New York’s true tourist destination, Manhattan’s Chinatown is an ever-expanding reality among SoHo’s sophisticated shopping windows and what remains of historic Little Italy. The busy Canal Street, south of which begins our journey to New York China.
The history of the Chinese community in New York has its roots in the mid-19th century, when the first immigrants from China arrived in the United States looking for economic opportunities. Many were workers who, after contributing to the construction of the railroads in the West, moved to the great cities of the East coast. In New York, they found space in the poorest neighborhoods of Lower Manhattan, where they began to form what we know today as Chinatown. To understand how the community has developed – between discrimination, resilience and cultural pride – a first fundamental and little considered by tourist itineraries, is the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA), located at 215 Centre Street, which can be visited with a donation of $10. Founded in 1980, the museum tells more than 160 years of history through photographs, objects, documents and personal testimonies. Visiting it is discovered not only the birth of Chinatown, but also the profound impact that Chinese immigrants have had on the culture, economy and everyday life of New York through no few difficulties of setting.
In the last decades of the nineteenth century, the area between Mott, Pell and Doyers Street became the pulsating heart of the newborn Chinatown. At first, the community counted a few hundred people, mostly men from southern China. Many of them were employed in activities requiring few resources and limited English knowledge: Laundries, tailors, small restaurants and grocery stores. These trades, now told at the Museum of Chinese in America as the jobs that Americans agreed to assign to the Chinese community, represented the first form of support and at the same time the economic base on which the community was built. Despite the restrictions imposed by the 1882 Exclusion Act, which for decades severely restricted Chinese immigration to the United States, the community managed to consolidate, creating a network of associations, temples, workshops and newspapers that offered support to newcomers. The narrow and animated streets of Chinatown soon became a cultural retreat, a place where you could speak your own language, cook your own dishes and hand down traditions. New York is home to several Chinatowns, from the vibrant Flushing in Queens to the most residential Sunset Park in Brooklyn. However, it is Manhattan’s one that remains the most iconic and historically significant: the first Chinese settlement of the city and still today the symbolic heart of the community. Despite the pressures due to the increase in rents and the establishment of modern business activities that make historical activities difficult, here between temples, grasslands and traditional markets, we still perceive the authenticity of a community that continues to resist and renew itself.
The best way to discover Chinatown is to get lost in its streets – and here you really get lost! – let yourself be guided by the colors, sounds and aromas of its markets and restaurants. The signs, strictly in Chinese, and the lanterns of paper that move inspired by the wind over the roads and commercial exercises, are enough to transport visitors to another world. I remember coming right here, just after the post pandemic reopenings, to flood my travel astinence after so many restrictions and impossibility to move. Spoiler: it worked! !
Among the most characteristic streets is Doyers Street, a narrow and sinuous road famous as “Bloody Angle” for its history of gang fights at the beginning of the twentieth century. The rivalry, often violent, between the so-called Tong — Chinese immigrant associations — led to numerous armed conflicts, so much so that the road became famous for its bloody corner, the scene of rules of accounts between rival gangs. Some of these episodes have given rise to urban legends that are still told among the inhabitants of the neighborhood. But today Doyers Street is far from threatening: In addition to the charm of its unusual topography, it houses small shops, tea shops and the famous Nom Wah Tea Parlor, the oldest dim sum parlar in New York, opened since 1920.
The vintage furniture and tables discovered tell a long family story made of authentic flavors, where dumplings of shrimps and jasmine tea are a real institution. It is said that the Nom Wah still retains some tools and historical accessories, including old machines to fold dumping. To watch over the street there is a large winged horse, suspended over the alleys, symbol of hope and transformation. It is one of the most iconic and recent installations in Chinatown: a light sculpture, created by the New York artist Chin Chih Yang as part of a public art project aimed at celebrating the cultural rebirth of the neighborhood.
To completely immerse yourself in Chinatown’s life and discover the historic shops of herbs and food, and some really typical restaurant, you have to reach Mott Street. Among the unmissable culinary stages along this route, Wo Hop, active since 1938, is an institution for those who want to taste authentic Cantonese dishes in a historical environment that has preserved the charm of a past era. Not far away, Hop Kee, founded in 1968 and loved by Anthony Bourdain, continues to serve traditional recipes with a homemade touch, while at Peking Duck House it is obligatory to order the famous duck to Pechinese in different versions, all faithful to tradition. Among the shops, Wing on Wo & Co. is a dive in the past and traditional Chinese craftsmanship: here are porcelains, objects of culture and small treasures that tell the lives of generations of immigrants and they are truly special souvenirs.
