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chinatown's evolution & struggle for equality

6/30/2019

  These past two weeks, I have explored Chinatown through various angles. From the immigrant’s instant struggle to integrate amongst society, to fighting racism and taking cases through the courts, the experiences the Chinese endured is what can only be described as a glaring red flag in the United State’s already tumultuous history. Through documentaries and the various tours we’ve taken, whether it's the Chinatown Alleyway Tours or simply walking through the Ping Yuen estates, everyone’s message was fairly similar: the time it took to attain even an ounce of equality was no easy battle, and the Chinatown we know today is far different from the one it once was.
  Gordon Chin’s 'Building Community, Chinatown Style' depicts the long history Chinatown has faced. From immigrants first arriving to San Francisco’s port, to them settling amongst their own kind and facing instant isolation from society, it certainly hasn’t been easy. During my time in the Urban Institute program, a few events have continued to stick in my mind. In his book, Chin paints the vivid image of an innocent girl, tiredly climbing up the stairs of a Ping Yuen estate, only to be raped and promptly thrown off the building by an intoxicated man. Not only was she thrown down, but once the man had noticed she was still moving, he retrieved her and threw her down a second time, ensuring that she would be killed. It still haunts my brain every time I think about how easily anyone could have been murdered during that time. The subsequent rent strike was a proud moment for me as an Asian American. It was considered one of the most successful rent strikes in San Francisco history, and proved that we were strong, despite the many risks the residents faced such as eviction.
  Another event was the demolishment of the I Hotel. As Mrs. Lee, the leader of PYRIA, put it, all the tenants could not believe that their beloved building was going to be taken down. Together, they all held hands as protests erupted, and surrounded the building, in hopes that the government would not take it away. Alas, the police forced them to move, and the removal of the I Hotel was set to begin. It’s daunting to know how easily history could be switched, and with one single regulation passed, it could have changed the entire history of Chinatown. With the Financial District attempting to creep in, the politics involved were heavy and dangerous. One wrong move could cost you an entire lifetime of achievements. the government were close to the end goal, but with the help of Rose Pak, leader of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce. She led the charge in overturning the previous ruling to convert housing by displacing residents, and Chinatown had once again, won.
While visiting the SROs, it brought memories from the previous summer. I had visited the very same building to door knock, attempting to get residents to participate in tenant services. While The interior of the building hadn’t changed much, I hadn’t truly noticed how tiny the rooms were inside. As I peeked in, i found that the rooms were a shock. It reminded me of the cage homes in Hong Kong, where people literally lived in a single bed, locked inside a cage. While the SROs technically complied with the city’s regulations, it was far from spacious living conditions. With San Francisco’s rising population, SROs have become increasingly popular, as they are relatively cheap compared to market price. Even if the price per square foot was similar, the amount of space was far less, so they would have to pay for less. The hallways felt narrow, cramped, a sense of being trapped followed. It was cleaner than other cage homes I had visited previously, but it was still so small. I doubt we could have even fit into the laundry room - and we really didn’t have that many people to begin with. This is when I understood why Portsmouth Square was such an important space to people in Chinatown - it truly was their living room. As there was no common space, when they didn’t want to be holed up in their room, they would go down. These people living in SROs are often overlooked, and only known as residents of the Chinatown district, nothing more, nothing less.
  With the number of shops quickly diminishing, it has brought the rise of more ‘aesthetic’, modern stores similar to Urban Outfitters or Free People. As mentioned in my previous reflection, it has been fascinating for me to see modern concepts take over an area with an aging population, bringing tourists in to explore the aesthetic. While most of Chinatown still retains it’s cliche China vibe, with it’s intricately cultural designs on buildings to stores crammed with just about any souvenir imaginable, it has been interesting to see how Chinatown has evolved from it’s past, and how it will change in the future.
                          – guinivere yeung

Housing Is A Human Right

6/25/2019

After a long walk from Stockton St, we finally made it over the hill to 1535 Jackson St. This building was a former hospital built in 1913. It currently has 19 Single Room Occupancies (SRO). The church that owned the building put it on the market and was offered over 3 million dollars by the public. I was relieved to learn that CCDC was able to buy the building through the small sites program. If market-rate housing is built here, it will displace the current tenants.

The hallways were very wide. In fact, they were wide enough for couches and other furniture. Keeping anything in the hallways are rare for SRO buildings because they can be fire hazards in narrow spaces. The rooms were on the larger scale and some even had closets. Because it is a detached building, the units had big windows that allowed a lot of natural light to come in.

CCDC plans to renovate the building because it does have structural issues. It will most likely cost millions of dollars just for construction and much more if the current residents need to be moved out temporarily. I am hopeful to see this building again after the renovation.

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Adapting to the modern era

6/23/2019

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This week, we familiarised ourselves with Chinatown and it’s distinct place as a ethnic enclave nestled in between the busy financial district and relaxed North Beach atmosphere. Home to over 50,000 residents, Chinatown has not always lived up to its tourist destination reputation. it started off as an area that the Chinese merely temporarily occupied, but quickly turned into a developer’s dream as surrounding districts rapidly developed. In a desperate attempt to adapt, Chinatown began rebuilding and became known for its classic Chinese designs spread throughout. as a result, tourists flocked to the area, and chinatown's prominence in the san francisco community began to rise. However, after hitting a peak in the 1990’s, the number of stores gradually began to decrease, and stores such as Kim+Ono entered the scene. With open space and modern designs, the store is a stark contrast to the tighter-fitting, almost cramped stores stuffed with random trinkets and souvenirs that occupied most of the Chinatown’s stores. similar to the aesthetics of popular brands such as urban outfitters, the interior design of kim+ono brings almost a sense of calmness, which was different to the busy nature of more traditional chinese stores.
It is interesting to see how the rest of Chinatown will adapt, and whether they’ll decide to stay the same, or whether we’ll see a shift as they begin to change to fit the modern era. Or perhaps, modernised stores will fade away, as the hype surrounding it sharply diminishes, and Chinatown’s residents will remain put.
– guinivere yeung

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Using Tourism as a Tool for Survival

6/20/2019

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Grant Ave is known for the Chinatown Gate and numerous gift shops. It serves as a connection between Union Square and North Beach, both heavily visited by tourists. After hearing from Malcolm Collier about how businesses have changed throughout the decades, I was ready to go outside and see the shops for myself. We visited the Wok Shop, the Kite Shop, and Kim + Ono. The Wok Shop’s owner actually came outside to talk to us about her store. Her son who works for the tech industry actually helped her set up a website to boost business. Most businesses in Chinatown are old-schooled and do not have an online presence. Kim + Ono on the other hand actually started off as an online retailer. They were doing well with sales online and decided to open their first brick and mortar store down the street from their parents’ shop, the Canton Bazaar.

The scavenger hunt was a fun activity to do after sitting for the entire morning. Going through the parks and alleyways made me feel like a tourist because we had to look for murals and signs. I would say it was a good team building activity because I did not know my group mates before the scavenger hunt.

- Maggie Dong

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chinatown's evolution & struggle for equality

Housing Is A Human Right

Adapting to the modern era

Using Tourism as a Tool for Survival

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