Identifier	post_00085
Title	Los Angeles Chinatown, California
Creator	unknown
Date Published	circa 1953
Subject (Topic)	Chinese Restaurants--California--Los Angeles; Decoration and ornament, Architectural--California--Los Angeles; Gift shops--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	A Mike Roberts Color Production
Place of Publication	Berkeley, California
Language	eng
Description	Looking west from Central Plaza onto Gin Ling Way leading to West Gate and Hill Street; car is parked alongside Tuey Far Low restuarant, near Chop Suey sign; trees; people; benches.
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 was framed by two gates, or pailou. The West Gate, on North Hill Street opens onto Gin Ling Way and is adorned with a plaque commemorating the part played by the Chinese in building the railroads. Tuey Far Low, first located in old Chinatown on Alameda and Marchessault, was the site of a fundraising banquet in the early 1900s in support of Sun Yat-Sen's fight for a Chinese republic. On April 22nd, 1937, Peter Soo Hoo, Herbert Lapham and others met there to form a corporation to build New Chinatown. Tuey Far Low reopened on Sun Mun Way in the Central Plaza in 1938.
Additional Printed Matter	On back:"A visit to Los Angeles is not complete wihtout a visit to Chinatown - a colorful oriental touch to a charming city."
Publisher's Identifier	Publisher's serial number: C1113
Additional Notes	Approximate date from postmark.
Contributors	Distributed by The George H. Eberhard Company, Los Angeles
Source	Werner von Boltenstern Postcard Collection