Tag: Chinatown

Reading about Chinatown in classic books like ‘Gangs of New York’, one gets a sense that certain mysteries and legends about the neighborhood were already firmly in place. And nothing of these gauzy preconceptions arose to the public consciousness more than the problem of Chinatown’s opium dens. In fact, no other feature of American Chinatowns would resonate more negatively — or in the case of 19th century dime novels, more thrillingly.

The sale of opium may been centered in Chinatown, but it wasn’t new to New York. It’s believed that John Jacob Astor himself, a major trader with the Orient in the 1810s, probably brought Turkish opium to New York. (Edwin G Burrows and Mike Wallace even call him “America’s first large-scale drug dealer.”) But it was mostly associated with the Chinese that arrived in the 1850s and 60s, men from American western territories who brought it with them among their other unique wares.

Opium was a vice of choice for many white New Yorkers, and many became ‘hop fiends’, as described by the scandalized press. It was particularly enjoyed by New York’s small, continental ‘bohemian’ class. By the 1890s there were more opium dens outside of Chinatown than in. Many others experienced the drug via its inclusion in laudanum, prescribed for various medical ills but frequently abused. But no matter; the drug’s foreign, sinister qualities had turned the Chinatown of popular imagination into a devil’s playground.

This was reflected most colorfully in the dime novels of the day. A precursor to the pulp novel and the comic book, the dime novel was obtainable entertainment for regular New Yorker, cheaply written and made, filled with adventures that leapt from the stands due to flashy, often brightly hued covers.

The first of these publications was produced a little over 150 years ago with Malaeska, the Indian Wife of the White Hunter. That first story also set the standard for using ‘strange’ ethnic lifestyles as the backdrop for adventure.

One of the most enduring characters of late 19th century dime-novel industry was Old King Brady, who cracked down on crime in New York’s most vicious and dangerous neighborhoods. Naturally that brought him into contact with Chinatown’s opium world.

In many issues of ‘Secret Service’, Brady and his young companion would rescue helpless women taken captive in an opium den, with chase scenes through the streets of Chinatown. As you can see from the examples below, depictions of Chinatown were broad, racist and wildly inaccurate. The phrase ‘heathen Chinee’ is often used.

These samples are from the Stanford University collection of dime novels and penny dreadfuls. I highly recommend checking out their website, searchable by themes, including New York street scenes. I’ve chosen a few below which recognizable place names, but there are literally a couple dozen that are specifically set among the ‘Oriental opium world’, often in basements or thickly draped parlors. For some reason, there seems to be a trap door in every story!

NOTE: Be careful before reading some of these captions. Needless to say, there’s some racially insensitive language included within these old books.

This one in particular seems to revel in the highly stereotypical and sensational image of the ‘tong’ member with their wielded hatchets. Below it, a depiction of what may be some variation of the Hip Sing Tong (called ‘ling’ for some reason).

And I won’t even hazard a guess to figure out what is happening here!

Casual posing at the opening of Doyers Street, circa 1900. (LOC)

I’m so relieved that we finally got to cover a proper New York neighborhood on the podcast. Since reviewing the historic shifts and events of a neighborhood are better covered topically, we hope there wasn’t too much confusion regarding the chronology. Manhattan’s Chinatown was a point of curiosity by the 1870s, but it wasn’t until after the Exclusion Act in 1882 that the community really became a force in the Five Points neighborhood and a destination for some of New York’s better known vices.

We pretty much hammer home that late 19th century Chinatown was a veritable ‘bachelor’s society’ with few Chinese women. But that does not mean there were no Chinese women. Or for that matter, children, as evidenced in this photograph from 1913. [source]

The caption reads, “Sunday school after a visit to Chatham Square, showing Chinese children lined up by size.” I’m fairly confident this was taken at the Mariner’s Temple at Henry Street.

Pronunciation Proclamation: I’m a New Yawker by way of the Ozarks, so clearly my tongue had a challenge properly pronouncing many early Chinese names. (And Tom had a cold, adding to his difficulty.) Still, I think we did a pretty good job. For certain, I mispronounced Yung Sun Restaurant, the base of operations of one Sister Ping, when I said it the first time, but got it right the second.

For More Information: Speaking of Sister Ping, the best book on modern Manhattan Chinatown history is easily Patrick Radden Keefe‘s “The Snakehead: An Epic Tale of the Chinatown Underworld and the American Dream.” It is a must-read for anybody interested modern New York organized crime.

A perfect summation of late 19th century Chinatown can be found in Tyler Anbinder‘s ‘Five Points’. There are many great books on the early American Chinese experience, the friendliest to read being ‘American Chinatown’ by Bonnie Tsui.

Of our older podcasts, this show would be greatly complemented with a visit to our two most popular podcasts ever: Five Points: Wicked Slum and Five Points: The Fate Of Five Points. If you haven’t listened to them, I recommend downloading the ‘illustrated versions’ of each of these shows, featuring pictures of the things being discussed that pop up on your listening device. You download on iTunes or straight from here and here.

Below: What wares await you at Quong Yee Wo and Co., at 36-38 Doyers Street, corner of Pell Street? [courtesy Library of Congress]