View source for Chinatown, Los Angeles

{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
<!-- Basic info ---------------->
| name                            = Chinatown
| settlement_type                 = [[Neighborhoods in Los Angeles|Neighborhood of Los Angeles]] <!-- e.g. Town, Village, City, etc.-->
| image_skyline                   = LAChinatown Gateway.jpg
| imagesize                       = 250px
| image_caption                   = ''[[Chinatown Gateway Monument]]'', marking the entrance to Los Angeles' Chinatown
| image_map                       = Map of Chinatown, Los Angeles, California.png
| map_caption                     = Map of the Chinatown neighborhood of Los Angeles, as delineated by the ''Los Angeles Times''
| pushpin_map                     = United States Los Angeles Downtown
| pushpin_label_position          = right
| pushpin_mapsize                 = 250
| pushpin_map_caption             = Location within Downtown Los Angeles
| elevation_ft                    = 308
| elevation_footnotes             = <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://elevation.maplogs.com/poi/chinatown_los_angeles_ca_usa.50026.html|title = Worldwide Elevation Finder}}</ref>
|timezone                 = [[Pacific Time Zone|PST]]
|utc_offset               = -8
|timezone_DST             = PDT
|utc_offset_DST           = -7
|postal_code_type         = Zip codes
|postal_code              = 90012
|area_codes                = [[Area code 213|213]], [[Area code 323|323]]
| coordinates                     = {{coord|34.062888|-118.23789|display=inline,title}}|
}}
'''Chinatown''' is a neighborhood in [[downtown Los Angeles]], California, that became a commercial center for [[Chinese American|Chinese]] and other [[Asian American|Asian]] businesses in [[Central Los Angeles]] in 1938. The area includes restaurants, shops, and art galleries, but also has a residential [[neighborhood]] with a low-income, aging population of about 7,800 residents.

The [[Old Chinatown, Los Angeles|original Chinatown]] developed in the late 19th century, and was demolished to make room for [[Los Angeles Union Station|Union Station]], the city's major ground-transportation center.<ref>Angels Walk–Union Station/El Pueblo/Little Tokyo/Center, published by Angels Walk LA, 2000</ref><ref name="Ctown2">{{Cite web |url=http://www.destination-southern-california.com/chinatown-los-angeles.html |title=Chinatown Los Angeles California, Restaurants in Chinatown, Pictures of Chinatown |access-date=October 25, 2010 |archive-date=October 19, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151019074552/http://www.destination-southern-california.com/chinatown-los-angeles.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Espinosa |first=Maggie |agency=North County Times |date=22 January 2008 |title=L.A.'s Chinatown: A bit of Asia in our own backyard |url=http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-las-chinatown-a-bit-of-asia-in-our-own-backyard-2006jan22-story.html |work= San Diego Union-Tribune |access-date=24 May 2018 }}</ref> This neighborhood and commercial center, referred to as "New Chinatown," opened for business in 1938.

__TOC__

==Geography and climate==
According to the Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles (CRA/LA), borders of (the current) Chinatown neighborhood are:<ref>[http://www.crala.org/internet-site/Projects/Chinatown/upload/Chinatown-Map-in-PDF.pdf "Chinatown map", CRA/LA]</ref><ref name="MappingLAHollywood2">[http://projects.latimes.com/mapping-la/neighborhoods/neighborhood/chinatown] "Chinatown," Mapping L.A., ''Los Angeles Times''</ref><ref name="ThomasGuide2">''The Thomas Guide, Los Angeles County'' 2006, page 634</ref>
*on the north: Stadium Way and [[Dodger Stadium]]/[[Chavez Ravine]], which the L.A. Times includes as part of the [[Elysian Park, Los Angeles|Elysian Park]] neighborhood;
**in addition, there is a northern sliver along North [[Broadway (Los Angeles)|Broadway]] between Radio Hill Gardens on the northwest and [[Los Angeles State Historic Park]] on the southeast
* to the west and northwest, Beaudry and Figueroa streets and the greater [[Echo Park, Los Angeles|Echo Park]] neighborhood
* on the east, 
** according to CRA/LA: North Main Street, [[Los Angeles State Historic Park]] and industrial areas along the west bank of the [[Los Angeles River]]
** according to the L.A. Times: the Los Angeles River and [[Lincoln Heights, Los Angeles|Lincoln Heights]] neighborhood
* on the south, [[Cesar Chavez Avenue]] and the [[Civic Center, Los Angeles|Civic Center]] and [[El Pueblo de Los Ángeles Historical Monument|Los Angeles Plaza historic district]]s of [[Downtown Los Angeles]]

