AANHPI Heritage Month: Initiative launched to save the Chinatowns of the United States

ED DIOKNO

Seattle's Chinatown made the endangered list.

Under pressure from unconnected city planners, developers and businesses still suffering from pandemic-induced revenue loss, America’s Chinatowns sit at an irreplaceable crossroads of history, culture, and identity.

Of the 83 recognized Chinatowns in the US, only half remain. Two are in imminent danger of being erased. Earlier this year, the Chinatowns in Seattle and Philadelphia were placed on the endangered list by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

"Through this America’s Chinatowns initiative, we recognize that historic Chinatowns are built upon a long pattern of previous waves of occupation and settlement," sayd Di Gao, senior director of research and policy at the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

"Today, they are so much more than cultural destinations; they are working-class neighborhoods and active community hubs for the Asian American diaspora. They are safe spaces for new immigrants realizing their American dreams. We also recognize that these historic, vital, living communities are shrinking, shifting, and actively facing erasure," says Gao.

Among the oldest remaining immigrant enclaves in the country, Chinatowns are still home to hundreds of thousands of residents, workers, mom-and-pop businesses, and legacy institutions.

These strong and resilient communities form a network of historic places across the country that connect Asian Americans to the past, anchor them in the present, and show the path to a more equitable future.

Initially formed by racist covenants that limited Chinese from living in other parts of the city, Chinatowns grew to become places of refuge for the hard-working immigrants seeking a better life in “Golden Mountain.”

Today, however, many of America’s Chinatowns are disappearing. No strangers to change, these communities nevertheless face compounding threats that put at risk these special old places where countless lives, memories, and stories began and continue to unfold.

As part of a commitment to protect America’s historic places, the National Trust for Historic Preservation—together with partners and communities—are researching, elevating, and building coalitions that sustain and support historic Chinatowns across the US so that these vital communities can continue to directly improve the lives of people who find belonging and connection in Chinatowns.

Chinatowns under threat

Chinatowns first formed to support a working class who tirelessly built the nation’s infrastructure, put clothing on our bodies, and grew and prepared food to feed a growing country. Today, these centers of living tradition and culture are powered by family-run mom-and-pop shops and institutions where people shop locally and reinvest every dollar back into their community.

Chinatowns also continue to function as safe havens for generations of new immigrants finding their footing as they pursue their American dream, and they remain irreplaceable economic and cultural hubs for people of all backgrounds.

Yet, many Chinatowns throughout history have been impacted and harmed by inequitable planning practices favoring encroaching business districts, massive infrastructure for transportation, and developers hoping to cash in on upscale projects.

More recently, distress from pandemic-related closures, as well as an alarming rise in xenophobia and anti-Asian sentiment, has further threatened Chinatowns. With each storefront that shutters before its time, and each place that disappears, we risk losing connection to our past and our ability to tell the full American story.

PHILADELPHIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

A proposed 76ers arena would impact Philadelphia's Chinatown

Earlier this year, the Chinatowns of Philadelphia and Seattle were recently included on the National Trust’s America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places:

Philadelphia Chinatown: As one of the oldest remaining active Chinatowns in the United States, Philadelphia Chinatown has been a vibrant community since 1871. But with the 76ers basketball team proposing to build an arena abutting Chinatown, advocates—including the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation—are concerned that the development could further disconnect the neighborhood, discourage visitors, impact the local economy, displace residents and businesses, and ultimately contribute to the erasure of the area’s cultural heritage. Neighborhood residents and leaders are encouraging arena supporters to listen to and invest in protecting the Chinatown community as they consider their options.

Seattle Chinatown: As one of the oldest Asian American neighborhoods on the West Coast, the Seattle Chinatown-International District (CID) has been a center of the city’s Asian American life for more than a century. However, Seattle’s Sound Transit is considering several transit expansion options that could impact transportation access and cultural preservation in the CID. Transit Equity for All, the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Wing Luke Museum are part of a coalition advocating for a more transparent, equitable process that reflects careful decision-making, centers the voices of the CID, keeps the community connected to transit, and protects the neighborhood’s vitality and cultural heritage for future generations.

