Includes bibliographical references (p. 250-262) and index. Originally published in hardcover 2009. Reprinted in paperback 2011 with a question and answer conversation with the author.
Contents:
Personal geography -- The Oldest: San Francisco. American pagodas: behind the tourist architecture -- Alleyway kids: how youth is reinvigorating the neighborhood -- Chain migration: family ties pull a new generation through Chinatown Gate, but not without difficulty -- The Biggest: New York. City within a city: the industry of Chinatown changes New York -- The new Chinese school: learning to read, write, and live a heritage -- Fortune cookies: what the path of the folded wafers tells us about the movement of communities -- The Hollywood Icon: Los Angeles. Chinatownland: the longtime partnership between Hollywood and Chinatown -- Hometown Chinatown: in an increasingly disparate community, it is where the kids hang out -- Preacher man, teacher man: neighborhood anchors for the new arrival -- The Crossroads: Honolulu. Kapakahi Chinatown: where "all mixed up" is the enduring story -- Neighborhood crossings: how a local boy became an accidental chef -- History lessons: Chinatown's disenchanted generation, on preserving the past and shaping the future -- The Newest: Las Vegas. Chinatown, next exit: the man who invented a new breed of Chinatown -- Miss Chinatown, U.S.A. : beauty queens and lion dancers in the desert -- The new tenants: the new immigrant generation on the Strip -- Moving pictures -- A conversation with author Bonnie Tsui.
Summary:
Tsui offers a unique full-access pass to America's most famous Chinatowns--New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Honolulu, and Las Vegas--revealing a captivating world-within-a-world. b&w photos throughout.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.