{{Weather box
| location                = Chinatown, Los Angeles
| width                   = 50%
| single line             = Y 
| Jan high F              = 68
| Feb high F              = 70
| Mar high F              = 70
| Apr high F              = 74
| May high F              = 75
| Jun high F              = 80
| Jul high F              = 85
| Aug high F              = 86
| Sep high F              = 84
| Oct high F              = 80
| Nov high F              = 73
| Dec high F              = 69
| year high F             = 76
| Jan low F               = 47
| Feb low F               = 49
| Mar low F               = 51
| Apr low F               = 53
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| Jul low F               = 64
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| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation inch  = 3.47
| Feb precipitation inch  = 3.81
| Mar precipitation inch  = 3.24
| Apr precipitation inch  = 0.85
| May precipitation inch  = 0.31
| Jun precipitation inch  = 0.07
| Jul precipitation inch  = 0.02
| Aug precipitation inch  = 0.14
| Sep precipitation inch  = 0.35
| Oct precipitation inch  = 0.39
| Nov precipitation inch  = 1.16
| Dec precipitation inch  = 1.98
| year precipitation inch = 15.80
| source 1                = <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.plantmaps.com/90012|title=Zipcode 90012|website=www.plantmaps.com|access-date=March 23, 2021}}</ref>
| date                    = March 2021
}}

==History==
{{Further|History of the Chinese Americans in Los Angeles}}
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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===
{{main|Old Chinatown, Los Angeles}}

===China City===
{{main|China City, Los Angeles}}

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, Los Angeles|Old Plaza]]. Many built businesses, including wineries ([[San Antonio Winery]] is still in existence).<ref>{{cite book|author=Marge Bitetti|title=Italians in Los Angeles|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MwQZUOiSqPcC|year=2007|publisher=Arcadia Publishing|isbn=978-0-7385-4775-6|pages=7–8}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://dornsifelive.usc.edu/la-walking-tour/chinatown/|title=Chinatown > Downtown Los Angeles Walking Tour > USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences|website=dornsifelive.usc.edu|language=en|access-date=2020-03-17}}</ref> The neighborhood saw major development, especially as a [[tourist attraction]], throughout the 1930s, with the development of the "Central Plaza,"<ref name="ATV2">{{cite news|url=http://www.atvn.org/news/2015/11/chinatown|title=Chinatown: The Tale Of Three Plazas|last=Quon|first=Cameron|date=November 4, 2015|work=[[Annenberg TV News]]|access-date=19 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160127155142/http://www.atvn.org/news/2015/11/chinatown|archive-date=27 January 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> 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 industry)|Hollywood]] film set designers, and a "Chinese" movie prop was subsequently donated by film director [[Cecil B. DeMille]] to give Chinatown an exotic atmosphere.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.americanchinatown.com/|title=American Chinatown: A People's History of Five Neighborhoods|last=Tsui|first=Bonnie|date=2009|publisher=Free Press|isbn=978-1-4165-5723-4|location=New York|pages=117}}</ref>
{{clear}}
<gallery mode="packed" heights="125px" caption="Central Plaza">
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 (Los Angeles)|Statue]] of [[Sun Yat-sen]]
</gallery>
The [[Hop Sing Tong]] Society is situated in Central Plaza, as are several other Chinatown lodges and guilds.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Do |first=Anh |date=2023-04-02 |title=Mutual aid clubs are still going strong in L.A. Chinatown. But their future is uncertain |url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-04-02/chinese-benevolent-associations-los-angeles |access-date=2023-04-02 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> Near [[Broadway (Los Angeles)|Broadway]], Central Plaza contains a [[Statue of Sun Yat-sen (Los Angeles)|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 [[Bruce Lee statue in Los Angeles|statue of martial artist Bruce Lee]] was unveiled at Central Plaza on June 15, 2013.<ref name="latimes12">Frank Shyong, (June 16, 2013) [http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-bruce-lee-statue-unveiled-in-las-chinatown-20130616,0,4835552.story Bruce Lee statue unveiled in L.A.'s Chinatown], ''Los Angeles Times''</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.laweekly.com/arts/bruce-lees-huge-bronze-statue-turns-into-a-mecca-in-las-chinatown-video-5380451|title=Bruce Lee's Huge Bronze Statue Turns Into a Mecca in L.A.'s Chinatown|last=Ohanesian|first=Liz|date=February 12, 2015|work=[[LA Weekly]]}}</ref>

