The surprising reason behind Chinatown's aesthetic

The iconic "Chinatown" look started as a survival strategy.

From London, to Manila, to Melbourne, Chinatowns in cities around the world share similar design elements. And that’s on purpose. Their distinct "Chinatown" style can be traced back to a single event: the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, which came on the heels of decades of violence and racist laws targeting Chinese communities in the US. The earthquake devastated Chinatown. But in the destruction, San Francisco's Chinese businessmen had an idea for a fresh start: a way to keep their culture alive, by inventing a completely new one.

Chinatown carved out a place for itself under the threat of hate and violence. Today, that legacy is staring us in the face.

These are some archives about the rebuilding of Chinatown:

[Mojabi_ghost]

“They were exploited for cheap labor... then during the Great Depression they were accused of stealing jobs from Americans”
As a Hispanic man this sounds oddly too familiar, and I feel for my Asian friends and families:(

[--Paws--]

They were like, "I don't like you but please don't go. We need money". What a weird relationship.

[danielwang]

"We don't like you, but we like your money". So basically nothing has changed in the past 150 years

[louspowels]

"Today, Chinatown is still a community whose foreign-ness is embraced. Until, it's not."

Such deep.

[IVaV]

"We don't like you and will discriminate against you, but just please don't leave this place"

[karalee]

The blatant racism in the newspaper articles is horrific. I can’t imagine what other disgusting things are hidden in plain sight from from our past. I hope they continue to be exposed so people can understand the historical and conceptual details that shape our world today.

[AdwinLauYuTan]

As a Chinese person who has not lost their culture at all, I can tell you this: the gates at the entrances of Chinatown are kind of fitting. Gates, as religious symbols, tend to be the entrance to sacred holy places or exotic places, like the Forbidden Palace, or the symbolic entrance to the underworld. Therefore, it just makes Chinatown a lot more exotic, with a sacred feeling.

[RamiresHelena]

This became an example not only for Chinese communities in North America, but in many other places around the world. I have seen the same architectural style in Buenos Aires and Moscow.
I remember having lunch in a Chinese restaurant in San Francisco’s Chinatown and being so well treated by an older man who spoke little English. It breaks my heart that he and his community are now being threatened by pure ignorance and hate

[coolbeans]

As a chinese-american I already knew the reason but clicked on it anyways cause I’m so happy someone is finally teaching it

[migueloth]

My great grandfather came to Mexico from Canton China along with his brother. Their original destination was SF but they got deviated to the port of Guaymas Sonora. They became successful entrepreneurs in Alamos, a mining town, and formed a family. Later on they were prosecuted by the government, as all Chinese did back in 1890's, they lost everything. He had to hide on a undergrownd cellar for many years and eventually died from tuberculosis. His western name was Ramón Ley, and his legacy still lives strong.

[mandyyu]

as someone who lives in san francisco chinatown, this video really made me appreciate my community more than ever.

[jonathantan]

Thank you for voicing out how much discrimination faced by Chinese from the past till now!

[SmylingTrees]

Sees video title: "The surprising reason behind Chinatown's aesthetic"
Me before clicking: Was it racism?
Video: It was racism
*surprised face*

[kyumnq]

san fransisco after the fire: finally chinatown is gone
san fransisco in a few weeks: wait come back we need money

[andyzhang]

Wow, this is such an informative series. As a first generation Chinese Canadian, I knew some of the information presented here, but so much surprised me, like just how many hate crime events there were, the relocation initiatives, and the architecture coming from White architects imitating Chinese styles. I would love to see more episodes on the history of Chinese diaspora around the world

[EveloGrave]

I've always liked East Asian culture. It always infuriates me to see violence against people based on race. We are all human after all.

[gerry]

Isn't it ironic immigrants from Asia are treated badly by people who belong from an ancestry of immigrants.

[therealtalk]

Fun fact: Manila China town is the oldest China town in the world.

[amirmagar]

The end teared me up. Sometimes you just can’t understand the hatred in this world. Have a good day everyone!

[alexjlcairns]

I learned so much from this, thank you! I'm half chinese, and always struggled with embracing this side of me, but as I learn more and more about and just how resilient we are as a people, I've very proud of who I am.