Member-only story
Chinese immigration to NYC
NYC’s Chinatown holds a long a rich history. Stories of immigration, combating racism, community, and success.
Just in time for Lunar/Chinese New Year! This year would’ve been the 22nd Lunar New Year Parade in NYC. But Chinatown has been around for well over a century.
As we walk down the streets of New York’s Chinatown, we see women and men selling ethnic produce on the streets. It’s the perfect place to get reasonably priced lychees or pomelos in the summer. And in January, red decorations are hanging in every other shop in preparation for Lunar New Year. The area is filled with bubble tea parlors and famous hole-in-the-wall spots like Super Taste. It’s a favorite neighborhood for many locals.
As you may know, there are a few Chinatowns around the world. NYC’s has the “largest concentration of Chinese in the western hemisphere.” Chinese immigrants, mostly from the over-populated Guandong Province, start coming into the states in the mid-1800s during the Gold Rush to the West Coast, specifically to San Fransisco.
We know of the first immigrants in 1848. Men came here during the Taiping Rebellion, which lasts 14 years and kills thousands. The Rebellion is led by a man who Christianity inspires; he thinks he is the son of God and the brother of…
