Shrinking Chinatown Project

Shrinking Chinatown explores the state of Washington, D.C.’s Chinatown and the mostly elderly Chinese population living there today. Washington’s Chinatown is fading into the shadows as economic development shifts the business culture, housing becomes exorbitant, and young families move to the suburbs. The elderly residents who have built and shaped this community over the last 30 years are being displaced.Chinatown was first established in the 1930s with the arrival of Chinese immigrants to the region. With decades Chinatown became a cultural landmark and the hub of tourism. The area saw significant growth in the 1980s when Chinese-U.S. relations improved. The community grew organically, supporting new arrivals through cultural networks and linguistics familiarity. Washington’s Chinatown is regarded as a bridge between Chinese culture and the west.This project employs documentary video and photography, as well as interviews with subjects, book and film format.

Author

• Peng, Youqi

Language

• en

Keyword

• Washington's Chinatown
• Chinatown
• Shrinking Chinatown
• Chinatown is fading out
• D.C.'s Chinatown
• Seniors

Date created

• 2019

Type of Work

• Master's Thesis

License

• All rights reserved

Rights statement

• In Copyright

GW Unit

• New Media Photojournalism

Degree

• M.A.

Advisor

• Sterner, Susan

Persistent URL

•  https://scholarspace.library.gwu.edu/etd/9g54xj35d