[[File:Los Angeles, Buddhist Temple, 2015.03.27 (02) (28752960304).jpg|thumb|left|Gateway at Southern California Teo-Chew Association (2016)]]
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 found at the intersection of Broadway and [[Cesar Chavez Avenue]], funded by the local [[Teochew dialect|Teochew]]-speaking population.<ref>Wallach, Ruth, Compiler and Photographer {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20060112164602/http://www.publicartinla.com/Downtown/Chinatown/chinatown_gateway.html "Chinatown Gateway"]}} ''Public Art in Los Angeles'' Accessed 30 April 2014</ref><ref>Wedlan, Candace A. (July 5, 2001) [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-jul-05-cl-18730-story.html "Gate Takes Wing From a Dream"] ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''</ref>

In 1996, Academy Award-winning (for ''[[The Killing Fields (movie)|The Killing Fields]]'' in 1985)  [[Cambodia]]n refugee, physician and actor, [[Haing S. Ngor]], was shot and killed in the Chinatown residential area in a bungled robbery attempt by members of an Asian gang.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://articles.latimes.com/keyword/haing-s-ngor|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120715020903/http://articles.latimes.com/keyword/haing-s-ngor|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 15, 2012|title=Articles about Haing S Ngor |work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref>

By 2000 many people had left the Chinatown for the [[Monterey Park, California|City of Monterey Park]], which is a part of the larger [[Chinese enclaves in the San Gabriel Valley|Chinese community in the San Gabriel Valley]]. In 2000 ''[[AsianWeek]]'' said that the Los Angeles Chinatown was "troubled."<ref name="Asianweekstadium2">''AsianWeek" Staff and ''Associated Press''. "[http://www.asianweek.com/2000_11_24/news1_nophillieschinatown.html Philadelphia Chinatown Wins Stadium Fight] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110926205738/http://www.asianweek.com/2000_11_24/news1_nophillieschinatown.html|date=September 26, 2011}}. ''AsianWeek''. November 24–30, 2000. Retrieved on November 8, 2011.''</ref>

On June 28, 2008, a celebration of the 1938 founding of New Chinatown was held with the L.A. Chinatown 70th Anniversary Party.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chinatownla.com/news.php?monthyear=5-2008|title=Chinatown Los Angeles|publisher=Chinatownla.com|access-date=2013-08-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130615225236/http://chinatownla.com/news.php?monthyear=5-2008|archive-date=2013-06-15|url-status=dead}}</ref> "Though lacking the hustle and bustle of [[San Francisco]]'s [[Chinatown, San Francisco|Chinatown]], Los Angeles' version has charms of its own."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Balfour |first1=Amy C. |title=Los Angeles |series=Encounter |date=2009 |publisher=Lonely Planet |isbn=978-1-74179-290-4 |page=130 |edition=2nd |oclc=1225860939 }}</ref>

===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.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Sharp|first=Steven|date=2021-02-09|title=Strip mall cleared for 25-story high-rise in Chinatown|url=https://urbanize.city/la/post/strip-mall-cleared-25-story-high-rise-chinatown|access-date=2021-02-10|work=Urbanize LA|language=en}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Zahniser|first=David|date=2021-02-11|title=Looking to avert evictions, L.A. seeks $46 million to buy Chinatown apartment building|url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-02-10/hillside-villa-vote-chinatown-apartment-building-avert-evictions|access-date=2021-02-11|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US}}</ref> City officials and housing activists have debated how much affordable housing should be included amidst the market rate apartments and condominiums.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-chinatown-apartments-gentrification-20190322-story.html|title=Amid gentrification fears, L.A. approves 725-unit apartment project in Chinatown|last=Zahniser|first=David|date=March 23, 2019|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=2019-03-23}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Chang |first=Andrea |date=2022-03-14 |title=Chinatown is one of L.A.'s trendiest dining destinations. But residents don't have a supermarket |url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-03-14/chinatown-food-desert |access-date=2022-03-15 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Demographics==
The 2020 U.S. census counted 7,798 residents, with a population density of 19,230 per square mile.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://statisticalatlas.com/neighborhood/California/Los-Angeles/Chinatown/Population|title=Population of Chinatown, Los Angeles, California (Neighborhood)|website=Statistical Atlas|access-date=August 30, 2023}}</ref>

The ethnic breakdown in 2010: [[Asian American|Asian]],  68.8%; [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Latino]], 14.7%; [[African American]], 6.7%; [[Non-Hispanic White]], 8.7%; mixed race, 0.8%; and others, 2.3%.<ref name=":)">{{Cite web|url=https://statisticalatlas.com/neighborhood/California/Los-Angeles/Chinatown/Race-and-Ethnicity|title=Race and Ethnicity in Chinatown, Los Angeles|website=Statistical Atlas}}</ref>

