MetaFilter posts tagged with chinatown

Sister Ping and the Golden Venture

reenum — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 11:11:13 -0800

Cheng Chui Ping came to the US like many others from the Fujian province in China. Through hard work and determination, she rose in the ranks of New York City's Chinatown business community. But, "Sister Ping" was not one to follow laws if it didn't suit her. Among the snakeheads who engaged in human trafficking, none were better than her. Working with notorious gangsters, Sister Ping set up a global network to help smuggle Fujianese immigrants into the US. Sean Chen and others were among those who were on the ill fated trip that ultimately sent Sister Ping to prison. Their ordeals were not over either. Many spent years in immigration detention centers, waiting to enter the country they had endured so much to get to. Sister Ping is due to be released from prison in 2030.

Goodbye, "Leih Hou Ma," Hello "Ni Hao Ma!"

zarq — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 14:57:09 -0800

"Chinatown" communities across the United States (New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, San Francisco) are undergoing a shift in linguistic identity, as recent immigrants are more likely to natively speak Mandarin (the official spoken language of China, Hong Kong and Taiwan,) instead of Cantonese. Also see these anecdotal reports about similar changes in Vancouver and Oakland, CA. Good news for the tri-literate: signs like this may soon become commonplace. :) The Language Atlas of China The PopUp Chinese Podcast and Arch Chinese site provide basic Mandarin lessons. Also see: Mango, ZhongWen and LiveMocha

Right place, right time

desjardins — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 18:53:19 -0800

Photographer captures citizens' arrest of alleged purse-snatcher (video, slight graphic violence)

Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect $200

ThePinkSuperhero — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 08:47:20 -0800

Busted! In one of the biggest counterfeit busts in years, a 19-month investigation reached its climax on Tuesday as federal officials conducted early-morning raids throughout the NY metropolitan area, arresting 29 people, seizing more than $230 million in merchandise and ultimately dismantling three operations believed to have imported more than $700 million in fake products over the last 24 months.

Oaktown!

serazin — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 15:06:04 -0800

At Organic City you can contribute your Oakland stories, or use their map to find stories around town. And if you're into Oakland history, check out Oakland Chinatown history, go on the Black Panther legacy tour, look at Oakland history in pictures, or Dorothea Lange's negatives, or check out a general view of Oakland history. Why should you care? Oakland is a microcosm of the world. Previously.

"There it is. Take it."

fandango_matt — Mon, 13 Mar 2006 14:12:33 -0800

Eighty years ago, William Mulholland completed his final project: the St. Francis Dam, which converted San Francisquito Canyon--about 5 miles northeast of what is now Santa Clarita, California--into a 38,000 acre-foot reservoir for Los Angeles/Owens River aqueduct water. You're probably familiar with Mulholland's name --he designed and built the Los Angeles Aqueduct and the beginning of the system with which Los Angeles is supplied water from the Central Valley--and as a gesture of gratitude, the city named its most scenic highway in his honor. Mulholland, the California Water Wars, the aqueduct, and the dam were also referenced and alluded to extensively in Roman Polanski's Chinatown. But the man who helped build an immense metropolis by bringing water to the desert has only a small fountain as a memorial to his legacy. Three minutes before midnight, on March 12, 1928...

The Chinese in California

OmieWise — Fri, 09 Sep 2005 07:17:53 -0800

The Chinese in California 1850-1925. The site is poorly designed. To get to the content click Essays & Galleries. To get to the photos, click on the (practically hidden) gallery link at the top right of each short essay.

Chinatown In Trouble

runkelfinker — Sun, 12 Dec 2004 16:54:03 -0800

Help Save Chinatown Nope, not the Polanski classic, but London's Chinatown. I found this on the Reverend Rat's London street life blog, and the BBC seems to confirm it: London's Chinatown is becoming a victim of its own commercial success, in stark contrast to some others in the world which are shrinking dramatically or being superseded by the so-called ethnoburbs.
If you don't know much about Chinatowns, the Wiki entry is as a good place to start as any.