Protecting Chinatowns

As the United States’ leading national preservation nonprofit, with a long history of partnership and impact supporting Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) historic places, the National Trust is leveraging its expertise in convening thought leaders, grantmaking, research and mapping, storytelling, advocacy, and community outreach to help local communities address the urgent and widespread challenges facing Chinatowns. 

With generous support from America’s philanthropic community, and in partnership with Chinese American and AAPI communities across the United States, the National Trust will: 

• Host a series of national Chinatown roundtables with local leaders, interested parties, practitioners, advocates, and other partners from Chinatown communities across the United States to connect, share, and elevate place-based solutions for their common threats and challenges. 

• Establish a Chinatown Community Preservation Fund that supports current and future cultural preservation needs of America’s Chinatowns, including backing legacy Chinatown businesses and institutions, preserving these unique places' architectural fabric, and publicly interpreting their stories. 

• Expand the Mapping Chinatowns Project by documenting more Chinatowns and other places that tell the stories of Chinese Americans.

With this initiative—the first and only nationwide effort of this scale and scope—there is an opportunity to draw the nation’s attention to this cultural crisis, stem the tide of loss, and celebrate Chinatowns’ essential role in shaping American society. 

"As preservationists, we believe in the power of place to enrich people’s lives and that by protecting places that are sacred to people, we can directly improve the lives of people who rely on these places for connection, belonging, and meaning," says Gao. "Investing in Chinatowns is one step towards a broader vision where more Asian American spaces and histories are honored and recognized. All of this work is mission critical to telling the full American story."

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter or at his blog Views From the Edge.

We can’t do this without you. Please join us in supporting and protecting Chinatowns so their vibrant pasts can remain at the heart of their thriving and prosperous futures. 

The National Trust for Historic Preservation today unveiled its 2023 list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places, an annual ranking that spotlights significant sites of American history that are at risk of destruction or irreparable damage.

“This year’s list of the nation’s most endangered historic places is a portfolio of sites that are nearly as diverse as the American experience itself,” said Jay Clemens, interim president and CEO of the National Trust. “The places on this list come in all forms, from individual residences to entire neighborhoods, and are located across the country from small communities to urban streetcorners and rural landscapes. The diversity of sites on the 2023 list—and the stories behind them—reflect the complexities and challenges that have always been part of what it means to be American but have not always received the attention they deserve. Losing any of them would diminish us all.”

Since first debuting in 1988, the list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places has proven to be a highly effective tool for shining a light on the threats facing our nation’s greatest treasures. Due to the efforts of the National Trust and our passionate supporters, the 11 Most list has often provided the decisive force needed to preserve important cultural landmarks. Now in its 36th year, the ongoing initiative has galvanized public support behind more than 350 sites across the country with only a handful lost.

“The 11 Most Endangered list demonstrates the tremendous power of place. Each site offers an opportunity to engage with our shared history where it happened and inspires us to work together to honor each other’s experiences and contributions to our country,” said Chief Preservation Officer Katherine Malone-France. “These places and their stories might have been lost already if not for the dedication and perseverance of people who continue to stand up for them year after year. We are humbled and honored to join their fight.”

To learn more about the places on this year’s list and find out what you can do to help preserve them, go to www.SavingPlaces.org/11Most.

Philadelphia Chinatown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

• As one of the oldest remaining active Chinatowns in the United States, Philadelphia Chinatown has been a vibrant community since 1871. But with the 76ers basketball team proposing to build an arena abutting Chinatown, advocates—including the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation—are concerned that the development could further disconnect the neighborhood, discourage visitors, impact the local economy, displace residents and businesses, and ultimately contribute to the erasure of the area’s cultural heritage. Neighborhood residents and leaders are encouraging arena supporters to listen to and invest in protecting the Chinatown community as they consider their options.

Seattle Chinatown-International District, Seattle, Washington

• As one of the oldest Asian American neighborhoods on the West Coast, the Seattle Chinatown-International District (CID) has been a center of the city’s Asian American life for more than a century. However, Seattle’s Sound Transit is considering several transit expansion options that could impact transportation access and cultural preservation in the CID. Transit Equity for All, the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Wing Luke Museum are part of a coalition advocating for a more transparent, equitable process that reflects careful decision-making, centers the voices of the CID, keeps the community connected to transit, and protects the neighborhood’s vitality and cultural heritage for future generations.