The median household income in 2010 dollars ($29,000), was the third-lowest in [[Los Angeles County, California|Los Angeles County]], preceded by [[Watts, Los Angeles|Watts]] ($28,200) and [[Downtown Los Angeles|Downtown]] ($24,300). The percentage of households earning $20,000 or less (53.6%) was the third-largest in Los Angeles County, preceded by Downtown (57.4%) and University Park (56.6%). The average household size of 2.8 people was just about the city norm. Renters occupied 91% of the housing units, and home- or apartment owners the rest.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://statisticalatlas.com/neighborhood/California/Los-Angeles/Chinatown/Overview|title=Chinatown, Los Angeles|website=Statistical Atlas|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160923005416/https://statisticalatlas.com/neighborhood/California/Los-Angeles/Chinatown/Overview|archive-date=September 23, 2016}}</ref>

== Economy ==
===Retail===
Small, specialized [[Asian supermarket|grocery stores]] are important to the aging population but few remain as [[gentrification]] impacts the neighborhood.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-09-22/chinatown-gentrification-grocery|title=Chinatown without Chinese grocery stores, and the delicate balance of ethnic communities|last=Shyong|first=Frank|date=2019-09-23|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|language=en-US|access-date=2019-09-24|df=mdy-all}}</ref> The Chinese-Vietnamese residents own many bazaars. The stores sell products such as soap, toys, clothes, music CDs at low prices. Several restaurants in Chinatown serve mainly Cantonese cuisine but there are also various Asian cuisine restaurants such as Teochew Chinese, Vietnamese, Indonesian, and Thai, which reflects the diverse character of Chinatown. Few [[Bubble tea|boba]] cafes have opened in Chinatown, but a large number are to be found in the [[Chinese enclaves in the San Gabriel Valley]].

Dynasty Center, Saigon Plaza, and the Chinatown Phuoc Loc Tho Center feature many Vietnamese-style bazaars with people engaged in bargain shopping for items such as clothing, toys, Chinese-language CDs, pets, household items, funerary products, and so on. Its entrepreneurs are ethnic Chinese from Vietnam.

There are over 20 art galleries to see, mostly featuring non-Chinese modern art, with works from up and coming artists in all types of media.<ref name="ATV2" />

===Restaurants===<!--Please do not add individual restaurants without demonstrated notoriety as they change too quickly and the section becomes dated-->
[[File:Philippe_Sign.JPG|thumb|right|upright|Philippe's sign, 2010]]
[[File:Little_Joe.jpg|thumb|right|upright|[[Little Joe's]] was demolished and the site was redeveloped as Blossom Plaza]]

Chinatown is in the process of becoming an entirely new place. Chinatown at the height of popularity was filled with bustling Chinese restaurants that included barbecue delicatessens with glass displays of roast duck and [[suckling pig]] and Cantonese seafood restaurants with [[dim sum]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sgvtribune.com/health/20150822/peking-duck-is-so-important-to-chinese-culture-it-got-a-health-code-exception-heres-why|title=Peking duck is so important to Chinese culture it got a health code exception. Here's why|last=Baer|first=Stephanie K.|date=August 22, 2015|work=[[The San Gabriel Valley Tribune]]|access-date=19 January 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-irvin-lai-20100725-story.html|title=Irvin R. Lai dies at 83; Chinese American community leader in Los Angeles|last=Ni|first=Ching-Ching|date=July 25, 2010|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=17 January 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-01-13-ca-182-story.html|title=Grab That Cart! : Ocean Seafood has quickly become the place for dim sum in Chinatown, and no wonder|last=Reichl|first=Ruth|date=January 13, 1991|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=November 10, 2013}}</ref> As the action in Chinese cuisine became centered in the San Gabriel Valley, there were also places that offered Vietnamese [[pho]] noodle soup and [[banh mi]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.latimes.com/food/la-fo-empress-pavilion-dim-sim-chinatown-20150418-story.html|title=At Empress Pavilion in Chinatown, it's not 1991, but not bad either|last=Gold|first=Jonathan|date=April 17, 2015|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref> As downtown revives, Chinatown has been sparked into life by cheap rents, the gallery boom in the 2000s and deep-rooted sense of community.<ref>Betty Hallock (August 24, 2013) [http://www.latimes.com/food/la-fo-chinatown-george-yu-20130824-story.html "George Yu hungers to bring new restaurants to Chinatown"] ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''</ref> Chinese bakeries and other shops continue to serve the area.<ref name="gold2">Gold, Jonathan (January 16, 2015) [http://www.latimes.com/food/la-fo-future-gold-20150117-story.html "Chinatown emerging as L.A.'s hottest restaurant destination"] ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''</ref> Traditional Chinese restaurants that have remained are being joined by a variety of new restaurants as the opportunities Chinatown offers is recognized by additional restaurateurs.<ref>Betty Hallock (June 4, 2013) [https://web.archive.org/web/20130605020630/http://www.latimes.com/features/food/dailydish/la-dd-chinatown-dim-sum-palace-empress-pavilion-closes-evicted-20130604,0,4997511.story "Chinatown dim sum palace Empress Pavilion evicted, closes doors after almost 25 years"], ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''</ref> The area is better served by transit than many areas with Union Station so close by. Even though low-income seniors remain, college graduates can find their first apartment here and condos are becoming available for the affluent. This economic diversity encourages a diversity of places to serve the area.<ref name="gold2" />

