How Chinatown was built on NY's Most NOTORIOUS Slum | How it Became Manhattan

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  • Опубліковано 9 чер 2024
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    #newyorkcity #travel #history

КОМЕНТАРІ • 86

  • @valmarsiglia
    @valmarsiglia 3 місяці тому +22

    I love Columbus Park. When I lived in NYC, I used to love going to Chinatown on a sunny day, getting a nice meal, then sitting in Columbus Park watching the traditional Chinese musicians. One of the best spots in NYC.

  • @MyNewYorkCity.
    @MyNewYorkCity. 15 днів тому +7

    My family came from the Dominican Republic in the 40s to Elizabeth & prince! Now we are all over N.Y & America, living the dream.

  • @halchemy
    @halchemy 8 місяців тому +6

    I lived right next to it for 4 years as a city student (on lafayette street), walked through that street every week, and never knew it had so much history.

  • @ktchpmn
    @ktchpmn 8 місяців тому +1

    Such a well produced and researched video! I'm loving your videos

  • @BruceLibertine10
    @BruceLibertine10 8 місяців тому +4

    Loved the video and all the history surrounding Chinatown. Fortunately I’ve visited New York several times and it’s always fascinating to learn new things about the city. 🗽

  • @VoyagesJapan
    @VoyagesJapan 9 місяців тому +6

    Really awesome job on this story!! So much information that I had no clue about, even after living in NY for 13 years. That’s how Canal Street got its name?! 😮 Well done on the storytelling and research!

  • @arieldelgado2583
    @arieldelgado2583 27 днів тому +1

    Awesome!
    Love this series

  • @ElizabethHernandez-ub7mv
    @ElizabethHernandez-ub7mv Місяць тому +10

    12:12 Wasn’t there protests surrounding the Museum of Chinese in America bc the board chair happened to be one of the biggest landlords in Chinatown who allowed de Blasio’s administration to construct a large mega jail in the heart of Chinatown? I remember hearing that the museum got like $35 million as a bribe & the landlord displaced a big restaurant. Asking bc I haven’t been to the city in about 2 years so I don’t know if there was any development with the mega jail but I really hope it doesn’t destroy Chinatown

  • @anatly
    @anatly 8 місяців тому +3

    This NYC series is so good and interesting. Love it!

  • @regwellz93
    @regwellz93 9 місяців тому +3

    This was awesome 👏🏾

  • @Sacto1654
    @Sacto1654 Місяць тому +10

    Personally, the work of Jacob Riis in documenting the _awful_ tenements of this very area may explain the rise of suburbanism at the beginning of the 20th Century. It's probably not a coincidence the first major suburbs in New York City took off early in the 20th Century, first along the rail lines radiating out from central New York City and eventually along the new limited access Interstate highways built in the 1950's and 1960's.

    • @starventure
      @starventure 13 годин тому

      Jacob Riis "arranged" quite a few of his photos in the same way that Matthew Brady staged many of his battlefield shots.

  • @rolitosebastian
    @rolitosebastian 8 місяців тому +2

    amazing job !

  • @matheusmoscardo
    @matheusmoscardo 9 місяців тому +2

    Great, love this ❤

  • @patavinity1262
    @patavinity1262 10 днів тому +1

    Last time i visited NYC I made a point of visiting this spot just to try and imagine what the Five Points used to look like. Pretty difficult.

  • @RichManhattanite11
    @RichManhattanite11 21 день тому +2

    7:44 I love the idea of replacing slums with parks for the public to enjoy! ❤❤❤❤

  • @TheStockBrain
    @TheStockBrain 9 місяців тому +2

    Fascinating 🤯

  • @cinema104
    @cinema104 21 день тому +1

    Excellent work.

  • @CuriousEarthMan
    @CuriousEarthMan 21 день тому +4

    Great retelling of nyc history, thank you! I'm always amazed at how Manhattan's natural features were altered to suit development, whether the grid plan in itself, or other endeavors over the years!