A short walk from Mott Street, Columbus Park is the green heart of the neighborhood, a less touristy place where the daily life of the Chinese community in New York takes place. In the morning and in the afternoon, the park comes alive with groups of elderly people playing cards and mahjong, practicing tai chi or simply chatting in the shadow of the trees. On weekends, the park hosts cultural events, small exhibitions and traditional celebrations, becoming a real meeting point to observe contemporary Chinatown. Leaving behind the green of Columbus Park, just walk a few dozen meters to find yourself in a dedalo of streets that guard the most authentic Chinatown. Pell Street and Mosco Street, among the oldest streets in the neighborhood, are home to proud old Chinese signs that testify to the community’s past, and some locals that keep historical photos of the neighborhood, offering a glimpse of the former Chinatown.
In addition to the markets and restaurants Chinatown also houses numerous temples and spiritual places, real treasure chests of tradition and culture. Among the best known is the Ma Tsu Temple, dedicated to the goddess of the sea Mazu, protector of fishermen and travellers. Founded in the early decades of the twentieth century, the temple continues to host daily rituals and traditional celebrations, including fragrant incense, bells and offerings of fruit and flowers. Not far away is the Mahayana Temple, the largest Buddhist temple in Manhattan Chinatown and a landmark for the Chinese community and visitors interested in eastern spirituality. The Mahayana Temple stands out for its imposing golden statues, colorful decorations and ritual ceremonies, which include meditation, sutra recitation and celebrations during the main holidays such as the Chinese New Year. Also at the Buddhist Temple of Chinatown you can attend religious ceremonies and some meditation lessons. The building, with its red and golden decorations and the statues of Buddha that observe the faithful from above, immediately conveys a sense of peace and cultural continuity. Many temples also host educational events for children and tourists, explaining symbols, meanings and traditions related to Chinese culture, such as dragons, lanterns and guardian deities.
At this point of our journey we have two options: move south towards Chatham Street and Two Bridges District that guard a quieter Chinatown made of urban views, or return north of Canal street in the stretches of Mott and Elizabeth street, subtracted over time to other neighborhoods and today home to the most characteristic markets in Manhattan Chinatown. Here, among crowded benches and colorful signs, there are peaches with large tanks full of fish and crustaceans, spice shops, overflowing emporia of medicinal herbs, roots and dried products. The small grocery stores showcase shiitake mushrooms, algae and swallow nests, while in the markets they sell typical vegetables such as bok choy, bitter melon, rambutan and durian. It is a small world apart from where colors, smells and voices mix in a sensory experience that conquers (maybe!) even those who buy nothing. In this area especially it is good education to ask before taking pictures. In some shops tourism is not appreciated but in others people meet well arranged to show special products and tell stories.
Walking through the streets of Chinatown is easy to forget to be in Manhattan. Here many residents do not speak English, so many children attend Chinese schools where they learn the language and traditions and this gives the neighborhood a sense of authenticity and cultural isolation, but it does not hinder contact with the outside. The exchange with the rest of the city is inevitable and growing tourism is a profitable business that leads to welcome visitors with cordiality, especially when they show interest in culture and local stories.
Chinatown is not only a place to observe, but above all to live. During the year, the neighborhood is full of traditional holidays where the Asian New Year is undoubtedly the most spectacular. Allegoric carts, dragon dances and lions, fireworks and offers in temples transform the streets into a kaleidoscope of colors, scents and sounds. It is the occasion when the historical and contemporary Chinatown merge, between ancient beliefs, religious rituals and community celebrations that involve young and old. Walking through the streets during the New Year means attending a real urban theatre, where every detail — from the red lanterns hanging over the alleys to traditional music — tells the story of a community that has been able to preserve its roots, while evolving in the heart of New York.
So we have to make an appointment for February 2026, when Chinatown is going to party to welcome the Year of the Fire Horse. The New Year will fall on Tuesday, February 17, but the celebrations will continue for weeks, until the suggestive Lantern Festival of March 3, between parades, dragon dances and fireworks. Our journey to discover New York’s China ends here, including immigration stories, incense scented temples and streets where past and present live every day. Chinatown continues to surprise, offering visitors an authentic taste of a millenary culture in the heart of Manhattan. Thank you for coming here: our column will return next month, ready to tell you new flavors and colors of the New York melting pot.
L’articolo Chinatown between tradition, resilience and change proviene da IlNewyorkese.
