Quote:
Originally Posted by galleyfox
Couldn’t be helped. Chicago’s Chinatown is just too particular in geography and history to serve as an example for other Chinatowns.
The director’s inspiration was the DC Chinatown, and since Boston’s Chinatown is on a similar trajectory, that’s where the time and focus lies.
Narratively, Chicago is included to tone down the film’s bleakness, and imply that the American Chinatown lifestyle and culture probably won’t disappear forever. That Chinese Americans and immigrants will still be drawn to Chinese community and history, wherever that may be.
https://www.amazon.com/Through-China.../dp/B07VWLC35T |
Yes. Actually Flushing is a tiny bit better of a comparison to Chicago's due to constraints. Although Flushing has a few less geographic constraints but still has some (Flushing Creek and I-678). That's why, though, some of the leaders in Chinatown were heralding Jefferson Square as important because it jumps outside of the geographic bounds. That area is still constrained though. Expansion into Bridgeport, McKinley Park, etc though is pretty important for this. Most of the expansion of Chinese people in Chicago are those areas along I-55 as well as downtown and a few north side areas. Pretty much the only way that Chinatown proper can expand now is by going more vertical (which would be awesome). Same thing happened in the Main St area of Flushing as well actually. Although it's not technically constrained (to the west is a Korean area) those areas don't have many vacant lots or anything. The areas where they went more vertical there were in place of smaller industrial buildings. Will be interesting to see if Chinatown in Chicago follows a similar path. This plus another recent proposal of similar or greater height...maybe it'll pick up some steam.