  • @SarthakAgarwalClientNo23
    @SarthakAgarwalClientNo23 8 місяців тому +1

    "...and most importantly Understand Where You Are". Great perspective to have when traveling.

  • @potatoindespair4494
    @potatoindespair4494 8 місяців тому +1

    great video! as an ABC I spent my life visiting chinatown frequently but I never knew some of the early history. I must say it would have been nice to interview a local as well for their perspective, though!

    • @robertewalt7789
      @robertewalt7789 21 день тому

      For the uninitiated, ABC means American Born Chinese.

  • @wayne2816wayne
    @wayne2816wayne 15 днів тому

    Interesting video. cheers.

  • @mcgarry2588
    @mcgarry2588 18 днів тому

    Well done! You should do one on Coney Island. Very interesting stuff with John Y McCain and the other Barons of Coney Island.

  • @user-mx7hg9sx4p
    @user-mx7hg9sx4p 13 днів тому

    Very interesting episode ❗🔥💯👍

  • @aaronweaver4553
    @aaronweaver4553 8 місяців тому +5

    Really well-done. As a one-time New Yorker, I would have loved having this kind of info at my fingertips at the time to influence my city exploration. Tap into that Johnny Harris energy to reach more people!!

  • @MbisonBalrog
    @MbisonBalrog 21 день тому +2

    I’m gonna eat lunch in Chinatown now

  • @aldente80
    @aldente80 8 місяців тому +1

    Nice job putting this story together, that you accurately point out, does not appear in history books.

  • @PrincepsAve
    @PrincepsAve 14 днів тому

    COOL FILM SCHOOL VIDEO

  • @sirrahca
    @sirrahca 18 днів тому

    Good information. Would love to see some primary source info from a current or former vendor or resident who is actually Chinese

  • @halluciongen3000
    @halluciongen3000 4 дні тому

    Loved it! Maybe there aren't as many sources but like the gap between the chinese arrivals and then almost a hundred years later. How was life for the chinese people how did they manage to stay there etc would be a great topic for maybe another video? regardless super nicely done with today's attention span watching a full video is not that common lol

  • @TravelClast
    @TravelClast 26 днів тому +2

    The Tombs are still there. Trust me.

  • @tjdomerny4847
    @tjdomerny4847 17 днів тому +61

    My only real problem with this vid is its use of euphemism. These were not "working class" nor "marginalized". The were POOR, destitute. The bigotry v the Irish was because the were CATHOLIC. Until really the 90s, the inhabitants of 5 Points were invariably Irish, who weren't escaping "potato famine" but British starvation. There was no dearth of food in Ireland. It was all owned by British who exported it all to England.

    • @user-og5rj1py5n
      @user-og5rj1py5n 12 днів тому

      They basically bullied and robbed half the world. Maybe the British government needs to do repatriation to those they have exploited.

    • @biggreasy1221
      @biggreasy1221 11 днів тому +5

      O’poor me - they’ve stolen me lucky charms - have a pint and write a poem about it

    • @patavinity1262
      @patavinity1262 10 днів тому +3

      There was indeed a potato famine (caused by the potato crop entirely failing) which did indeed cause a dearth of food. That's a matter of historical fact.

    • @ivand9610
      @ivand9610 6 днів тому

      The 90s? Like 1990s? Lol

    • @mizsevenoneeight685
      @mizsevenoneeight685 5 днів тому +5

      @@patavinity1262#criticalthinking 🧐 The reason potato crop failure caused widespread famine amongst the Irish population is because all of the other food crops in Ireland (of which there were plenty) were usurped by England for their own consumption, leaving only 🥔 for Irish people. Had that not been the circumstance there would have been no need for Irish people to leave and seek food elsewhere.

  • @valmarsiglia
    @valmarsiglia 3 місяці тому +4

    Wait, you think 1811 was 150 years ago?

