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Ruiming Li

Professor Turner

English 114B

17 May 2018

San Francisco’s Chinatown

One of the place that when I moved from China to the United States in the San

Francisco, Chinatown. That was the place that I have more memory in my life and also was the

first place that I lived in. It retained the Chinese culture and tradition because my life always

has a connection with the Chinese culture. In Chinatown, most of the stores bring in the

Chinese foods, medicine, schools, books, games, and more. With the expansion of the Chinese

community. It becomes an important place for people to build a connection to their culture

when they leave their own country in the community. In the past, when Chinese people moved

to SF and they have the racism injustice and environments of the streets affect the people.

Chinatown is a small district that brings up to culture behaviors have their own

language, religions, identity, clubs, and schools that teach Chinese. Most of the ethnic Chinese

immigrant live near the district and start a new life. People opened the Chinese schools because

can let others who want to learn Chinese Culture and words. They want to let others can

understand how the community is important. Also, there was a park called Portsmouth Square.

People will go there for the square dance, TaiChi, played card games, events sang and the

parents brought their children to the playground. There were many tourists came to the

Chinatown and brought some Chinese souvenirs. The tourists can feel how the Chinatown can

affect people felt like in China. Most of them went to the Grant Ave because it was the place

where most impact the Chinese Culture.

People can make connections in their life after they move to other counties. When I
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first walked in the street, I discovered many of the Chinese words of the store's name. It was

very similar in my city of China. I don’t feel any uncomfortable with this place when I moved

here. I like the stores sell the Chinese snacks and that best part when I can eat against with

those Chinese snacks, but expert my mom doesn’t like me to buy those things it was like

unhealthy snacks. Although, my mom was like to go to the Chinese supermarket to buy

vegetables and fruits because she thinks that was cheaper and fresher than the grocery stores

like Whole Foods or Trader Joe's. So, this is why a lot of people will go there and cook

Chinese food. However, the streets still have some problem. Firstly, it is very dirty, messy and

even felt bad. Secondly, it was crowded. When I wear new pair shoes to walk in the street,

people will step on shoes easily and very difficult to remove the stain.

In the Chinatown, there have many restaurants like some of the people like to go for

breakfast to drink tea and eat dim sum. It was really crowded and noisy in the restaurants

because Chinese people prefer to chat with their family and friends in the morning. The food is

delightful and that what my favorite part of Chinatown. People preferred to bring their own

personal experience of how making those Chinese bread, cha siu, chow mein, Kung Pao

chicken, wonton, tea egg and more to the new place and community.

Another one, there have many Chinese Holiday events for a celebration like the

Chinese New Year, Mid-Autumn Day, Qingming Festival and Dragon Boat Festival. In my

family tradition, we celebrated the Chinese New Year and our family sat together had dinner.

After that, in the Chinatown also have a festival celebration of the Chinese New Year holiday.

In the morning, some of the company like AT&T, casino, McDonald and more and other stores

sold their items and get out some prizes. Also, people can win a lot of prizes and have some of

the free food. At night, some younger teenager to hold the dragon walk around the street with

lion dances and other dance at night. Some of the people can’t go to watch the street parade,
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but can go to the Chinese television “KTSF26” in San Francisco saw the live show at the same

time when the parade. Also, there has the Miss Chinatown pageant event that was a beauty

contest to find out a woman become Chinatown’s spokesperson. The parade is almost about

1.2 million to attend this event that including other come from other counties. It was really fun

when going there and this is my favorite holiday.

The history of the parade had beginnings in the 1860s during the Gold Rush era. It was

the time period a lot of the men from Guangdong went to San Francisco find gold that how the

parade starts with those people want to bring the Chinese cultural memory their hometown.

They want to create their own community. In 1953, the first Miss Chinatown pageant took

place in the parade. The parade wants the street to clear and let the activists can walk in the

street so that people also can see nearby start during the 1970s. It was all ready for 60th year

under the Chinese Chamber of Commerce.

“I think as you see the parade grow or expand every year, we just get more and more

cultural groups and even more cultural diversity. But the common theme is everyone celebrates

Chinese New Year,” William Gee, 39, a parade spokesperson said” (Hung NBC News). An

experience from the spokesperson for the Chinese New Year parade in San Francisco. I felt

that was the same with him because it was very different culture everyone can join together.

