Century-old postcards capture the early years of San Francisco's Chinatown

Yoonji HanJan 15, 2024, 23:47 IST

A postcard featuring three Chinatown street scenes in San Francisco.Courtesy of Steven A. Ness

San Francisco's Chinatown, the oldest Chinese enclave in America, has a rich history.
It's a site where concerns over larger issues of immigration and racial discrimination played out.

Built in the early 1850s, San Francisco's Chinatown is the oldest Chinatown in America and has played an influential role in the growth of Chinese immigrants in the country.

In 1900, San Francisco's population was 95% white and just 4% Chinese, US Census Bureau data shows. Chinatowns were — and continue to be — safe havens for an immigrant community that has historically been marginalized.

Photographers from the late 19th and early 20th century flocked to Chinatown to capture images of the vibrant cultural enclave. Many of their photos wound up on postcards that were typically circulated among white, middle-class audiences. Some photos disseminated racial stereotypes, but they also show what life looked like in the community.

San Francisco's Chinatown was the port of entry for early Chinese immigrants.

A postcard depicting San Francisco's Chinatown.Courtesy of Steven A. Ness Collection

Children made up a small portion of Chinatown's population. In 1900, the US Census reported a 20:1 ratio of men to women.

Children dressed in traditional clothing were popular subjects for photographersCharles Weidner/Steven A. Ness Collection

In 1875, the same year the Page Act was enacted, San Francisco banned spoking opium within city limits amid a wave of anti-Asian legislation in the US.

Despite the ban, opium dens remained commonplace across the nation for a few decades.Culture Club/Getty Images

Men often had to take any work that was available to send money back home. Jobs ranged from cobbling shoes...

A shoe cobbler in Chinatown.Charles Weidner/Steven A. Ness Collection

... to running meat and produce markets...

A market in Chinatown.Britton & Rey/Steven A. Ness Collection

... to telling fortunes. Many businesses were later ruined by the infamous 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

A fortune teller and a child in Chinatown.Charles Weidner/Steven A. Ness Collection

Racial tensions in the city boiled over into race riots in 1877 amid fears over nationwide unemployment.

Fish Alley in Chinatown.Courtesy of Steven A. Ness Collection

After the devastating earthquake that leveled the entire city, Chinatown was completely destroyed, but was more or less reconstructed by 1908.

A street view of Chinatown in San Francisco.Courtesy of Steven A. Ness Collection

A group of Chinese merchants hired American architects to rebuild Chinatown in an 'Oriental' style to attract tourism.

Postcard depicting California Street Hill, including the pagoda-topped buildings of the Sing Fat and Sing Chong bazaars.Courtesy of Steven A. Ness Collection

Business flourished in the early 1900s as tourists flocked to the 'new Chinatown of San Francisco.'

The interior of a Chinese goods store.Courtesy of Steven A. Ness Collection

Almost all of the birth records in San Francisco were destroyed in the earthquake. Children known as 'paper sons' were brought to America through false documents.

Four children dressed in traditional Chinese clothing sit for a portrait.Courtesy of Steven A. Ness Collection

Joss houses were Chinese temples, where top floors housed religious icons. These sites of worship became popular tourist destinations.

Religious idols in a joss house.Charles Weidner/Stephen A. Ness Collection

Residents posted advertisements and announcements on poster walls. The use of posters diminished as local Chinese-language print media expanded in the early 1900s.

A poster wall in Chinatown.Courtesy of Stephen A. Ness

I sailed on a new ultra-luxury cruise ship for wealthy travelers. I can never go back to a normal one.

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