Two of Chinatown's restaurants highlight the history and diversity of this neighborhood.<ref>{{cite news|title=Can you do downtown L.A. on foot? You betcha!|last=STEIN|first=PAT|date=February 12, 1998|work=The San Diego Union - Tribune|page=NIGHT.D}}</ref>
* [[Philippe's]] has been located on the corner of [[Alameda Street]], at the edge of Chinatown, in the [[Historical District]] of Los Angeles since 1951,<ref name="latimes2">{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-xpm-2010-feb-09-la-me-bill-binder9-2010feb09-story.html|title=William 'Bill' Binder dies at 94; ran Philippe's eatery|last=Thursby|first=Keith|date=September 2, 2010|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=2010-02-26}}</ref> and is known as one of the creators of the [[French Dip]] sandwich.<ref name="latimes2" />
* [[Little Joe's]], demolished in January 2014, had long stood at the corner of Broadway and College Street. It closed in December 1998 due to the expense of retrofitting the building to meet earthquake standards.<ref name="Pool2">{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-oct-08-me-30374-story.html|title=After Many Years, Little Joe's Will Just Fade Away|last=Pool|first=Bob|date=October 8, 1998|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|page=1}}</ref> The interior was left unchanged and it has been used as a filming location.<ref>{{cite news |id={{ProQuest|421749405}} |last1=Mallory |first1=Michael |title=They're empty, but full of promise; Renting out vacant buildings as film locations can fill the needs of owners, production companies and the community |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=2 December 2002 |page=E.6 }}</ref>

== Parks and recreation ==
* [[Los Angeles State Historic Park]], also known as the Cornfield,<ref name="Rasmussen2">{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-jul-13-me-then13-story.html|title=Pasadena's Gold Line will travel a history-laden route|last=Rasmussen|first=Cecilia|date=2003-07-13|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|access-date=2012-07-29}}</ref> consists of a long open space between Spring Street and the tracks of the [[A Line (Los Angeles Metro)|Metro A Line]].
* Alpine Recreation Center, at 817 Yale Street, has a combined and multipurpose room with a capacity of 250. Two indoor gymnasiums have capacities of 450 each. There are also basketball courts (lighted/indoor/outdoor), a children's play area and volleyball courts (lighted).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.laparks.org/dos/reccenter/facility/alpineRC.htm|title=City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks|publisher=Laparks.org|access-date=2013-08-17}}</ref>

==Nomenclature==
[[File:College_Street_and_Broadway,_Chinatown,_LA.JPG|right|thumb|Chinese translation on a street sign at College Street and Broadway.  This sign reads in [[Cantonese]] ''Dai hok gai'' and in Mandarin as ''Da xue jie'' (''da xue'' means college or university).]]
The words '''''Los Angeles Chinatown''''' are written and pronounced as follows as ({{lang-zh|t=洛杉磯唐人街|s=洛杉矶唐人街|p=Luòshānjī Tángrénjiē|cy=Loksāamgēi Tòhngyàhngāai|first=t}}) in [[Cantonese]], ({{lang-zh|t=洛杉磯中國城|s=洛杉矶中国城|p=Luòshānjī Zhōngguóchéng|cy=Loksāamgēi Jūnggwoksìhng|first=t}}) in [[Standard Chinese|Mandarin Chinese]] or officially known as ({{lang-zh|t=洛杉磯華埠|s=洛杉矶华埠|p=Luòshānjī Huábù|cy=Loksāamgēi Wàhfauh}}).

