The surprising reason behind Chinatown's aesthetic

Summary

This video explores the history of Chinatowns, focusing on San Francisco's transformation in the aftermath of the 1906 earthquake. Originally, Chinatowns did not resemble their current architectural style. Facing racism and violence, Chinese Americans strategically reinvented their community to attract tourism and secure their place in the city. This theme-park version of Chinatown, designed by white architects, created a uniquely Chinese-American culture. The narrative underscores Chinatown's role in survival and adaptation amid persistent discrimination, reflecting the ongoing struggles and resilience of the Chinese American community.

Takeaways

• 🏙️ Chinatowns around the world share a similar iconic look, which includes elaborate gates, colorful detailing, and pagoda-style roofs, but this is not an accurate representation of traditional Chinese architecture.
• 🛠️ The Chinese community in the US, particularly in San Francisco, faced significant discrimination and violence in the 19th century, leading to the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 which banned Chinese laborers from immigrating and stripped rights from those already in the US.
• 📈 Economic depression in the 1870s led to Chinese immigrants being scapegoated for taking jobs from white Americans, fueling the 'yellow peril' rhetoric and contributing to anti-Asian sentiment.
• 🗺️ San Francisco's Chinatown became a refuge for Chinese Americans seeking safety amidst violence and restrictive property rental laws, developing its own economy with over a thousand shops and businesses.
• 🏚️ Initially, San Francisco's Chinatown did not resemble the 'Oriental' style seen today; it was characterized by standard Western architecture with Chinese decorations.
• 🏛️ Urban planners and city representatives sought to relocate Chinatown to increase real estate value, portraying it as a 'filthy' area with gambling and opium dens in reports.
• 🌋 The 1906 San Francisco earthquake provided an opportunity for the city to consider moving Chinatown away from the city center, but the community leveraged its economic importance to stay.
• 🛠️ Chinese American merchants, including Look Tin Eli, transformed Chinatown into an 'exotic' tourist attraction by hiring white architects to reimagine it with a theme park-like version of Chinese architecture.
• 🏰 The new architectural style of Chinatown included elements like curved eaves, detailed facades, and colorful roofs, which were not present in traditional Chinese architecture but served as a symbol of Chinese culture for Western audiences.
• 🌐 The transformation of San Francisco's Chinatown set a precedent for other Chinese settlements across North America, formalizing a place for Chinese Americans and marking the beginning of a uniquely Chinese-American culture.
• 💪 The history of Chinatown is one of survival and strategic adaptation by the Chinese American community in the face of discrimination, violence, and societal pressures.

Q & A

What is the common architectural feature of Chinatowns across different cities?

The common architectural features of Chinatowns include an elaborate gate, colorful detailing, and a pagoda-style roof, which contribute to the iconic look of Chinatowns worldwide.

Why do many Chinatowns have a similar appearance, and is it representative of traditional Chinese architecture?

Many Chinatowns have a similar appearance because of a strategic response by Chinese immigrants to protect their land and culture. It is not a representation of traditional Chinese architecture but rather an invented aesthetic to create a distinct identity.

What was the historical context for the creation of a distinct Chinatown in San Francisco?

The creation of a distinct Chinatown in San Francisco.

Outlines

00:00

🏙️ The Birth of Chinatown's Iconic Image

This paragraph delves into the origins of Chinatown's distinctive architecture found across various cities worldwide. It explains that the elaborate gates, colorful details, and pagoda-style roofs are not a true reflection of traditional Chinese architecture but rather a strategic adaptation by Chinese immigrants in the US to protect their community and land. The narrative begins in San Francisco, where Chinese immigrants faced severe discrimination and violence in the mid-1800s, leading to the establishment of Chinatown as a refuge. The paragraph also touches on the economic contributions of the Chinese American community and the initial architectural style of Chinatown, which was more western than oriental.

