Chinatown can refer to one of three locations near downtown Los Angeles. What is now known as
Old Chinatown refers to the original location on Alameda and Macy (1880s–1933). Old Chinatown was displaced by the construction of Union Station, and two competing Chinatowns were built in the late 1930s north of Old Chinatown to replace it:
China City (1938–1948) and
New Chinatown (1938–present). China City was rebuilt just one year after opening due to a suspicious fire, but another fire in 1948 put it out of business for good.
Old Chinatown China City China City was a short-lived China-themed district developed by
Christine Sterling in 1938.
Little Italy The neighborhood that has become Chinatown was formerly
Sonoratown and then
Little Italy. In the early 20th century, Italian immigrants settled in the area north of the
Old Plaza. Many built businesses, including wineries (
San Antonio Winery is still in existence). The
Italian American Museum of Los Angeles in the
El Pueblo de Los Ángeles Historical Monument opened in 2016.
New Chinatown In the 1930s, under the efforts of Chinese-American community leader Peter Soo Hoo Sr., the design and operational concepts for a New Chinatown evolved through a collective community process, resulting in a blend of Chinese and American architecture. The neighborhood saw major development, especially as a
tourist attraction, throughout the 1930s, with the development of the "Central Plaza," a Hollywoodized version of
Shanghai, containing names such as
Bamboo Lane,
Gin Ling Way and
Chung King Road (named after the city of
Chongqing in
mainland China). Chinatown was designed by
Hollywood film set designers, and a "Chinese" movie prop was subsequently donated by film director
Cecil B. DeMille to give Chinatown an exotic atmosphere. File:Tyrus_Wong_Mural.jpg|The dragon mural painted by
Tyrus Wong and restored by Fu Ding Cheng (1984) File:China_Town_main_plaza.JPG|New Chinatown main plaza - Dec 2011 File:WishingWell.jpg|Wishing Well, 2001 File:Sun_Yat-sen_Los_Angeles.jpg|
Statue of
Sun Yat-sen The
Hop Sing Tong Society is situated in Central Plaza, as are several other Chinatown lodges and guilds. Near
Broadway, Central Plaza contains a
statue honoring
Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the Chinese revolutionary leader who is considered the "founder of modern China". It was erected in the 1960s by the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association. A 7-foot tall
statue of martial artist Bruce Lee was unveiled at Central Plaza on June 15, 2013. During the 1980s, many buildings were constructed for new shopping centers and mini-malls, especially along Broadway. Metro Plaza Hotel was opened in the southwest corner of Chinatown in the early 1990s. A large
Chinese gateway is located at Broadway and
Cesar Chavez Avenue, funded by the local
Teochew-speaking population. In 1996,
Academy Award-winning (for
The Killing Fields)
Cambodian refugee, physician, and actor
Haing S. Ngor was shot and killed in Chinatown during an attempted robbery. By 2000, many people had left the Chinatown for the
City of Monterey Park, which is a part of the larger
Chinese community in the San Gabriel Valley. In 2000
AsianWeek said that the Los Angeles Chinatown was "troubled." On June 28, 2008, a celebration of the 1938 founding of New Chinatown was held with the L.A. Chinatown 70th Anniversary Party. "Though lacking the hustle and bustle of
San Francisco's
Chinatown, Los Angeles' version has charms of its own."
Revitalization with new development The 2010s and 2020s have seen the completion of several large mixed-use and multifamily residential buildings like other neighborhoods in and around Downtown Los Angeles. Activists and city council members were concerned about rising rents and displacement of long time residents, many of them low-income as these revitalization projects were approved. City officials and housing activists have debated how much affordable housing should be included amidst the market rate apartments and condominiums. Since 2019, the neighborhood has lacked a centrally located grocery store with a large selection, affordable prices and consistently high quality that opens early and closes late. ==Demographics==