Philadelphia's Chinatown Has A Rich Tradition Of Activism

(MENAFN- Asia Times) Visitors commonly view Philadelphia 's Chinatown as a place to eat Chinese food and appreciate Chinese culture . But for longtime members of the Chinatown community, the neighborhood – home to over over 5,000 residents – is also defined by its tenacity and survival.

Chinatown's rich tradition of activism was on full display for the past two and half years, as residents and allies fiercely opposed the Philadelphia 76ers' plans to build a basketball arena in the Market East neighborhood at the southern edge of Chinatown.

A city-sponsored community impact study found that the arena could have resulted in the“loss of Chinatown's core identity and regional significance.” It estimated that half of the neighborhood's small businesses would have suffered due to increased congestion, potential rent increases and a new demographic less likely to patronize the area's ethnic businesses.

While the reason for the Sixers' sudden decision to scrap the Market East arena plan remains unclear, the announcement in January 2025 came as a relief to Chinatown community members who felt they had averted yet another threat to their neighborhood's existence.

I'm a historian whose research focuses on Asian Americans, cities and social movements , and I've seen how urban residents take for granted the existence of Chinatowns in major cities across the country – and even globally, from London to Havana and Ho Chi Minh City. Chinatowns continue to exist and thrive thanks to the residents and allies who fight for them.

The fight over the Sixers arena was only the latest struggle in over 50 years of community organizing in Philadelphia's Chinatown.

A refuge from xenophobia

Like other American Chinatowns, Philadelphia's formed during an era of virulent anti-Chinese racism. The neighborhood was established in the 1870s as a refuge for immigrants fleeing the American West, where white railroad workers and miners declared:“The Chinese must go !”

Among the earliest businesses were a handful of laundries and a restaurant on the 900 block of Race Street, just north of Philadelphia's main commercial district.

In the era of anti-Chinese immigration laws from 1875 to 1943, Chinatowns were associated with opium-smoking, gambling and prostitution . Law enforcement targeted and stigmatized the Philadelphia neighborhood as a center of vice and danger. Meanwhile, city and private developers had their eyes on Chinatown as early as the 1920s .

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