05:05

🏛️ The Transformation of San Francisco's Chinatown

The second paragraph discusses the efforts to relocate and marginalize San Francisco's Chinatown by urban planners and city officials, who viewed the area as prime real estate. It details the 1906 earthquake that devastated Chinatown and the subsequent opportunity seen by the city to move the Chinese community away from the city center. However, due to the significant economic contributions of Chinatown and the fear of losing the Chinese population to other cities, the relocation plan was abandoned. Instead, Chinese American merchants, led by Look Tin Eli, devised a plan to transform Chinatown into a tourist attraction with an 'exotic' architectural makeover, hiring white architects to create a version of Chinatown that was more aligned with Western perceptions of Chinese culture rather than actual Chinese architecture.

10:09

🌐 The Legacy and Resilience of Chinatown

The final paragraph reflects on the enduring legacy of Chinatown as a symbol of the Chinese American community's resilience and strategic survival amidst historical adversity. It highlights the unique blend of Chinese and American culture that emerged from these communities and acknowledges the ongoing challenges faced by Asian Americans, including recent incidents of hate crimes and the stigmatization during the Covid-19 pandemic. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of recognizing the strategic response of the Chinese community in preserving their place and culture within American society, despite the exoticized facades that were adopted for survival.

Keywords

💡Chinatown

Chinatown refers to an urban enclave inhabited predominantly by Chinese immigrants and characterized by Chinese culture. In the video, it is central to the narrative as it discusses the historical and cultural significance of Chinatowns in various cities, particularly in San Francisco. The script mentions how Chinatowns, despite their similar iconic appearances, were not a reflection of traditional Chinese architecture but rather a strategic adaptation for survival and cultural preservation.

💡Exclusion Act

The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was a United States federal law that prohibited the immigration of Chinese laborers and effectively denied Chinese immigrants a path to citizenship. The video script uses this term to highlight the systemic racism and legal barriers faced by Chinese immigrants, which contributed to the formation of Chinatowns as insular communities.

💡Racism

Racism is a belief that one race is superior to others, often resulting in discrimination and prejudice. The script discusses the rampant anti-Chinese sentiment.

Highlights

The iconic look of Chinatowns across different cities is not a representation of real Chinese architecture but a strategic response to protect their land.

The story of Chinatown's unique identity begins in San Francisco, where Chinese immigrants invented a new culture to keep their heritage alive amidst discrimination.

Chinese immigrants in the US in the mid-1800s faced exploitation and were blamed for economic hardships, leading to the 'yellow peril' rhetoric and the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882.

The Chinese Exclusion Act not only banned further Chinese immigration but also stripped existing immigrants of paths to citizenship and basic rights.

Violence against Chinese Americans was widespread, with numerous incidents of mass expulsions and murders documented across the US.

San Francisco's Chinatown became a refuge for the Chinese American population facing violence and property restrictions.

Chinatown in San Francisco initially had a standard Western architectural style with Chinese expressions limited to decorations.

Urban planners saw Chinatown as prime real estate and sought to remove it to increase property values, leading to proposals for its relocation.

The 1906 San Francisco earthquake destroyed much of Chinatown, but it also provided an opportunity for the community to rebuild and assert its place in the city.

Chinese American merchants leveraged their economic importance to San Francisco to prevent Chinatown's relocation after the earthquake.

A new plan was devised to transform Chinatown into a tourist attraction by adopting an 'exotic' architectural style, thus securing its place in the city.

The rebuilt Chinatown featured architectural elements like curved eaves and colorful roofs, designed by white architects based on their perception of Chinese culture.

The transformation of Chinatown into a 'theme park' version of itself was successful in establishing it as a permanent feature of San Francisco and a hub for tourism.

The new economic model and architectural style of San Francisco's Chinatown became a template for Chinese settlements across North America.

Chinatown represents a community that carved out its place through resilience in the face of lies, fear, and hate.

The history of Chinatown's struggle continues to resonate today, as the community faces new challenges such as stigmatization during the Covid-19 pandemic and a resurgence of anti-Asian hate crimes.

Chinatown's unique blend of Chinese and American culture is a testament to the community's survival and adaptation in the face of adversity.

The architectural facades of Chinatown are more than just exotic; they are a strategic response by the Chinese community to preserve their place and culture.

