One of Boston’s best features is its cultural diversity. Consequently, I decided to explore Chinatown, a section of the city that hosts a distinctly different culture. This “Chinatown” area was originally settled by Anglo Bostonians, and in the 1840s several waves of immigrants started arriving and taking advantage of cheap housing there. Each group of immigrants (including the Syrians, Jews, the Irish, Italians, and finally the Chinese) replaced the group before them. The first Chinese arrived in approximately 1875 to stop a strike, and after much time and perseverance, built a community.
As I researched the area, I became particularly interested in a specific part of Chinatown called the Combat Zone. It was Boston’s red light district from the 1960s to the 1990s and was known for its adult entertainment and crime. In order to capture both the Chinese influence and the history of the Combat Zone, I chose boundaries for my site that encompassed both. My site consists of approximately 8 blocks and is bordered by Harrison Avenue, Essex Street, Tremont Street, and Stuart Street. This area is a compelling site to study because of its intense history and also because of the construction and development that is going on currently. Additionally, I believe researching this site will provide a unique perspective on the residents of Chinatown and how they dealt with the red light district.
It is worth noting that only half of my site in officially in Chinatown; the other half is adjacent to it (I included it because it formed the Red Light district.) Most of the streets in my site are lined with several Asian shops and restaurants, but there are several other important buildings as well. For instance, The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles, The China Trade Center, banks, and a few apartment complexes are within the boundaries of my site. In general, the area I chose to study has several businesses and tourist attractions; other areas of Chinatown consist of residential zones and community centers.
In order to get a better understanding of the area, I traveled to Chinatown. It was immediately very clear that Chinatown was very different from the surrounding city. I could not understand what people were saying and I couldn’t read most of the items in the grocery store. Like Grady, I think it’s important to ask not just why this town was created, but why phenomena like “Chinatown” can occur. By studying Boston Chinatown, I believe it will give me a greater understanding of other pockets of distinct culture within a much larger setting. On my trip to Chinatown, I got to see firsthand construction that is taking place for new apartment buildings. Additionally, walking around Chinatown raised questions about the self sustainability of its culture and I wondered how much interaction they had with the surrounding city.
Ultimately, after exploring and researching, I concluded that Chinatown is a very unique epitome district. According to Grady’s definition; “Epitome districts are Special places in cities that carry huge layers of symbols that have the capacity to pack up emotions, energy, or history into a small space” (38). I believe that Chinatown fits this description perfectly. There are so many intricacies of the city I’d like to explore. Grady argues that: “Each landscape and townscape is an intricately organized expression of causes and effects, of challenges and responses, of continuity and, therefore, of coherence” (14). It is my goal to understand how this site was formed, and in particular, how the Combat Zone affected development within Chinatown.
