This trip to Chinatown was very interesting and provided a lot of insight into the sheer depth of culture that all the neighborhoods have in Chicago. Of course, I have been to Chicago's Chinatown before to eat, drink bubble tea and even to get groceries a few times. However, I have visited the part of Chinatown that follows Archer ave rather more than the main section that starts on Cermak and Wentworth. Due to this, my visit to Chinatown was almost completely new, I visited many sites for the first time, but some places were revisits from past trips to Chinatown.
As I normally do, I got off of the Red Line train at Cermak-Chinatown and decided to leave the platform on the Archer ave side as opposed to the Cermak side. There was no real reason behind this decision, I simply never get off at the Cermak side, even when it is possibly more convenient. This trend seems to follow with most people too. I stepped aside from the small flock of people to really take in the view. It was a very cold morning but the sun was shining and clouds were high in the sky.
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| An example of a sign in both English and Chinese 1 |
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| An example of the multicultural literature available 1 |
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| This is the TV area in the kid's section of the Chinatown library. 1 |
My first stop was in the Chinatown Public Library. It is crazy to think that this is a new building, it does not feel out of place, in fact, it blends in so well that at first, I did not realize it was a library I had never seen the entrance to it before. I felt very awkward entering the library at first, as there was a majority of Asian males and females sprinkled throughout the first-floor area. The first thing I noticed before even entering was that most of the signs were in both Chinese and English. The library in Chinatown was a lot more "ancient" feeling than the one in my neighborhood. The library in my hometown was built in the 70s, and while it has undergone remodeling in the past, no single part of it compares to the Chinatown library, except for maybe the fact that they both have books. The library in my neighborhood is mostly brick and wood, while Chinatown's library has the iconic Chicago Steel look to it like it was built right alongside the Sears tower.
This age factor makes the scene inside the library feel less like a place where there must be solitude and more like a place for social interaction. This is especially seen in the Chinatown library from two major aspects: The TV area and the community room. The TV area is exactly what it sounds like, a section in the Children's area with a few tables and a large TV, this environment does not exactly entail the solitary confinement that is usually seen with libraries, and is more welcoming to multiple people gathering together. This same concept can be seen in a more "adult" way in the community room, which outlooks Wentworth ave., the room is decorated with animals from the Chinese zodiac, and a long table stretches across the room. This is truly where people can look out to their community and say, "What's happening here, what is wrong, and how can we fix that wrong." The room almost gives the same feeling, like a room for an executive board. This Chinatown library is truly a marvel to look at and experience.
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| The Chinatown gate from far away 1 |
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| The plaque underneath the Chinatown gate 1 |
After leaving the library, I walked down Wentworth and got a look at the grand Chinatown gate from both far and near. From afar, the gate looks grand and menacing almost, like you are about to enter the residence of someone very important. This is one of the landmarks to look for if you are wondering where you are in Chicago. As soon as you see the big red gate, you will know you're in Chinatown. Moving closer, the gate seems very rotted, and in need to be taken care of. I was barely able to read half of the writing on the gate's plaque. From what I could read, it talks about how Chinatown is a community of one people united, no matter what distance separates them, the people in Chinatown were eternally connected to their home. The meaning of the Chinese characters is: The World is a Commonwealth.
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| This is what I first recognized as the Pui Tak Center. 1 |
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| The signs outside the Pui Tak Center are almost completely in Chinese 1 |
At first, I didn't think I would be seeing my next spot for at least a couple minute's walk, but I really didn't have to wait that long. A few steps after the gate I was unknowingly at the Pui Tak Center. The building stood out sure, but I did not see any fancy labeling say for the awning above me. I definitely walked past this place before unknowing of its history. After my trip, I visited the Pui Tak Center website to see its history
2. The site explained that the physical building was one of Chinatown's only historical landmarks, and had to be purchased from the Federal government. Pui Tak, when translated, means to build character, which essentially explains what is done here. Students can either broaden their knowledge of Mandarin Chinese, strengthen their skills on their desired musical instrument, or even if necessary, begin to learn the English language. This modern reincarnation of the Pui Tak Center is based on the center's ministry from the early second half of the twentieth century (1950~70) where the center was a volunteer medical clinic. This spirit of community extended the reach of the Pui Tak center's philosophy and made it into something amazing for Chinatown's residents.
