CONNECTIONS TO COMMUNITY: CHINATOWN

Jessica, Miles, Daniel, and Zaks

CHINATOWN, CHICAGOChinatown is located on the near South Side of Chicago. It’s center is at the intersection of Cermak and Wentworth avenue, and expands from there. It reaches as high as 18th Street and stretches down to 26th Street. Chinatown Square is located on Archer Avenue between Wentworth Avenue and Princeton Avenue.

It is the second largest Chinatown located in the United States because it holds more people than New York’s larger Chinatown.

Chinatown serves as a hub for the community of Chinese people that reside in Chicago and the surrounding area, as a center of business for Chinese located in the Midwest, and as a tourist attraction.

DEMOGRAPHICS AND MEDIAN INCOME Chinatown has a total population of 48,447, which is a 0.2% increase from 2010. The median age of the population is 36.24 years. Of the 48,447 people who live in Chinatown, 65% have white-collar occupations, while 35% have blue-collar occupations. Chinatown has a crime rate that is above the national average. 

The median household income of the neighborhood is $43,721.

GETTING THERE Walk to the Loyola CTA station and take the Red Line to the Cermak-Chinatown station. Stay on the CTA for a total of 21 stops and it will take approximately an hour to get there. 

SOME BACKGROUND After the completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869, the Chinese workers who made up the majority of the work force that had built it began to move to the eastern United States. The Chinese who had settled on the west coast also began to move east, in fear of the growing anti-Chinese sentiment. T. C. Moy, who arrived in 1878, is considered the first Chinese pioneer of Chicago. After settling here, he managed to coerce 80 friends and family members to join him in just one year. As anti-Chinese sentiment grew on the west coast, more and more Chinese people began to move east. Chinatown was officially founded in 1912 when the On Leong Merchants Association constructed what would become the Pui Tak Center, a building that housed a large concentration of Chinese-run businesses and housing.

DRAGON COLUMN MONUMENTS

The Dragon Column Monuments are twin column monuments located at the end of each of the two main roads that run through Chinatown. They were constructed in the early 90’s as part of the work to beautify Chinatown.

CHINESE VETERANS MEMORIAL

This monument was built in honor of the Chinese American soldiers that have served in the United States military.

PUI TAK CENTER

The Pui Tak Center was once the workspace of the On Leong Merchants Association which initiated the relocation of businesses from the Loop to Chinatown. It has served as a courtroom, a school, a rec center, and a social service agency. It’s architecture is an important representation of Chinese culture and tradition.

INTERVIEW WITH MIN WANG Q: How long have you been a member of this community?

A: 10 Years

Q: What is one of your favorite memories of this neighborhood? A: There are a lot of Chinese around, so I am very familiar in my hometown.

Q: What advice would you give to visitors in this neighborhood to explore here? A: Try the great Chinese food.

Q: What is one word or phrase that describes this neighborhood? A: The air, the land, and the people are very nice, too.

A REFLECTION OF OUR EXPERIENCE

Jessica and I took an Uber to our site because it was quicker than public transit and we wanted to have as much time as possible at our site. On the way, however, we realized that we had chosen to visit on Saint Patrick's Day. We were worried that this would color our experience, but as soon as we arrived, we found that, save for a few tourists stumbling through, Chinatown was completely unaffected by the holiday. We met Daniel and Zachs at the entrance, the iconic arch labelled "Welcome to Chinatown." After a brief detour to visit the Veterans' memorial and the Dragon statues, we walked under the arch and down the main street, taking in the sights, sounds, smells, and culture of the neighborhood, including that of the historic Pui Tak center. Because it was Thursday, foot traffic was light, but the experience still felt authentic. For the interview portion, we were lucky to have Zachs, a native Chinese speaker, to act as an interpreter. We ended our trip with a visit to local candy store Aji Ichiban.

- Miles

WORKS CITED "Chicago Chinatown History - Chicago". Chicago. N.p., 2016. Web. 26 Feb. 2016. Chicago's Chinatown. 1st ed. Chicago: www.chicagochinatown.org, 2011. Web. 12 Mar. 2016.

Chinatown, Chicago. (2016, March 10). Retrieved March 22, 2016, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinatown,_Chicago

Chinatown neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois (IL), 60616 detailed profile. (2016). Retrieved February 26, 2016, from http://www.city-data.com/neighborhood/Chinatown-Chicago- IL.html

Google Maps. (n.d.). Retrieved May 20, 2016, from https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Loyola University Chicago, West Sheridan Road, Chicago, IL/Chinatown, Chicago, IL/@41.9252566,- 87.7132959,12z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x880fd1a0d95 c53a9:0x42b5c8e3d98f2dff!2m2!1d-87.6582194!2d41.9998037!1m5!1m1!1s0x880e2c6094f0e2f3:0xd6ba620cfbe60bb1!2m2!1d-87.634049!2d41.850691!3e3