Adapting to the modern era

       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