==Events==
[[File:La-chinatown-buddhisttemple2.JPG|right|thumb|[[Thien Hau Temple (Los Angeles)|Thien Hau Temple]], another popular attraction in LA Chinatown.]]
Events that have been held or are planned in Los Angeles's Chinatown include:

• [[Chinese New Year]] Parade<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lagoldendragonparade.com/|title=Chinese Chamber of Commerce LA|publisher=Lagoldendragonparade.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130901183423/http://www.lagoldendragonparade.com/|archive-date=2013-09-01|url-status=usurped|access-date=2013-08-17}}</ref>

• [[Lantern festival]] at the [[Chinese American Museum]]<ref>[http://www.camla.org/lanternfestival.html] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100118222446/http://www.camla.org/lanternfestival.html|date=January 18, 2010}}</ref>

• The Firecracker Run and Fun Walk<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.firecracker10k.org/|title=L.A. Chinatown Firecracker|date=2013-06-30|publisher=Firecracker10k.org|access-date=2013-08-17}}</ref>

• Mid-autumn [[Moon Festival]]

• [[Miss LA Chinatown|Miss Los Angeles Chinatown Pageant]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.misslachinatown.com/|title=Welcome to Miss LA Chinatown Pageant|publisher=Misslachinatown.com|access-date=2013-08-17}}</ref>

A midnight firecracker display occurs every Chinese New Year's Eve at [[Thien Hau Temple, Los Angeles|Thien Hau Temple]] and Xuan Wu San Buddhist Association.

==Education==
{{multiple image |align=right |direction=vertical
 |image1  =Chinatown_Lib.jpg
 |caption1=Chinatown Branch Library at [[Hill Street (Los Angeles)|Hill]] and Ord Streets
 |image2  =LA_Cathedral_HS.jpg
 |caption2=[[Cathedral High School (Los Angeles, California)|Cathedral High School]], next to [[Dodger Stadium]]}}
According to U.S. Census data, 20.2% of Chinatown residents aged 25 and older possessed a four-year degree in 2023.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://statisticalatlas.com/neighborhood/California/Los-Angeles/Chinatown/Educational-Attainment|title=Educational Attainment in Chinatown, Los Angeles, California (Neighborhood)|work=Statistical Atlas|access-date=August 30, 2023}}</ref> There are three schools operating within Chinatown. They are:<ref name="MappingLASchoolsChinatown2">[http://projects.latimes.com/mapping-la/neighborhoods/chinatown/schools]{{dead link|date=June 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} "Chinatown Schools," Mapping L.A., ''Los Angeles Times''</ref>
* Endeavor College Preparatory Charter School, middle, 126 Bloom Street
* Castelar Street Elementary School,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Castelar Street Elementary |url=https://castelarstes.lausd.org/ |access-date=2023-08-29 |website=castelarstes.lausd.org}}</ref> [[LAUSD]], 840 Yale Street; second oldest school in the district
* [[Cathedral High School (Los Angeles, California)|Cathedral High School]], a private Catholic boys' school, just down the hill from [[Dodger Stadium]], is located on the north side of Chinatown. [https://web.archive.org/web/20110723034827/http://cathedralhs.ca.campusgrid.net/home]
* Evans Community Adult School - largest stand-alone [[English as a Foreign or Second Language|ESL]] adult school in the nation<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.evansla.org/aboutus|title=Evans Community Adult School|website=Evans Community Adult School}}</ref>
[[Los Angeles Public Library]] operates the Chinatown Branch.

==Transportation==
[[File:LA China Town Train Station (15143816342).jpg|thumb|right|upright=1|[[Chinatown station (Los Angeles Metro)|Chinatown station]] on the {{LACMTA link logo}} [[A Line (Los Angeles Metro)|A Line]] (2014)]]
Chinatown is served by the [[A Line (Los Angeles Metro)|A Line]] of the city's [[Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority|Metro Rail]]. The station was formerly serviced by the, now defunct, [[L Line (Los Angeles Metro)|L Line]]; parts of Old Chinatown were uncovered during excavation for another portion of the L.A. subway (the Red Line connection to Union Station). The [[Chinatown (Los Angeles Metro station)|Metro Rail station in Chinatown]] has been described as a spectacular pagoda-themed facility and as a cliché of neo-pagoda architecture by Christopher Hawthorne, the Los Angeles Times architecture critic.<ref>Nelson, Laura J. (December 20, 2013) [http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-metro-design-20131221,0,750599.story "Metro rail stations are being planned with design in mind"] ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''</ref><ref>Hawthorne, Christopher (December 31, 2013) [http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/culture/la-et-cm-metro-station-architecture-los-angeles-20131231,0,639527.story "Review: Tentative signs of progress in Metro's transit network design"] ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-aug-13-me-bell13-story.html|title=Ringing in a New Era in Old Chinatown|last=Woodson|first=Joy L.|date=August 13, 2003|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=14 March 2016}}</ref>

