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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


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About the author

Kasey is a professional tour guide and amateur historian who specialized in Chinatown History and Tours. You will often find him guiding groups sampling delicious food and learning interesting historical tidbits about Chinatown most weekends.

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