF). AC Transit. August 18, 2020. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
- ^ "Line 1T: International - E. 14th". AC Transit. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
- ^ Katz, Alex. "Chinatown school beating odds Lincoln Elementary in select group to be honored for achievement gains Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine." Oakland Tribune. Saturday January 7, 2006. Retrieved on September 9, 2011.
- ^ "LINCOLN Elementary School Boundaries Archived 2012-04-02 at the Wayback Machine." Oakland Unified School District. Retrieved on September 11, 2011.
- ^ "WESTLAKE Middle School Boundaries Archived 2012-04-02 at the Wayback Machine." Oakland Unified School District. Retrieved on September 11, 2011.
- ^ "OAKLAND TECHNICAL High School Boundaries Archived 2012-04-02 at the Wayback Machine." Oakland Unified School District. Retrieved on September 11, 2011.
- ^ The Oakland Tribune. Monday November 3, 2008. Retrieved on September 11, 2011.
- ^ "Family Handbook Archived April 2, 2012, at the Wayback Machine." American Indian Public Charter School II. 4. Updated June 22, 2009. Retrieved on September 9, 2011.
- ^ Lighthouse Community Charter School website
- ^ "On the Couch: Stephen Sexton and Jenna Stauffer". SFGate. Retrieved 2018-01-18.
- ^ Yu Ming website
- ^ "Our Mission". Asian Health Services. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
- ^ "Locations / Hours of Operation". Asian Health Services. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
- U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Chinatown, Oakland, California
- Shoong Family Chinese Cultural Center: Chinatown, Oakland
Further reading
- Ah-Tye, Howard (1999). Resourceful Chinese. Matai Group.
- Chann, Ernest (1976). "Brief History of Oakland Chinatown." Unpublished monograph. At Oakland Public Library, Oakland History Room.
- Chow, Willard T. (June 1, 1977). The Reemergence of an Inner City: The Pivot of Chinese Settlement in the East Bay Region of the San Francisco Bay Area. San Francisco: R & E Research Associates, Inc. LCCN 77-075492.
- Ma, L. Eva Armentrout (January 1, 2001). Hometown Chinatown: A History of Oakland's Chinese Community, 1852–1995. (Asian Americans). Garland Publishing. ISBN 0-8153-3760-4
- Wong, William (2001). Yellow Journalist: Dispatches from Asian America. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. ISBN 1-56639-830-4.
External links
- Oakland Chinatown History overview, personal histories, and photos
- Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce
- Taste More Than China In Oakland's Chinatown SF Chronicle August 9, 2000
- Oakland Chinatown Enjoying Renaissance AsianWeek Sept 2, 1999
- Reclaimed Stories: Chinatown, Oakland Project press release
- Chinese in California, 1850–1920 Archived 2004-01-09 at the Wayback Machine Library of Congress' American Memory website
- Oakland Asian Cultural Center
- Oakland Chinatown Oral History Project Archived 2015-10-02 at the Wayback Machine – inter-generational oral history project to collect and preserve the ongoing narrative of community life in Oakland Chinatown