==Filming==
{{multiple image |align=right |direction=vertical |total_width=230
 |image1  =New Chinatown in Los Angeles, California LCCN2013632316.tif
 |caption1=[[Chinatown East Gate|East Gate]], 1939 (photographed in 2012) 
 |image2  =Chinatown gate, Los Angeles.jpg
 |caption2=[[Chinatown West Gate|West Gate]], 1938 (photographed in 2011)
|footer= East Gate (on [[Broadway (Los Angeles)|Broadway]]) in New Chinatown's Central Plaza is [[List of Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments in Downtown Los Angeles#Current and former Historic-Cultural Monuments|Historic-Cultural Monument]] No. 826. West Gate (on [[Hill Street (Los Angeles)|Hill Street]]) is No. 825.}}

Chinatown has served as the setting for many Hollywood films. The conclusion of the film ''[[Chinatown (1974 film)|Chinatown]]'' was filmed on Spring Street.<ref name="movie-locations.com2">{{cite web|url=http://www.movie-locations.com/movies/c/chinatown.html|title=Film locations for Chinatown (1974)|publisher=Movie-locations.com|access-date=2013-08-17|archive-date=2013-09-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130918002945/http://www.movie-locations.com/movies/c/chinatown.html|url-status=live}}</ref>  The movie ''[[Rush Hour (1998 film)|Rush Hour]]'' was filmed on location in Chinatown.<ref name="daytrippen12">{{Cite web |url=http://www.daytrippen.com/china-town-la.html |title=Los Angeles Chinatown Restaurants Shops Sightseeing |access-date=October 25, 2010 |archive-date=March 16, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150316181823/http://www.daytrippen.com/china-town-la.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

; Feature films
* ''[[Chinatown (1974 film)|Chinatown]]''<ref name="movie-locations.com2" />
* ''[[Rush Hour (1998 film)|Rush Hour]]''<ref name="daytrippen12" />
* ''[[I Love You, Man]]''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.seeing-stars.com/Locations/ILoveYouMan2.shtml|title=Filming Locations of I Love You Man - part 2|publisher=Seeing-stars.com|access-date=2013-08-17}}</ref>
* ''[[Gangster Squad (film)|Gangster Squad]]''<ref>Verrier, Richard (August 28, 2012) [http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-onlocation-20120828,0,2727277.story 'Gangster Squad' adds to L.A.'s Chinatown credits], ''Los Angeles Times''</ref>
* ''[[Lethal Weapon 4]]''
* ''[[Beverly Hills Ninja]]''<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=http://www.oldchinatownla.com/film.html|title=Films in Old Chinatown|website=Old Chinatown Los Angeles|access-date=2018-03-23|archive-date=2018-04-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180406022643/http://www.oldchinatownla.com/film.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* ''[[Strange Days (film)|Strange Days]]''<ref name=":1" />
* ''[[Hard to Kill]]''<ref name=":1" />
* ''[[Balls of Fury]]''
* ''[[15 Minutes]]''<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-fg-film-china-casino-scorsese-pitt-deniro-dicaprio-20151027-story.html|title=Did a Chinese casino really just pay $70 million for a 15-minute Martin Scorsese film?|last=Makinen|first=Julie|date=October 27, 2015}}</ref>

