The first Chinese immigrants arrived in Chicago in the 1870s, long after other Chinese communities had been formed in California, Oregon and Washington. The construction of the transcontinental railroad offered jobs to newly-arrived Chinese, who made up nearly eighty percent of its work force, and it wasn't until the last track was laid in 1869 and work came to an end that the Chinese population began to disperse to the Midwest and East.
Driven by a lack of jobs and anti-Chinese sentiment on the West Coast, Mr. T C. Moy, the first Chinese to move to Chicago, arrived in 1878 and was soon joined by more than eighty of his friends and relatives. The city's Chinese population grew steadily, and by 1890, there were 567 in the city. They took up low-profile occupations, mainly opening laundries and restaurants. By 1900, there were 430 laundries and 167 restaurants operated by Chinese.
The first Chinese community was built around Van Buren and Clark. In 1905, increasing hostility, rising rents and gang infighting forced half of the city's Chinese to relocate south to Cermak and Wentworth, an Italian and Croatian neighborhood. The community's move was made possible by a series of ten-year leases on buildings that were secretly contracted for by members of On Leong Tong, the Chinese Businessmen's Association, through the "H.O Stone Company." Chinatown experienced ongoing housing problems. Housing was cut in half by the extension of Cermak for the 1933 World's Fair and then halved again by the construction of the Dan Ryan and Stevenson Expressways in the 1950s.
The largest influx of Chinese came in 1950s and 1960s, when many Mandarin-speaking Chinese professionals took advantage of more-lenient immigration laws to leave the Communist Mainland and join the primarily Cantonese-speaking communities in North America. Improved Chinese-American relations also helped spur immigration. During these two decades, the Chinese population in Chicago doubled to 14,000. By 1970, Chicago had the fourth-largest Chinese population in America.
The influx of Chinese to Chicago in 1960s aggravated Chinatown's space problem, which was squeezed further in 1969 by continued demolition for the city's transportation projects. In 1970, a portion of the Chinese community sought room in a new North Chinatown, which was established in the Argyle & Broadway area.
South Chinatown today has some 9,000 residents squeezed into eight blocks, bounded by Cermak Road, the railway embankment, Wentworth on the east, and 26th Street on the south. It's a one-industry town, one dependent on the restaurant business.
Chinese restaurants have been popular since the 1920s when egg rolls and won ton soup were introduced into Chicago's Chinese eateries. Historic Won Kow Restaurant was opened in 1927, reputably making it Chinatown's oldest Chinese restaurant. Located on the second floor of the building that can only be reached by climbing a set of steep stairs, Cantonese Won Kow serves dim sum every day and has catered to some of the same patrons for decades.
Other popular destinations include Emperor's Choice, a small storefront offering nearly 150 dishes, including excellent seafood, and Phoenix for dim sum. Phoenix, a relatively new and modern addition to the community for eaters who prize amenities over adventure, starts serving dim sum daily at 8am and doesn't knock off for the regular menu until 3pm.
Three Happiness Chinese Restaurant No. 3, another longtime Chinatown anchor, has been serving Cantonese specialties for twenty-some years. Located just steps from the el stop, it's a local favorite for Loop workers grabbing dim sum at lunch. Other well-known options include Sixty-Five Restaurant, familiar to many downtowners because of its sister location on Michigan Avenue, and Royal Pacific Restaurant, known for its tropical drinks and great view of Wentworth Avenue and the On Leong Merchant's Building from its second-floor window seats.
Today, there are some forty restaurants in South Chinatown, offering numerous opportunities to explore till the wee hours. Try visiting during the annual Autumn Moon Festival, which will be held this year on September 19. Featuring dragon and lion dances, the annual Autumn Moon Festival is the Chinese Thanksgiving and celebrates both the beginning of the harvest season and the autumn equinox, when nights become longer and the moon, "the Queen of Heaven," waxes stronger. Celebrants enjoy moon cakes, round pastries that were used to hide messages in the fourteenth century as the Chinese strove to overthrow their Mongol conquerors, but today are stuffed with sweet mashed lotus seeds or red bean filling.
(A. Laban)
- Emperor's Choice, 2238 South Wentworth, (312)225-8800. Daily 11:45am-1am, Sun until midnight. All major credit cards
Phoenix, 2131 South Archer, (312)328-0848. Daily 8am-3pm for dim sum, 3pm-1am regular menu. All major credit cards
Royal Pacific Restaurant, 2217 South Wentworth, (312)842-4444. Mon-Thu 2pm-1am, Fri-Sat Noon-2am, Sun Noon-1am. No dim sum. All major credit cards
Sixty-Five, 2409 South Wentworth (312)842-6500. Open daily 11am-Midnight. All major credit cards
Three Happiness Chinese Restaurant No. 3, 2130 South Wentworth, (312)791-1228. Mon-Sat 10am-11pm, Sun 10am-10pm
Won Kow Restaurant, 2237 South Wentworth, (312)842-7500. Sun-Thu 9am-11pm, Fri-Sat 9am-midnight. All major credit cards.
copyright 1998 New City Communications, Inc.