Chinatown, NY

A Chinatown (Chinese: 唐人街; pinyin: Tángrénjiē; Jyutping: tong jan⁴ gaai) is an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau or Taiwan, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as “Chinatown” exist throughout the world, including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Australasia.

The development of most Chinatowns typically resulted from mass migration to an area without any or with very few Chinese residents. Binondo in Manila, established in 1594, is recognized as the world’s oldest Chinatown. Notable early examples outside Asia include San Francisco’s Chinatown in the United States and Melbourne’s Chinatown in Australia, which were founded in the mid-19th century during the California and Victoria gold rushes, respectively. A more modern example, in Montville, Connecticut, was caused by the displacement of Chinese workers in the Manhattan Chinatown following the September 11th attacks in 2001.