From every year, the parade has a lot of people and expand more activist. “While the parade is

a highly organized affair comprised of 300 volunteers and a $1 million budget, according to

organizers, it wasn’t always so.” (Hung NBC News). Most of the high schools’ students will

go there for volunteers this event and help their community. Also, the organizers and donated

was foundation the parade make it more full of variety. That could let people feel shaken and

surprised more interesting to know Chinese Culture.

In 1848, the first Chinese immigrant two adult males and one woman arrived in San
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Francisco on the American sailing vessel, Eagle. Also, that was the time period of the Gold

Rush and many Chinese people come to San Francisco to find gold. So, the financial pressures

most of the immigrants work for long hours and reduce wages. In 1906, there was a big

earthquake happened in San Francisco also affect Chinatown. After that, people rebuilt their

neighborhood. Because of the San Francisco earthquake, people became more united.

Most of the streets in Chinatown had the high slopes, but it was the problem for the

disabled people who use wheelchairs. Because of this reason, the environmental injustice to

make people hard to go to one place. Also, including the streets are not clear and dirty. So, the

people will go there less. Some restaurants are dirty and felt bad about how those spaces made

people don’t want to go inside to eat. Most of the buildings are old design and keep the

Chinese symbols. That is why need to improve the place can let more people come to the

Chinatown.

Hartlaub state that, “The history of Chinatown in San Francisco is filled with prejudice

and disaster; the Chinese suffered attacks, a plague and xenophobic rioters-businesses were

burned and citizens killed at the hands of the bigoted mob”. In the past, Chinese people were

discriminated and sick to death. So, it was to tell how injustice when the Chinese immigrants

moved to the Chinatown. Also, when the Chinese people first be they’re not a lot of the people

welcome them and want them to get out American. Racism happened in the past during that

period and lost jobs can’t get high wages.

In the Chinatown, it was a great community to bring same cultural people together. I

don’t think this space need to change anything. But it needs to keep those places to be clean

and nice. In our society, this space is for everyone can go to with a different culture or

background. People like to bring up their own country and cultivation to the new place help
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them to learn how making a better community.

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Work Cited:

Found@SF. Chinatown. ​http://www.foundsf.org/index.php?title=Category:Chinatown

Huffington Post Canada. 16 Jan. 2017,

​http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/01/29/traditional-chinese-food_n_4687460.html

Hartlaub, Peter.​ Our S.F.: Chinatown rises from ashes, after decades of

struggle. ​03 ​Oct. 2015,

https://www.sfchronicle.com/oursf/article/Our-SF-Chinatown-rises-from-ashes-after-dec

ades-6546489.php

Hung, Melissa​. A Chinatown tradition, San Francisco's Chinese New Year Parade is

'American like chop suey’ ​CBC. 14, Feb.

2018, ​https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/chinatown-tradition-san-francisco

-s-chinese-new-year-parade-american-n847661

National Park Service.​ 1906 Earthquake: Chinese Displacement.

https://www.nps.gov/prsf/learn/historyculture/1906-earthquake-chinese-treatment.htm

Risberg,Eric.​ ​The Associated Pres. ​San Francisco's after-dark gems; HIDDEN

CHINATOWN: An evening stroll along historic Grant Avenue reveals new. ​23 Jan.

2018, discoveries,

https://advance.lexis.com/document/?pdmfid=1516831&crid=404a93f4-4575-4b13-935

5-b1b394a0a517&pddocfullpath=%2Fshared%2Fdocument%2Fnews%2Furn%3Acont

entItem%3A5RG9-16R1-DY2S-T3V5-00000-00&pddocid=urn%3AcontentItem%3A5

RG9-16R1-DY2S-T3V5-00000-00&pdcontentcomponentid=249810&pdteaserkey=sr8
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&pditab=allpods&ecomp=Ly_k&earg=sr8&prid=ac17a4e8-1ec3-4178-9b13-cea8757a

1d8e

Yuan​, ​Haiwang, editor. ​Western Kentucky University.​ 15, Apr. 2006,

​http://people.wku.edu/haiwang.yuan/China/holiday.html