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| The view along stunning Wentworth. 1 |
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| A storefront along Wentworth 1 |
The walk down Wentworth is quite fascinating. The shops and restaurants are very outstanding and always eye-catching whether it be for what is inside or the large signs outside. There is very much a sense of united community here. There is only one real post office here, seldom are there banks seen outside a main few, and everyone is of a certain type. I definitely received a couple looks from people while walking down Wentworth being a white person in a mostly Asian crowd, it tended to make me stand out a lot. The shops were very different yet similar to the ones I am used to. One major difference as seen in almost every single picture up to this point, there is Chinese. Chinese was everywhere, yet the whole experience felt home-like, as the same signs were out displaying the lottery jackpot for all to see. The only major difference there was the people buying the lottery tickets, they were Asian instead of Polish. There was one thing that was very shocking to me, the fact that it just ends. Once you pass a certain point on Wentworth, there is no more Chinatown, it merges into an expressway, as fiercely as it began, Chinatown ends quite underwhelmingly.
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| The actual Mao Suit 1 |
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| Chinatown merging into the expressway 1 |
The next stop I made on my Chinatown journey was the Chinese-American museum, where I most likely learned the most. It was during the fifteen-minute video where I had the whole community idea. The first thing I took notice of however was the "Mao suit" that was on display as a part of the Chinese garments exhibit. To me, the suit represented not only the communist union of all the Chinese people, but it represented the commonality of all Chinese people, all of their similar identities and attributes that make them similar. This sense of union spread into the fifteen-minute video, which started by talking about dim sum, a traditional Chinese food. The video explained how the dim sum was meant to be shared, and no one person would finish an entire or even the majority of what they ordered, it was a group experience, maybe even a family experience. This continued into a conversation about family associations. Much like what the polish did in their neighborhoods, the Chinese formed associations to help those who are just emigrating from China. The associations were tied to a family name, creating a sense of community and existing bonds for people that haven't even been in the country for a very long time. These associations created opportunities for the Chinese to rise up, so as to not to dishonor the association and by association the family name. This allowed the Chinese to become "good Americans," voting often, being active in the community, etc. The museum really solidifies the ideology of Chinatown, in that it sees itself as an open place for the collaboration of the Chinese people with the people of Chicago, where the Chinese can feel at home while being in another country.
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| The Chinatown mall staircase, even without people it still feels alive 1 |
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| The very very empty Chinatown square 1 |
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| The immigration Mural 1 |
I have very mixed feelings about Chinatown Square, but a lot of those feelings are quite negative compared to the rest of my feelings towards the Archer ave section of Chinatown. The square is simply empty, with no place to sit anywhere in the entirety of the area, in fact, it seems that the only purpose of the square is to give a nice open walking space to those passing through on their way to the red line. The true star of Chinatown however, is the outdoor mall that runs parallel to Archer. It is in quite a cramped space, but the shops are stacked right next to each other and even on top of one another. This might make the mall seem to be uncomfortable almost, but that doesn't happen at all. There is a strong sense of community among the shops, especially the smaller ones. It is the equivalent of a white-picket fence type neighborhood, where it would be commonplace to go ask the neighbors for sugar if you run out. To me, this exact thing could very well happen in Chinatown's outdoor mall. There is a mix of larger chain restaurants (Joy-Yee, Minghin), smaller, one hit wonders like Bonchon (where I chose to eat after my trip), and the family-owned restaurants. The final of the three gives off the biggest community vibe. Sometimes in the restaurants, there isn't even a menu, there is simply someone making the food, you say what you want, and you will get just that. You can tell these are the types of restaurants where there are regulars, for cheap food, traditionally made and by a family, it just screams what Chinatown is all about!
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| A small section of the 9 dragon wall 1 |
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| My meal of soy sauce coated chicken from Bonchon 1 |
The last stop before the end of my journey (after a very delicious meal at Bonchon) was the nine dragon wall. The wall is meant to show to the people of the Qing and Ming dynasties the power of the emperor, a concept that no longer applies in China, but parallels to this system can be drawn in modern times. The number nine is considered the most powerful, and the dragon is considered to be the soul of all creatures, so having nine dragons means you are quite powerful. After visiting the nine dragon wall, I decided it was time to leave, and simply hopped on the train and went the one stop it took to get back to IIT.
This trip was amazing to go on, even if at points it was unbearably cold. It gave me a new perspective on the city I live in and love so much. The Chinatown I knew before was really only through the food and bubble tea. Now I think I can learn to appreciate those things more now that I have learned the community behind them both. Here are other pictures I took that I didn't find too relevant to the conversation of this piece.
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| The entrance to the Chinatown Square 1 |
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| A modern association like mentioned from the video in the museum 1 |
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An example of the little differences found in basic things around Chinatown, such as the addition of Chinese characters underneath the Walgreens sign. 1
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References and Notes
