I saw the entrance on Main street in Downtown Chinatown. I really began to appreciate the many different sites available. One thing that I loved to observe was the Chinese food. One could see roast duck hanging from the poles of these Chinese restaurants. I really loved the authenticity there was. I actually toured the whole main street of Chinatown here in Los Angeles. I saw the emporer's gate and I knew what this meant. Apparently Los Angeles Chinatown is one of the oldest in America and this red and blue gate symbolizes unity and appreciation of the Chinese culture. One bakery I stopped at was called Queen's Bakery. One word-delicious. I felt the almond cookies crackle in my mouth and the Chinese rice crispie was to die for.
This read regarding Chinatown was a pleasant one. It felt as if I was getting a small slice of that community, at the same time it left me wanting to know more about the city from your perspective, and possibly more observational based input on social interactions between the individuals that reside within the city.
ReplyDeleteYou commented on going into a neighborhood that happened to be predominantly Latino rather than the assumed Chinese demographic, which is a general assumption that I also would I have made had I chosen to take a trip to Chinatown. As a result of that though, do you feel that the neighborhood being predominantly Latino rather than Chinese is the result of a pseudo Asian- Flight due to the ever growing Latino population within the Los Angeles community? Or do you think that the Chinese having established their own slice of culture within a major city were simply comfortable with all they had achieved and decided to move on to another community of their own free will without any influence from another group.
As time has proven before in the past with regard to another ethnicity moving into communities that are dominated by a certain group, it is very likely that more parts of Chinatown will be inhabited by people that aren't of Asian descent. Since Chinatown is world re-known for its cultural significance and representation of far East tradition, will these new groups moving into a dominant Chinese community take away from the authenticity of Chinatown, or will this mixture of cultures and traditions prove to be a positive representative of the ideology of diversity that the Los Angeles County palpably, and proudly boasts about?
Very good read, keep up the critical work!
This was a good post man. The only thing I have to say is that I really wanted you to elaborate on the things regarding our class. I thought a lot of things you said were just touching the surface of what could've been said. You stated you were amazed by the layout of the city but failed to elaborate on it. Perhaps you could've talked about how Downtown is laid out. Does it abide by the Chicago school model? Centralized business? I've never been down there so what you wrote gave me a good visual perspective of what it was like but I really wanted to know more because it is an interesting place.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing I think you could've elaborated on was how Latino Americans were prevalent in China town. Is that because it seems like China town is disrespectful to China as a whole? Is this an example of the great diversity Los Angeles has? And does this difference play a role in China town?
Good work man. Keep it interesting
Hi, I really like the way you analyzed Chinatown in downtown LA. I have been to Chinatown several times, and I have same observations as yours. There are so many traditional Chinese restaurants. Dim-sum is my favorite!! Furthermore, on the sidewalk, there are stores sell traditional Chinese decorations. As you mentioned, the majority of the people live in here are not Chinese people but Latino Americans. I believe the reason why the majority who live in here is not Chinese is because Chinese people have established their own community/group in other areas. I am a Chinese, so I know which areas are Chinese dominated. Areas like, Monterey Park, San Gabriel, Alhambra, etc. are literally Chinese people only. On the other hand, I think in the beginning of the old Chinatown that is created in downtown LA is because Chinese has held a main position of produce industries for years in Los Angeles. However, most people who live in downtown LA are mostly Latino Americans, gradually, Chinatown is being dominated by Latino Americans, in the meantime, Chinese people move to further area like Monterey Park, San Gabriel. And I think that in this case, for Chinese people, Downtown LA Chinatown means “the loop”, and Monterey Park, San Gabriel etc. are so-called “residential zone”.
ReplyDelete• Hello, I was intrigued by your response for week 3. I found interesting how you said that you found more Latino Americans than Chinese Americans in Chinatown. I think this is common because next to Chinatown is Little Mexico. In this location there are a lot of Latino Americans who go for the cheap clothing, jewelry, and for work too. Chinatown is also relatively close to Echo Park. An area that is predominant Latino, and I do not know this for sure, but I can assume that many of the workers at the restaurants in Chinatown are of Latino decent. During class we talked about urbanization and the development of people. I sometimes wonder how it would be if we didn’t have a form of support. If we did not have any immigrants in this world. I think that immigrants, who come seek a better life in the United States, are the backbone of many businesses and without their labor many owners would go broke. When cities were being developed, everyone did not have a prestigious job; there were differences in classes. Just as there is today. We can definitely see it in areas like Chinatown, you have a place that has Chinese but the Latino race is dominant because there is more than one country being represented.
ReplyDelete