Chinatown

Chinatown: The Chinese Youth
As a child, Chinatown was known as my second home. It was a place for me to get rid of my stress whenever I’m around with the ghetto kids in Chinatown (They were actually labeled “Ghetto“). This is coming from a child who came from a slightly dysfunctional family whom still love his parents, but needed to get away. Though I wasn’t born in Chinatown, it was still nonetheless a place where I can call my home. When I was given a chance to write about “My City” for a History class, I just had to spread the wonderful roots of my beautiful city to whoever reads this. Don’t expect the writer to pour out its emotions but to just state the facts.
Old Chinatown
The genesis of Chinatown started with thousands of Chinese immigrants settling in Southern California between 1852 to 1890. The original Chinatown was located between El Pueblo Plaza and Old Arcadia Street in East Los Angeles. Reaching its heyday from 1890 to 1910, Chinatown expanded it territory to approximately 15 streets and alleys containing 200 buildings. It was large enough to boast up entertainment such as Chinese Opera, Couple of Religion Temples, its own newspaper, and a telephone exchange. But there were laws prohibiting most Chinese from citizenships and property ownership, and Exclusion Acts curtailing immigration, inhibited future growth for the district.
Corrupted Chinatown?
Mr. Chang from the city hall of Chinatown stated that Chinatown began to decline in 1910. Reasons for this occurrence was Los Angeles manipulating the media into thinking Chinatown was a place for gambling houses, opium dens, and fierce tong (Chinese Gang) warfare severely reduced business in the area. As tenants and lessees rather than outright ownerships, the residents of Old Chinatown were threatened with impending redevelopment and as a result the owners neglected upkeep on their buildings. Eventually, the entire area was sold and resold, as entrepreneurs and town developers fought over usage of...