Connections to Chicago: Chinatown

Mindy Zhang, Emily Khek, and Angelica DiPrizio

Directions to

ChinaTown

● Take the red line towards 95th to the Cermak-Chinatown stop

● Take the Loyola shuttle to the Water Tower Campus then get on the red line (Chicago) to the Cermak-Chinatown stop

History-Founded in 1870s by Chinese immigrants.-Population grew steadily until large increases around the 1950s - 1960s. -Housing was difficult to find, so they moved to neighborhoods around Chinatown. Housing was developed mostly as condos & townhouses. -The Chinese American Service League (CASL) was founded in 1978 to help new immigrants by offering English classes and a daycare center for parents.-“Two” types of Chinatown were formed.

-Old Chinatown and New Chinatown.-Old = More for grocers and markets (Wentworth and

Cermak)-New = Tourist attractions/ More known (Chinatown

Square)

-Majority Asians-Living space surrounds the markets/attractions.-Female population: 24, 900-Male population: 23, 547-Median Income:

-25 and below - $24,481-25-44 - $48,434-45-64 - $56,494-65 and over - $30,889

Demographics & Median

Income

JoyY

ee❖ Two locations-

Evanston(1994) and

Chinatown(1996)

❖ First in midwest to offer

Taiwanese style bubble tea

and to combine South

Asian “smoothies” with

tapioca balls

❖ Diverse Asian cuisine

Gift Shops

Bakeries

The Nine Dragon Wall

Public Services

Architecture in Chinatown

Landmarks❖ Dragon Wall❖ Zodiac Square❖ Chinatown Gate❖ Ping Tom Memorial

Zodiac Square❖ Twelve statues

that represent

every animal in

the Chinese

Zodiac calendar

❖ Rotating cycle of

12 Years

Ping Tom Memorial

● Created in 1991● Located on 1700 S. Wentworth Ave.

Chicago, Illinois 60616o near a boat house

● Named after Ping Tom, a resident of Chinatown

Chinese-American Museum of Chicago

● Location: 238 West 23rd Street, Chicago, IL 60616

● Open since 2005 ● Exhibits:

o Historyo Festivals o Holidayso Architectureo Food

Admission: $5 donation suggested, Students and Seniors $3, FREE for Museum Members

Events & Festivals

❖ Chinese New Year (Lunar New Year Parade)➢ February

❖Dragon Boat Festival➢ June

❖Mid-Autumn Festival➢ September

❖ Chinatown Fair➢ July

Reflection - EmilyWhat impacted me the most from this experience was the elaborate architecture that was seen in every part of Chinatown. The detail and closeness to actual buildings and statues in China is outstanding. It definitely made me want to learn more about Chinese culture. Even though I have been here a few times, it still felt like it was a first and I was amazed by it overall. This experience shaped my opinion of the “Second City” by showing me the extent of diversity that exists. Though it is a Chinese cultural-based town, during our time there we saw many people of different nationalities. It was really cool to see so many different people eating food and exploring this culture. This Chicago experience was very authentic. We got in touch with many aspects of the Chinese culture and got to see the wide range of food, art, architecture and more.

Personal Reflection - Mindy I was born and raised in Chicago and my family used to live around Chinatown until I was around 2, so I don’t have much memories about it at all. As I was growing up, my family used to go to Chinatown to meet up and catch up until I was around 6; my memories were less faint than before. We always went to my uncle’s old business, so I was very unfamiliar with what was within Chinatown. However, despite how I never spent much time to get to know the area, I began to research more into it now. Before, I knew about where the stores and Archer Ave. were, but I never knew about the services that are offered, the types of buildings there were. This shaped my opinion a bit more optimistically, because I would have never known that there were many opportunities such as the program that CASL offers to the people, to learn English.

Personal Reflection-AngelicaThis was my first time visiting Chinatown and it was an overall amazing

experience. I got to witness different aspects I do not see on a daily basis. The food, architecture, and atmosphere were all so interesting to me. I felt like a tourist for a day! I really admired the Chinese culture and viewing it from a different perspective. I saw pictures and heard about Chinatown, but actually experiencing it allowed me to really enjoy a different lifestyle. Viewing the various architectural designs and nationalities, were very fascinating. There were many buildings dedicated to food, gifts, and services. I got to try bubble tea for the first time as well, and it was very appetizing! I learned a lot by going there and taking everything in by just walking around! I know I’ll definitely have to visit there again and take my family along so they can enjoy the enriching experience as I did!

Works Cited"Chicago Chinatown Chamber Upcoming Events -." Chicago Chinatown Chamber. N.p., 2013. Web. 19 Oct. 2014.

"Chicago Park District." Ping Tom Memorial Park. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2014.

"Culture." Chicago Chinatown Chamber. N.p., 2013. Web. 19 Oct. 2014.

"Home." Chicago Chinatown Chamber. N.p., 2013. Web. 20 Oct. 2014. <http://chicagochinatown.org/>.

"Resources – Landmarks & Tourism." Chicago Chinatown Chamber. N.p., 2013. Web. 19 Oct. 2014.

"Chinatown." Demographics & Statistics. Web. 20 Oct. 2014. <http://www.point2homes.com/US/Neighborhood/IL/Chicago/Chinatown-Demographics.html>.

"History." Chicago-Chinatown. 1 Jan. 2003. Web. 20 Oct. 2014. <http://www.chicago-chinatown.com/cgi-bin/view.cgi?li=6>.

"Chinatown Neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois (IL), 60616 Detailed Profile." City-Data. Urban Mapping, Inc, 1 Jan. 2011. Web. 21 Oct. 2014. <http://www.city-data.com/neighborhood/Chinatown-Chicago-IL.html>.