Connections to Community: Chinatown

Annika Tanus, Javier Villar, Anna Ryazanets, Eneli

How To Get To Chinatown

From Loyola University:
Go to Loyola Red Line Station
Get on train going towards 95th/Dan
Ryan
Get off on Cermak-Chinatown

Demographics
Chinatowns total population is 48,447
Male: 23,547
Female: 24,900

Median income overall is around $45,000

The religions most commonly known is a combination of Taoism,
Buddhism, Confucianism, ancestral worship, and superstition.
The crime rates are about 111 points over the national average.
National average= 100
Chinatown= 211

Pictures Yall

History
Chinese immigrants began arriving to
Chicago in the 1870s.
The Chinese came to the midwest
primarily as laborers of the
Transcontinental Railroad.
Due to anti-Chinese riots in the Pacific
coast, Chinese populations began to
disperse eastward.
By 1890, 567 Chinese people lived in
Chicago.

Chinatown Today
Today, Chinatown is located in the
south side of Chicago, between
Cermak and Wentworth Avenues.
Chinatown serves as a cultural hub
where Chinese-Americans are able to
buy familiar groceries, enjoy great
food, and attend annual festivals.
To the larger community of Americans,
Chinatown is a tourist attraction.

Chinese New Year in

Chinatown

In Chinatown, there are a variety of

parades and special events that take
place during the month of February.
In 2016, New Year season will take
place from February 16th to March
3rd.
All of the parades are generally free
admission.

Chinatown Landmark:
Chinatown Square
The Chinatown square was

completed in 1993.
It is one of the most
visited places in Chinatown
for the shops and restaurants.
People also visit year round
to see cultural performances and
different festivals.

Chinatown landmark: Nine

Dragon Wall
The Nine Dragon Wall is modeled
after the most known wall in China
which is located in BeiHai Park
in Beijing, China.
It is one of three other models
of their wall outside of China.
The wall is very important to the
Chinese for they believe that dragons
bring good luck.

Chinatown landmark:
Chinatown Mural
The Chinatown mural was finished in
1993 along with Chinatown Square.
The Mural is made of 100,000 hand
painted glass pieces that were
brought from China.
The Mural shows the Chinese
immigration to the United States
and many of their own beliefs as well.

Reflections!
Overall, this experience was great. Three of us though, were native Chicagoans so going to
Chinatown wasnt a completely new experience. For Annika the experience was new and she
got to experience one of the most vibrant and oldest cultures in the city. It changed our
vision of Chicago by showing us the diversity of Chicago. Chinatown is truly a great
experience because once you get off the Red line stop it's like our city is transformed. We
dive into not only the Chinese culture but Japanese, Vietnamese, and even Korean culture. It
taught us the different values and traditions of the Chinese culture. Walking around the area
helped spark a sense of adventure in us, one that could be satisfied by visiting other ethnic
areas. Overall, our opinion of Chicago definitely changed, it showed us the melting pot of
different cultures and it was definitely an authentic experience for all of us.

Next
stop:
Ukrainian
Village

Sources
"Chinatown Chamber of Commerce." N.p., 2013. Web. <http://chicagochinatown.org/>.

"Point2 Homes." Chinatown Demographics & Statistics. Onboard

Informatics, n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2015. <
http://www.point2homes.com/US/Neighborhood/IL/Chicago/Chinato
wn-Demographics.html
>.
"HISTORY." Chicago-Chinatown. CASL. Web. 9 Nov. 2015. <http://www.chicago-chinatown.com/cgi-bin/view.cgi?li=6>.
NA, NA. "Resources Landmarks & Tourism." Chicago Chinatown Chamber. Chicago Chinatown Chamber, 10 July
2013. Web. 9 Nov. 2015.