Chinatown Q&A: Things You Probably Never Thought to Ask

Here are some questions that are a bit too short to deserve their own posts, but are interesting information nonetheless.

Q: When did Chinatown become known as Chinatown?

A: According to PBS's "Chinatown Guide", the first Chinese in the area settled either on the street next to Portsmouth Square, or in the immediate block around it. The area was first known as "Little Canton", and it wasn't until 1853 that the local press named the area "Chinatown".

Q: What books should I read if I want to know more about San Francisco Chinatown?

A: In no particular order:

San Francisco's Chinatown by Judy Yung and the Chinese Historical Society of America, full of vintage photographs, this book documented the life in Chinatown never seen before.

The Children of Chinatown: Growing Up Chinese American in San Francisco, 1850-1920 by Wendy Rouse, discusses the seldomly touched subject: children in Chinatown, who really feel the prejudices against them and probably does not understand why.

The White Devil's Daughters by Julia Flynn Siler, a rare look into how one of the earliest shelters for trafficked women came to be in Chinatown, and how Donaldina "Dolly" Cameron left a legacy as "mother" for 3000 rescued Chinese girls.

Hatchet Man by Richard Dillon, documented the Tong Wars in Chinatown prior to 1906.

Ghosts of Gold Mountain by Gordon H Chang How Chinese workers built the Intercontinental railroad for America, then were pushed out by xenophobia and left to fade from memory.

Chinese Laundries: Tickets to Survival on Gold Mountain by John Jung, how Chinese laundries in both US and Canada were a response to lack of opportunities, then when they finally enjoyed some success they were discriminated against, and some of the children watching their parents toil, barely understanding...

Tables From The Rubble: How The Restaurants That Arose After the Great Quake of 1906 Still Feed San Francisco Today by Denise E. Clifton, includes a chapter on Sam Wo, the oldest restaurant in Chinatown.

The Chinese Must Go: Violence, Exclusion, and the Making of the Alien in America by Beth Lew-Williams, discusses the xenophobia in the 1870s against the Chinese

Driven Out: The Forgotten War Against Chinese Americans by Jean Pfaelzer, same subject, different author

Comments

Dragon Gate and its Surprising History

You can't come to SF Chinatown and leave out Dragon Gate, aka the Chinatown Gate, at the corner of Bush and Grant. But do you know its history? Chinatown Gate, aka Dragon Gate, San Francisco Dragon Gate (aka Chinatown Gate, aka Dragon's Gate) was designed by Clayton Lee and others in 1967 in response to a mayoral competition, and his was the winning entry. Originally two gates were proposed, but the other gate leading to Barbary Coast was dropped due to lack of funds, and cost overrun. The gate itself was designed after a Chinese "pailou 牌樓" or "paifang 牌坊", which were the "gates" that marked separate fang 坊, or "ward" within a city. However, later it evolved into a purely decorative element. As with tradition, the gate faces South, and is composed of a large gate with two smaller side gates. The gate has a lot of its materials donated by Taiwan (Republic of China) including artisanal tiles, roofing, and the two guardian lions. Despite...

So What Exactly Are the Tongs of Chinatown?

The Tongs of Chinatown started off as an attempt to do good, but ended up corrupted by greed and turned into a term of evil. But what are they really? Tong 堂 literally means the main room or a hall. It could be termed an "association", and they still exist today in San Francisco Chinatown. Hop Sing Tong, or 合勝縂堂 (lit: united victory main hall) photo courtesy of Wikipedia / Wikicommons The Tongs started as immigrant associations serving people with common former residency, common dialect, or common ancestry. The tongs will help people fresh off the boast to adapt to the new culture. If you can find a tong that is affiliated with your village or your clan or speak your dialect, you will be welcomed. You will be given a bed for the night, then help to find a job, and find proper housing. The tongs also offered both physical and legal protection. By 1854, the Chinese have been ruled to have no right to participate in the court system . In People vs. Hall, a Chinese witnes...

Waverly Place: more than just a Chinatown Alley with a Sordid History

Waverly Pl was far more than just an alley in San Francisco. During the earliest days of San Francisco, it was apparently known as "Pike Street", at least until the 1906 Earthquake. I cannot find any historical references on when the name was changed. Many references imply state "Waverly Pl, (formerly Pike St.) while other references imply stated Pike St. Even from the earliest days in Chinatown, it was known as a place of brothels, and allegedly both Bella Cora and Ah Toy, the two most famous madams of Chinatown, have brothels at or very close to Pike St. (later Waverly Pl). For a while, the brothels co-existed with barbers on the same street, where sailors and miners can get a haircut and a shave for 5 cents, and later, 10 cents. So the area was also known as Five Cent Street or Ten Cent Street for a while. But the street remained mired with vices. A "crime map" prepared for SF City Supervisors in 1885, note the blue and red vices mapped. courtesy Cornell U...

The Hidden Chinatown of San Francisco

Search This Blog