  • @KoreaWalkingToursTV
    @KoreaWalkingToursTV День тому

    Great🎉🎉🎉

  • @muffineyes
    @muffineyes 17 днів тому +1

    10:35 not sure if this is really true anymore (highest concentration of Chinese). Manhattan Chinatown is shrinking and will continue to shrink. With congestion pricing coming, sadly its going to probably crush Manhattan Chinatown. In the future, Manhattan Chinatown probably be a tourist shell a la Little Italy. The world's largest Chinatown is Flushing, NY is far more diverse types of Asian business with locals living there. Brooklyn have a few genuine Chinatowns as well.

  • @SamsonBiggz
    @SamsonBiggz 11 днів тому

    You said they tore down all the buildings and built parks but what happened to all the people that were living there????!!!!! They didn't just magically disappear. They were kicked out and had to find a new places to live. Geez poor people can't catch a break.

  • @vominator
    @vominator 7 місяців тому +4

    "playing cards".....aka gambling

  • @twlee1930
    @twlee1930 7 днів тому

    The peak of Manhattan Chinatown was maybe 20 years ago and has only declined since covid. Several other Chinatowns popped up in Queens and Brooklyn and have overtaken the Manhattan Chinatown in size. Also the nature of the Chinese immigrants have changed from working class Cantonese speakers to student and wealthier mainland Chinese Mandarin speakers. Gentrification has also pushed a lot of Chinese out of Chinatown. Plus the plans for the new jail.

    • @twlee1930
      @twlee1930 7 днів тому

      Also Little Italy was right by here. My childhood friend's family used to run Caffe Roma. I wonder if it is still there.

  • @corvettelady58
    @corvettelady58 21 день тому

    I go to Chinatown every time I go to NYC.

  • @errolthomas9426
    @errolthomas9426 5 місяців тому

    Certain parts of Chinatown in NYC barely look and feel like it these days

  • @MbisonBalrog
    @MbisonBalrog 21 день тому

    I thought Little Italy was the Five Points/Bowery.

    • @Historian212
      @Historian212 6 днів тому

      Little Italy didn’t exist in the early years of the Five Points. The big influx of Italian immigrants started decades later. In the early years, it was mostly Irish and German immigrants. Like Chinatown, Little Italy’s boundaries grew and then shrank, over the decades. Same thing with the Jewish Lower East Side.

    • @MbisonBalrog
      @MbisonBalrog 6 днів тому +1

      @@Historian212 I mean five points became little Italy when Italian came

  • @user-og5rj1py5n
    @user-og5rj1py5n 12 днів тому

    Wonderful! Thank you for introducing the soon to be forgotten Chinatown. Chinatown has always been a neglected NYC community. From the terrorist 911 attack, rapidly rising rents, the pandemic, and congestion pricing, The city never try to do much to protect or cleanup this historical community. If it wasn’t for the few Chinese social organizations fighting to keep the community together and working with the local 5th precinct to keep crimes low, Chinatown would have been wiped out from NYC years ago. The Chinatown today has lost almost all of its charm compared to what it was 35 years ago. It was a thriving community where it gave hopes to so many immigrants a chance to achieve the American Dream. The community was decently safe compare to many other immigrant communities. Most of them worked and studied very hard to get out of poverty. People from nearby cities and boroughs went to school, summer school, church, grocery shopping, doctors, dentists, shopping, and all types of daily life activities in Chinatown. Some of them commuted from Staten Island and Jersey. It was not a place just for immigrants. It was a community that gave a sense of belonging to all Chinese Americans in the nearby cities. Chinatown under Hochul, De balsio and Adam’s leadership has been terrible. They built a center for drug addicts for them to use drugs, migrant shelter and homeless shelter. They have been trying to build a new prison there again. The community fought back deblasio with strong resistance. These politicians are turning Chinatown back to a slum just like it was in the 1800’s, wiping out 200 years of hard work from the community.