Transcripts

This is an entrance to Chinatown in London.

Its features might look familiar:

an elaborate gate,

colorful detailing,

and a pagoda-style roof.

Features that help make up the iconic look of Chinatown,

no matter what city you're in:

from DC, to Manila, to Melbourne.

There's a reason that all these Chinatowns look so similar.

But it's not because they're what real Chinese cities once looked like.

"The Chinese are well aware of what their architecture was like.

They knew that this is not representing their real culture.

This is a strategy they used to protect their land."

That story actually starts in the US:

here, in San Francisco,

where a brutally targeted community kept their culture alive

by inventing a new one.

"Not quite Chinese, but on the other hand, not quite American."

In the mid 1800s, a wave of Chinese immigrants arrived to the US,

many through the port of San Francisco, seeking economic opportunity.

They found work in industries -- from gold mining, to the transcontinental railroad, to factories --

that exploited them for cheap labor.

Then, when an economic depression arrived in the 1870s,

they were blamed for taking jobs away from white people.

The idea spread that Chinese people were a threat: a "yellow peril."

It showed up in racist cartoons, political rhetoric,

and, eventually, into laws.

In 1882, Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act,

which explicitly banned Chinese laborers from immigrating to the US.

It also labeled any Chinese immigrant already in the US a permanent alien,

stripping them of a path to citizenship and of basic rights.

"The Chinese couldn't buy property, couldn't form corporations,

we couldn't even testify in court competently."

That anti-Asian sentiment also led to a surge of violence against Chinese Americans.

I tried to get a sense of just how widespread this kind of violence was during this period,

and just a quick search for newspaper reports led me to:

A mass lynching of 18 Chinese American men in Los Angeles.

A massacre of 28 Chinese miners in Wyoming.

White mobs forcing an entire Chinese settlement out of Eureka, California.

Towns across the country did the same exact thing.

And in California alone, there are records of over 200 incidents like this.

Together, it paints a picture of a period of expulsion and mass murder.

Many trying to escape this violence headed to San Francisco,

the city with the largest Chinese American population in the US at the time.

But even within San Francisco, there was a constant threat to safety,

and restrictions on where Chinese people could rent property.

So, much of its Chinese American population found a place of refuge here:

an area that came to be known as Chinatown.

As Chinatown became more established, the community had its own thriving economy too.

Merchants conducted key import and export trade with China,

and there were over a thousand shops and businesses.

But you might notice that, during this period,

it didn't actually look like the Chinatown you might imagine today.

"San Francisco's Chinatown looked nothing oriental. Nothing Chinese.

Just standard western architecture, classical architectural motifs.

The Chinese expressions were mostly expressed through the decorations."

Many outsiders labeled the area as mysterious and forbidden,

but it was also located just next to the expanding central business district.

And, as San Francisco grew, urban planners started to see Chinatown as prime real estate.

They believed that if they could get rid of Chinatown, and make it suitable to Caucasian merchants,

they could increase the value of the real estate 400 to 500 percent.

In newspapers from around the same time,

exaggerated reports gave Chinatown a reputation as "filthy."

Take this 1885 map. It shows one way to look at San Francisco's Chinatown:

color-coded to show gambling dens, opium dens, and prostitution.

If you take a closer look, you can see it was prepared by a group of city representatives

called the "Special Committee of the Board of Supervisors."

The same committee that came out with this report on Chinatown,

where they're pretty clear about their goal:

"to expose the general evil qualities which the race possesses."

By 1906, proposals were drawn up that would move Chinatown

miles away from the center of the city.

An option was secured for a new location. Everything pointed to "ultimate success."

And that was almost the end of the story.

On the morning of April 18, 1906,

an earthquake ripped through San Francisco.

"As my grandmother described it for me,

on April 18th, when the great earthquake occurred,

she and the rest of her family who were living down here

were literally shaken out of their beds."

The earthquake was devastating, and caused fires that raged for days.

Thousands of people died. Half of the city became homeless.

And thirty thousand buildings were destroyed.

