Chinatown, Washington, D.C.
Chinatown | |
---|---|
202 |
History
The Chinatown area was once home to many
Chinatown remained a strong community into the 1960s, but the 1968 Washington, D.C., riots that followed Martin Luther King's assassination, and the ensuing decline of D.C.'s downtown area, led many of the Chinese residents of Chinatown to move to suburbs in Maryland and Virginia.[3] [4] [5]
In the early 1980s, the D.C. government built a new convention center between 9th and 11th streets, displacing Chinese residents living in the area.[6] In 1982, the city built the Wah Luck House apartments at 6th and H Streets, NW, to accommodate the displaced residents. Designed by architect Alfred Liu, the apartment building introduced modern Chinese design motifs due to the red-paneled balconies.[7]
In 1986, the city dedicated the
The
Numerous writers have cited Chinatown as an example of gentrification[9][11][12][13] and an example of the commodification of culture.[14] In 2015, the Washington Post reported that only about 300 Chinese-Americans remained in the borough, and many of them were being forced out by their landlords.[15][16]
Annual parade
Each year the China Lunar New Year is celebrated with a parade that The Washington Post called, "one of the city’s signature events for more than 50 years". Lunar New Year is a celebration of light with honors family and is said to wipe away bad luck. The annual parade is described as a "massive parade" features dragon dances. The parade was cancelled in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.[17]
On February 10, 2019 the parade celebrated the
Another parade which occurs in Chinatown is The Chinese Merchants Association parade. One such parade was hosted on September 10, 1957,
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1880 | 100 | — | |
1930 | 800 | — | |
2010 | 300 [23] | — | |
Chinese-American population [24] |
In 2010, the
After the deadly
Businesses and establishments
Along with the development of the Verizon Center, historic buildings, mainly along the west side of 7th Street, were renovated and tenanted, primarily with nationally known brand shops and dining establishments. Within a short time, a significant mixed-use office-residential-retail development on the southeast corner of 7th and H streets commenced construction. These developments, which included restaurants, shops, a cinema complex, and a bowling alley, together with the Verizon Center, transformed the area into a bustling scene for nightlife, shopping, and entertainment. An anomaly is that most of the businesses are no longer representative of Chinatown, yet due to a city design guidelines encouraging businesses to use Chinese characters, even national chains hang their names in Chinese outside their stores.
Chinatown's most prominent businesses are the approximately 20 Chinese and Asian restaurants, almost all of which are owned by Asian American families. Among the most well-known are Chinatown Express, Eat First, Full Kee, and Tony Cheng's. One of the restaurants, Wok & Roll, occupies what was once the Mary E. Surratt Boarding House — the meeting place for John Wilkes Booth and his conspirators in Abraham Lincoln's assassination. Another is located in a house once owned by the On Leong Chinese Merchants Association, which was among the first Chinese organizations to move into the neighborhood; today the structure is on the National Register of Historic Places.
The neighborhood is home to a Chinese video store, several general stores, and numerous Chinese American cultural and religious charities. Chinatown has one Chinese church, Chinese Community Church, located at 500 I Street. Chinese Community Church was founded in 1935, initially at L Street, but relocated in 2006 to its current I Street location.[31] The Sixth & I Historic Synagogue has been restored and is the scene of cultural events.
The Washington DC Chinatown Community Cultural Center offers numerous activities, classes and services.[32]
Transportation
The Gallery Place Washington Metro station (on the Red, Green, and Yellow Lines), which opened in 1976, serves the neighborhood.[27] The name of the station was changed to Gallery Place-Chinatown in 1986. Two important Metrobus routes cross at 7th and H Streets.
In culture
Within the FBI-commissioned film Game of Pawns the D.C. Chinatown is used as a stand-in for Shanghai.[33]
See also
References
- ^ "The rise and fall of DC's Chinatown". Archived from the original on 2019-10-16. Retrieved 2019-10-16.
- ^ "History of Washington DC -Chinatown" Archived 2014-12-13 at the Wayback Machine Chinatown Community Cultural Center Retrieved 12 December 2014
- ^ "Downtown Historic District (Chinatown) Washington, D.C." U.S. National Park Service. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
- ^ "Through Chinatown's Eyes: April 1968". Maryland Public Television. Public Broadcasting Service. Archived from the original on 20 November 2023. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
- ^ Simons, Sasha-Ann. "Black, White, And Asian — Three Reflections On The 1968 D.C. Riots". WAMU 88.5. NPR. Archived from the original on 16 November 2023. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
- ^ "Downtown Historic District (Chinatown) Washington, D.C." U.S. National Park Service. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
- ^ Harrison Lee papers Archived 2020-07-29 at the Wayback Machine, Special Collections Research Center, Estelle and Melvin Gelman Library, The George Washington University.