==Notable people==
* [[Cayetano Apablasa]] (1847–1889), 19th Century property owner<ref>{{cite news |id={{ProQuest|154203751}} |title=Salvador Apablasa, 75; Descendant of Pioneer Los Angeles Landowners |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=22 March 1985 |page=c2 }}</ref>
* [[Helen Liu Fong]] (1927-2009), architect
* [[You Chung Hong]] (1898–1977), attorney, community leader<ref>Los Angeles Chinatown Visitor Map, Chinatown B.I.D, 2006</ref>
* [[Milton Quon]], animator, artist and actor<ref name="CHSSC">{{cite web|url=http://www.chssc.org/History/Honorees/Honorees2013h.aspx|title=Honorees|publisher=[[Chinese Historical Society of Southern California]]|date=2013|access-date=October 24, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161025111007/http://www.chssc.org/History/Honorees/Honorees2013h.aspx|archive-date=October 25, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[Bruce Lee]] (1940 – 1973), actor, whose statue is located at Central Plaza<ref name="latimes12" />
* [[Haing S. Ngor]] (1940–1996), actor<ref>My-Thuan Tran (January 21, 2010) [https://web.archive.org/web/20101204100429/http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jan/21/local/la-me-ngor-murder21-2010jan21/4 Revisiting Haing Ngor's murder: 'Killing Fields' theory won't die], ''Los Angeles Times''</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Hill |first=Jim |date=February 27, 1996 |title=Actor Haing Ngor found gunned down outside L.A. home |url=http://www.cnn.com/US/9602/haing_ngor/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010502145116/http://www.cnn.com/US/9602/haing_ngor/ |archive-date=2001-05-02 |work=CNN}}</ref>
* [[Yiu Hai Seto Quon]] (1899–1999), "Mama Quon," chef at Quon Bros. Grand Star Restaurant
* [[Lisa See]], author<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lisasee.com/Bio.htm|title=Bio|publisher=Lisa See|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140204010836/http://www.lisasee.com/Bio.htm|archive-date=2014-02-04|url-status=dead|access-date=2013-08-17}}</ref>
* [[Otto G. Weyse]] (ca. 1858–1893), liquor and wine dealer, member of the Los Angeles Common Council<ref>{{cite news |id={{ProQuest|163399848}} |title=A YOUNG THIEF: How George Lewis Has Robbed O. G. Weyse's Residence |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=28 September 1887 |page=1 }}</ref><ref>[http://projects.latimes.com/mapping-la/neighborhoods/neighborhood/chinatown/?q=19+E+College+St%2C+Los+Angeles%2C+CA+90012%2C+USA&lat=34.0626804&lng=-118.2340882&g=Geocodify] Location of the Weyse residence on ''Mapping L.A.''</ref>
* [[Tyrus Wong]] (1910–2016), artist
* [[Wilbur Woo]] (1915-2012), businessman and leader in the Chinese-American community<ref name=latimes>{{cite news|first=Valerie J.|last=Nelson|title=Wilbur K. Woo dies at 96; a leader of L.A.'s Chinese community |url=http://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-wilbur-woo-20121115-story.html |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=November 15, 2012 |access-date=2012-12-01}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|China|Los Angeles|United States}}
* [[Thien Hau Temple (Los Angeles)|Thien Hau Temple]] (天后宮) located in Los Angeles's Chinatown
* [[Chinese American Museum]]
* [[Chinese Historical Society of Southern California]]
* [[List of Chinatowns]]
* [[List of districts and neighborhoods of Los Angeles]]
* [[Sonoratown, Los Angeles]]
* [[Chinese massacre of 1871]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
* [http://americanchinatown.com/ ''American Chinatown: A People's History of Five Neighborhoods''], Bonnie Tsui, 2009  {{ISBN|978-1-4165-5723-4}}.
* [[Ki Longfellow]], ''China Blues'', [[Eio Books]] 2012, {{ISBN|0-9759255-7-1}}. Contains detailed history of Chinese immigration to California and other historical information relating to Chinatown.  Also, how the Chinese were treated in California.

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20200520105624/http://camla.org/ Los Angeles Chinese American Museum]
* [http://www.firecracker10k.org/ Los Angeles Chinatown Firecracker Run]
* [http://www.chssc.org/ Chinese Historical Society of Southern California (Los Angeles Chinatown)]
* [http://www.lachinesechamber.org/ Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Los Angeles]
* [http://www.chinatownla.com/ Los Angeles Chinatown Business Council Official Website]
* [[KCET]] Departures [http://www.kcet.org/socal/departures/lariver/yangna/munson-kwok.html interview with Munson Kwok] Chinatown community leader
* [http://projects.latimes.com/mapping-la/neighborhoods/neighborhood/chinatown/crime/ Chinatown crime map and statistics]
* [http://www.oac.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/tf6s2010rd/ Pictures of Chinatown in 1911], from the UC Berkeley [[Bancroft Library]]
* [https://dornsife.usc.edu/icw/chinatown-history-project/ Chinatown History Project] - Huntington-USC Institute

{{Geographic location|Centre=Chinatown|North=[[Elysian Park, Los Angeles|Elysian Park]], [[Dodger Stadium]] & [[Solano Canyon, Los Angeles|Solano Canyon]]|Northeast=[[Cypress Park, Los Angeles|Cypress Park]]|East=[[Lincoln Heights, Los Angeles|Lincoln Heights]]|Southeast=[[East Los Angeles, California|East Los Angeles]]|South=[[Olvera Street]], [[Union Station (Los Angeles)|Union Station]] & [[Little Tokyo, Los Angeles|Little Tokyo]]|Southwest=[[Bunker Hill, Los Angeles|Bunker Hill]]|West=[[Echo Park, Los Angeles|Echo Park]]|Northwest=[[Echo Park, Los Angeles|Echo Park]]|image=}}

{{Chinese American|state=collapsed}}
{{US Chinatowns}}
{{Downtown Los Angeles}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Chinatown, Los Angeles| ]]
[[Category:Little Italys in the United States]]
[[Category:Italian-American culture in Los Angeles]]