This teeming, densely populated neighborhood, with
its bright façades, noisy markets, exotic temples, and ethnic
restaurants and shops, is like a city within the city – and a place
every visit to San Francisco must include. The atmosphere recalls a
typical southern Chinese town, although the architecture, customs, and
public celebrations are distinctly American hybrids on a Cantonese
theme. Overlook the tourist tackiness, check out some of the side
alleys, and give yourself time to take it all in.
Golden Gate Fortune Cookies Company56 Ross Alley 415 781 3956
Old Chinese Telephone Exchange
Tin How Temple
Chinese Six Companies
Chinese Historical Society of America Museum and Learning Center
Chinese Culture Center
|
|
Chinese immigrants began to
arrive with the Gold Rush, to get rich quick and return home heroes. As
it happened, things turned politically sour in China at the time, and
many Chinese stayed in the new land. Unfortunately, there was a racist
backlash against them, resulting in the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882,
and Chinatown became a kind of ghetto, full of opium dens and vice. The
Act was repealed in 1943, and things have steadily improved ever since.
|
Map of Chinatown
|
Don’t drive into Chinatown:
it’s very congested, and parking is impossible. Take the cable car – all
three lines will get you there .
|
|
|
One of the best Chinese restaurants in town is Tommy Toy’s.
|
|
|
The finest Chinese antiques shops are found at the Chinatown Gate end of Grant Avenue, just inside the gate.
|
|
|
The Chinese Culture Center sponsors a lively series of lectures and seminars, as well as walking tours of Chinatown.
|
|
Top 10 SightsChinatown Gate A gift from Taiwan in 1970, this triple-pagoda southern entrance to Chinatown was inspired by traditional Chinese village gates.
Portsmouth Square This
was San Francisco’s original town square – here, on July 9, 1846, the
US flag was first raised on the Bay, when the port was seized from
Mexico. Locals now use the area for t’ai chi and games of mah-jong. Golden Gate Fortune Cookies Company Fortune
cookies were invented in San Francisco. Stop by to watch how the
skillful workers slip the fortune message in the cookie mixture, then
fold it into the traditional shapes.
Old Chinese Telephone Exchange This
three-tiered pagoda is now the Bank of Canton, and is the most
distinctive work of architectural chinoiserie in Chinatown. It served as
the telephone exchange until the 1950s. Temples There
are a number of temples that incorporate Confucian, Taoist, and
Buddhist elements. The Tin How Temple was founded in 1852 and dedicated
to the Queen of Heaven.
Stockton Street Chinese Markets At these authentic produce markets the real smells, sights, and sounds of Chinatown come into sharp focus.
Chinese Six Companies This
building’s brilliant façade is one of the most ornate in Chinatown. The
Six Companies was formed in 1882 to promote Chinese interests within
the community. Chinese Historical Society of America Museum and Learning Center This
is the new home for the Chinese Historical Society’s 15,000-piece
collection of artifacts, documents, photographs, and replicas that
illustrate and explain the Chinese-American experience. Chinese Culture Center The
Chinese Culture Center comprises an art gallery and a small crafts
shop, featuring the work of Chinese and Chinese-American artists. St Mary’s Square This square is graced by a stainless-steel and rose-granite statue of Sun Yat-sen by San Francisco sculptor Beniamino Bufano.
|
