Urban Reform And The Changes Of Chinatown In San Francisco(1870-1906)

In the late 19th century,Chinatown of San Francisco was not isolated from the American society.On the one hand,the acceleration of the urbanization in San Francisco paved the way for the expansion of Chinatown,while the absence of municipal management pushed the Chinese society towards autonomy.On the other hand,the growth of Chinese population promoted the urbanization of San Francisco,while the growth of Chinatown's economy increased the municipal income of San Francisco to a large extent.To some extent,Chinese and white people influenced each other and jointly promoted the development of San Francisco.However,a variety of social problems emerge one after another due to the rapid urbanization,new immigrants including Chinese became the target of Nativist condemnation.In their eyes,not only housing congestion and frequent diseases,but also corruption,violence and enslavement of women were rampant in Chinatown.At the same time,the Chinese in San Francisco still maintained the living habits and cultural customs of their hometown,which frustrated the American culture and system in assimilating the Chinese and aroused the native white people's anti-Chinese sentiment.In addition,white labor became the vanguard of Chinese exclusion due to the competition of Chinese workers.In order to exclude Chinese,San Francisco Nativists took urban reform as an excuse to fight with Chinese for more than 30 years.At first,the San Francisco municipal government tried to force the Chinese to move by themselves after passing the Cubic Air Law,but the Chinese kept fighting by judicial and diplomatic means.Later,the San Francisco Board of Health quarantined and inspected Chinatown on the ground of "the event of plague",and constantly created public opinions on the relocation of Chinatown.The Chinese elites united with the Consul-General of San Francisco and China's Ambassador to the United States to protest against the unfair treatment of the Board of Health.In the period of new city planning in 1905 and after the earthquake in 1906,Chinatown faced the challenge of being relocated at any time.The Chinatown of San Francisco received the attention and assistance from the whole Chinese world and some white people,and finally the Chinatown was rebuilt on its original site.The reconstruction of Chinatown was not only the result of the efforts of Chinese people,but also indicated the significance of Chinatown to the development of San Francisco.The rebuilt Chinatown has undergone great changes comparing with the previous one.The environment had been significantly improved,and there were fewer opium dens,brothels and gambling halls,making it a unique tourist attraction of San Francisco.The mentality of Chinese people has also changed.They were not only more conceerned about the fate of their motherland,but also gradually involved in American politics and social life.In conclusion,the change of Chinatown in San Francisco from the late 19th century to the early 20th century was owing to the endeavors of overseas Chinese themselves,American society and China.In the process of conflict and integration,Chinese and white people had gradually deepened their understanding of each other.