  • @bmichael8187
    @bmichael8187 4 дні тому

    Most immigrants in US started out living in self segregated areas or "ethnic" neighborhoods. It's the whole history to NYC. My grandparents lived in neighboring Lower East Side after arriving from Russia in early 20th century. It's also not unique to NYC, there are Chinatowns in may cities in US and all over the world. It's a diaspora called "overseas Chinese".

  • @pepsiq11965
    @pepsiq11965 8 місяців тому +5

    Into beautiful Chinatown? Wow, never heard of Chinatown here in NY referred to as beautiful. lol

    • @Sacto1654
      @Sacto1654 Місяць тому +1

      I believe there are something akin to _nine_ Chinatowns in the New York City region. Most of them in what is now Queens and Brooklyn boroughs.

    • @pepsiq11965
      @pepsiq11965 Місяць тому

      @@Sacto1654 The largest in NY is in Flushing, Queens. It has surpassed the original and Iconic Manhattan's Chinatown

    • @user-og5rj1py5n
      @user-og5rj1py5n 12 днів тому

      Manhattan Chinatown is the original Chinatown in NY. There is no charm in flushing. The buildings were built in a more modern era. There is no tenement in flushing. Tenements in chinatown had shared bathrooms in the hallway and it was common to have a shower stall with just a curtain in the kitchen. Many of those tenements didn’t get an update on the interior structure until the 21st century. People in the 1990’s still paid rent to live in a tenement in its original condition with few minor updates like paint job or window replacement. Ask any Chinese adult from 40 yr old and up, the chance of them lived or knew someone who lived in one of those is high.

  • @Did.You.Forget
    @Did.You.Forget 6 днів тому

    Are these the same editors as Vox? Nice vid but try a new style

  • @dagvilledelavigo4113
    @dagvilledelavigo4113 20 днів тому +2

    "African immigrants?"

  • @avivabumgardner6107
    @avivabumgardner6107 19 днів тому +2

    African “immigrants”??

  • @tjdomerny4847
    @tjdomerny4847 17 днів тому +2

    PS Chinatown is still not pretty, not at all what any reasonable person would call beautiful. Since the 1990s , Chinatown expanded to overtake "Little Italy" and the old Jewish area of the "Lower East Side" so that it now is extended up to Houston St.

  • @Futuristbillpicone
    @Futuristbillpicone 15 днів тому +1

    ALSO DONT FORGET THAT DOWNTOWN WAS BUILT ON A NATIVE AMERICAN GRAVEYARD. THESE EUROPEANS AND ASIANS ARE NEW HERE.. 400 MEASLY YEARS

  • @keithpucarelli6991
    @keithpucarelli6991 13 днів тому

    You mention Italians once in passing. No mention of the work on the transcontinental railroad. And you only mention anti-Irish and Chinese sentiment. What about how a lot of Chinatown today was Little Italy. Kind of BS revisionist history in my opinion.

    • @Historian212
      @Historian212 6 днів тому

      And zero mention of the Jews, when there was a massive concentration of Jewish immigrants from the 1880s through the 1920s, living side by side with Italians and Irish.

  • @downieduck2414
    @downieduck2414 4 місяці тому +1

    that historian woman flops her hands and head so much it is VERY DISTRACTING

    • @Historian212
      @Historian212 6 днів тому

      Don’t be a bigot. That’s how people from many cultures express themselves when they talk. She wasn’t “flopping” anything.

  • @ErnestoMercer
    @ErnestoMercer 11 днів тому

    Funny you missed how the entire area was called “Little Africa” after Angolan indentured servants (several of whom built the wall on Wall Street) won their freedom & were compensated with plots of land at Collect Pond, becoming the center of Black settlement ther from the 1640s on into the 19th Century. A long history, unmentioned at all.
    Also: African “immigrants”? Do better