In Chinatown, nearly everything was in ruins.

"Chinatown in San Francisco was mainly wooden structures.

So most of the buildings were burned down."

In the end, it's hard to say how many Chinese Americans lost their lives from the earthquake

because the residents of Chinatown weren't even included in the city's death toll.

But to the city, what happened to the Chinese community wasn't a tragedy.

It was an opportunity:

to move Chinatown away from the city center like they'd hoped to do before.

One reporter wrote that "the only gratifying feature of the San Francisco horror

is the fact that Chinatown has been destroyed.

That pestilential community is no more."

Because of exclusionary laws, Chinese immigrants were mostly renters, with no legal rights to properties.

But the community did have one piece of leverage:

The city didn't actually want to lose them completely.

In May 1906, this article ran,

describing how San Francisco now feared "that the Chinese may abandon the city."

That's because business in Chinatown was very good for San Francisco,

and for Chinese-American trade relations.

Import duties paid by the merchants for goods from China were a huge addition to city revenue.

Business was so good that several other cities along the west coast,

like Seattle and LA, had made offers to San Francisco's Chinese population to relocate.

This leverage provided an opening for the residents of Chinatown to organize.

The businessman Look Tin Eli and other Chinese American merchants came up with a new plan.

Their goal was to keep Chinatown exactly where it was, by transforming it:

shedding its reputation as a public nuisance, and making it a tourist attraction.

Six weeks after the earthquake, the city finally gave in,

and backed off the Chinatown relocation plan.

The Chinese businessmen hired white architects

to reimagine an exoticized "theme park" version of Chinatown.

"Those architects, they knew nothing about Chinese architecture.

So these architects, in their design, rebuilt Chinatown in the way that white architects,

what they perceived as Chinese architecture and Chinese culture."

The new buildings had curved eaves, detailed facades, and colorful tiled roofs.

One motif they used a lot were Chinese pagodas,

like the ones you see here, on top of the Sing Chong and Sing Fat buildings,

two of the first to be rebuilt after the earthquake.

"Chinese Pagodas, in China, typically they were religious structures. It's a place of worship.

None of that meaning was translated to North America or to San Francisco."

"Here at each corner.

The ornamentation serves no real structural purpose; it's simply that, ornamentation.

But it's to communicate to the viewer that Chinatown was a theme park worthy of visitation."

It didn't look like China, but it didn't have to.

The point was to make Chinatown a built-in feature of the city,

and a hub of not just trade, but tourism.

And it worked.

"This really set the template, and a new economic model,

not only for San Francisco Chinatown,

but for Chinese settlements across North America."

This template for Chinatown would formalize a place for Chinese Americans

in cities across the US.

And it also marked the beginning of a new kind of Chinese culture:

one that's uniquely Chinese and American.

Chinatown represents a community whose place was painstakingly carved out

amid lies, fear, and hate.

That history has never really gone away.

"If you're from China I need to know."

"Asian piece of s***"

"You know how many people can't stand you being here?"

"Asian American leaders say these attacks are a trend."

"Brutally shoved to the ground in Oakland, California's Chinatown."

"He never wake up again. I never see him again."

"A string of deadly shootings at massage parlors in the Atlanta area."

"21-year-old charged with killing eight people, six of them Asian women."

"We're here because we all know that our community deserves better.

We are here standing together because we are sad, we are angry, and we are exhausted."

"We've survived so many different incidents in our history.

Chinese Exclusion Act, Depression, World Wars, the earthquake...

But then this is probably one of the hardest ones."

"This community was stigmatized very early as being a source of Covid-19.

When in fact that's completely false."

"In this time, I think more than ever that the anti-Asian hate crimes,

I've seen an uptick, not just on the news. Basically all around me."

Today, Chinatown is still a community whose foreignness is embraced, until it's not.

It's also a community that embodies survival.

In a way, it was built for survival:

built to be a home that couldn't easily be taken away.

"If you look beneath the surface of those exoticized exterior facades,

you can look at, really, a strategic response

that the Chinese used to preserve their community."