New York City: A tale of 3 Chinatowns

World Today

From Beijing to the largest cities in the United States, celebrations of Chinese New Year have only gotten bigger and the festive spirit has only gotten stronger.

CCTV America’s Karina Huber filed this report from the three China towns in New York.

New York City’s Manhattan and surrounding boroughs are home to the largest ethnic Chinese population outside of Asia.

Chinese immigrants are still among the fastest growing in the city. As a result, many China towns have popped up across all areas of New York. New York City’s most famous and historical Chinatown is in Manhattan.

Chinese immigrants began settling the area in the 1880s, working mainly as laundrymen. The population exploded in 1968 when immigration laws made it easier for Chinese to settle in the United States. Most spoke Cantonese.

Many are leaving and starting businesses in other boroughs of New York City. Sunset Park, Chinatown in Brooklyn, is the fastest growing Chinatown in New York City. It’s currently the second largest Chinatown in the city and is expected to become the biggest soon.

NYC and Company, the city’s official tourism organization, recently began promoting the three China towns, including the biggest in Flushing, Queens. Most of the inhabitants in Queen’s Chinatown speak Mandarin and moved because they couldn’t relate to the Cantonese speaking culture in Manhattan.