“what does this neighborhood mean to you?”

a visit to chinatown, boston, massachusetts

Boston’s Chinatown faces a web of ever-changing challenges, however the neighborhood is thriving according to locals and visitors alike.  Rising rents and gentrification have affected Chinatown and placed residents at a ‘moderate risk of displacement,’ according to research conducted by Karmen Cheung at MIT. Despite these risks, locals remain confident in their neighborhood.

Local groups in Chinatown have recently pushed back against housing issues displacing Chinatown locals. On Oct. 5, a housing advocacy group marched from Chinatown to the state house in protest of the short-term rental industry, which they say is raising rents and displacing long term residents. Locals in Chinatown, as well as Boston residents from outside the neighborhood, feel the area has a unique character.

So Lim Ting, The owner of Hot Eastern, a local restaurant described opening a business in the neighborhood and becoming a part of it. “We kind of got engaged with this neighborhood and with everybody and we love it. People are very nice here and friendly.” In addition to owning a restaurant in Chinatown, he lives in an apartment close to his restaurant.

“We were trying to find something similar to that of our home country,” said Yuan Gau, 22, a graduate student from China studying at Harvard University. He says the neighborhood is not the same as his home but he enjoys visiting it anyway. “We still feel a little bit like home.” He explained.

Yi Zheng, one of Gau’s classmates at Harvard, also from China, echoed that sentiment. “We are still minorities, but I feel like this place gives us, people who are from [China], like a kind of nostalgia.” She also said that Boston’s Chinatown seemed “cleaner and better organized” than Chinatowns elsewhere.

Shu Yan Jin, an employee at a local bakery, also thought the neighborhood had something special to offer Chinese immigrants. “We have special things just for Chinese, like traditional Chinese food.” Jin stated. She feels that having these traditional goods helps immigrants maintain a Chinese identity. “It sort of feels like home.” She stated.