Identifier	post_00122
Title	New Chinatown, Los Angeles, California
Creator	unknown
Date Published	circa 1950
Subject (Topic)	Decoration and ornament, Architectural--California--Los Angeles; Neon signs--California--Los Angeles;
Subject (Place)	Chinatown (Los Angeles, Calif.);
Type	image
Form/Genre	postcards
Physical Description	1 postcard : Color ; 9 x 14 cm.
Institution	Department of Archives and Special Collections, William H. Hannon Library, Loyola Marymount University
Country of Creation	US
Copyright Status	public domain
Copyright Statement	http://library.lmu.edu/collections/digitallibraryprogram/copyrightandreproductionpolicy/
Publisher	Allard Novelty & Postcard Co.
Place of Publication	Los Angeles
Language	eng
Description	In the darkness, the East Gate is colorfully illuminated in neon. Sign reads:"Gateway New Chinatown."
Historical Background	The original Los Angeles Chinatown began in the late 1800s as a small settlement on Calle De Los Negros, between El Pueblo Plaza and Old Arcadia Street, and expanded east across Alameda Street. Suffering from absentee landlords and a lack of municipal services and code enforcement, the area was in decline when the city forced residents out and demolished it to make way for the new Union Station Terminal. Two new Chinatowns were created: China City, a tourist attraction, complete with rickshaw rides, brainchild of Christine Sterling, founder of Olvera Street; and New Chinatown, a business and residential neighborhood created and funded by the Chinese community under the leadership of Peter Soo Hoo. Both opened to great fanfare in 1938. New Chinatown is framed by two gates, or pailou. East Gate, or the Broadway Gate, was designed by You Chung Hong. A plaque whose four Chinese characters translate as "Cooperate to Achieve" was composed by Chinese Consul, Honorable T.K. Chang, and placed by Attorney Hong as a tribute to his own and all mothers. The gate is thus also known as the Gate of Maternal Virtues. The East Gate was refit in 1985 as part of a Chinatown beautification and rehabilitation project.
Additional Printed Matter	On back:"Night view of the entrance. New Chinatown is a setting of Old China with its Shrines, Courts, and Art Treasures of the Orient. Chinese Restaurants prepare delicacies fit for a Mandarin."
Publisher's Identifier	Publisher's serial number: C12114
Contributors	Mills, David M.; Natural Color by Mike Roberts, Berkeley, California
Source	Werner von Boltenstern Postcard Collection