- ^ DeFerrari, John (February 9, 2011). "Chinatown's Friendship Archway". Greatergreaterwashington.org. Archived from the original on February 8, 2013. Retrieved September 30, 2012.
- ^ from the original on 2024-02-27. Retrieved 2019-09-04.
- ^ AsianWeek Staff and Associated Press. "Philadelphia Chinatown Wins Stadium Fight Archived September 26, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. AsianWeek. November 24–30, 2000. Retrieved on November 8, 2011.
- ^ Lewis, Aidan (2014-02-04). "The slow decline of American Chinatowns". BBC News. Archived from the original on 2023-03-27. Retrieved 2017-06-17.
- from the original on 2017-06-17. Retrieved 2017-06-17.
- ^ Cohen, Rick (2015-06-30). "The Remaining Chinese in DC's Chinatown Fight for Their Sense of Community". Nonprofit Quarterly. Archived from the original on 2017-08-17. Retrieved 2017-06-17.
- ^ a b Leeman, Jennifer; Modan, Gabriella (2010), "Selling the City: Language, Ethnicity, and Commodified Space", Linguistic Landscape in the City, archived from the original on 2024-02-27, retrieved 2018-12-19
- from the original on 2023-05-15. Retrieved 2017-06-17.
- ^ Stein, Perry (23 June 2015). "Remaining Chinese residents fight to stay near Chinatown neighborhood". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2017-08-18. Retrieved 2017-06-17.
- ^ Robinson, Chase F. (12 February 2021). "A different Lunar New Year celebration in D.C." Washington Post. Archived from the original on 12 February 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
- ^ Malet, Jeff (11 February 2019). "Celebrating the Year of the Pig in Chinatown (photos) | The Georgetowner". The Georgetowner. Archived from the original on 28 December 2023. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
- ^ Natanson, Hannah (27 January 2020). "At Lunar New Year parade in D.C., festivities mix with face masks and fear of coronavirus". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 3 April 2020. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ a b Kelly, John (19 May 2023). "Meet the people behind a famous D.C. photo". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 16 August 2018. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
- ^ "William C. Beall of Washington (DC) Daily News". www.pulitzer.org. The Pulitzer Prizes. Archived from the original on 2022-10-16. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
- ^ "The Pulitzer Prize Photographs NCSU Libraries, 2003". www.lib.ncsu.edu. NCSU Libraries. 10 May 2003. Archived from the original on 7 January 2024. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
- ^ "Washington, D.C.'s Chinatown has just 300 Chinese-American residents left". Archived from the original on 2016-05-14. Retrieved 2016-03-23.
- ^ "Downtown Historic District (Chinatown) Washington, D.C." Archived from the original on 2016-04-26. Retrieved 2016-03-23.
- ^ a b "Interactive: Mapping the census". U.S. Census. Archived from the original on May 13, 2011. Retrieved September 30, 2012.
- ^ Nakamura, David (July 10, 2011). "Wah Luck House maintains culture in dying D.C. Chinatown". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 22, 2011. Retrieved September 30, 2012.
- ^ a b Cambria, Jak. "Washington, D.C. Chinatown USA". Chinatownology.com. Archived from the original on December 4, 2012. Retrieved September 30, 2012.
- ^ a b Anna Spiegel (May 23, 2012). "The Great Fall of Chinatown". Washingtonian. Archived from the original on July 2, 2018. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". U.S. Census. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved September 30, 2012.
- ^ Heath, Tom (March 20, 2011). "The Buzz: Sinking Wizards, rising ticket sales". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on May 4, 2011. Retrieved June 15, 2011.
- ^ "About Us". Chinese Community Church. Archived from the original on November 20, 2012. Retrieved September 30, 2012.
- ^ "Chinatown Community Cultural". Chinatown Community Cultural Center. Archived from the original on 26 September 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
- ^ Stein, Perry. "Chinatown Passes for Shanghai in the FBI's Eyes Archived 2019-01-31 at the Wayback Machine." Washington City Paper. April 15, 2014. Retrieved on August 6, 2016.