US Chinatowns are shrinking, and while some want to fight, new ones are springing up
- Chinatowns in Oakland, along with other older districts across the US, are covered in graffiti, and businesses live in fear of robbery and anti-Asian sentiment
- Younger ethnic Chinese are seen to prefer to shop in the suburbs, which offer convenient parking, rather than urban Chinatowns
In San Francisco’s Chinatown, the oldest hub of Chinese-owned businesses in the United States, vacancy signs pockmark the district’s dining establishments, gift shops and herb stalls.
Merchants are trying to get out of both – along with older Chinatowns across much of the country.
Yet in the San Francisco Bay Area suburb of San Leandro, six Chinese-themed eateries and a tea bar operate in a single shopping centre at the heart of town.
One restaurant, Hong Kong Chef, opened just two months ago. Another, Buffet Fortuna, hands out business cards that show a scratched-out Oakland address next to the current San Leandro location, which is fast gaining a positive reputation.
Hong Kong Chef duty manager Ruby Bo-yi said the complex is safe for visitors at least until 9pm, adding that plenty of Chinese people come to eat.
The restaurants are free of graffiti, and instead allow free parking at a massive car park – a break from the scarce or costly street parking in San Francisco.