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    Manhattan's Chinatown

    Written by: Dr. Dushka H. Saiyid
    Posted on: February 08, 2016 |

    Chinatown

    Chinatown in lower Manhattan has about 100,000 ethnic Chinese living there, but if other neighborhoods in the New York metropolitan area are included, then they constitute the largest ethnic Chinese population outside Asia.

    It is not surprising that New York City is set to celebrate the Year of the Monkey with great fanfare. Starting with the Firecracker Ceremony and Cultural Festival in atown on the 8th of February, it is followed by the big New Year Parade and Festival on the 14th. Crowds of revelers throng the streets to watch the floats and performers against the backdrop of blaring music, while there is hardly room to move in the crush. Similar festivities take place in other boroughs of New York on other dates. Macy’s, the largest department store in Manhattan, has a large decorative red monkey on display, and the Empire State building has got shimmering lights and changing colours to welcome the Year of the Monkey.

    Chinatown, Manhattan, New York

    A variety of chopsticks on display

    Manhattan’s Chinatown is squeezed between Broome and Lafayette streets, a world apart from the rest of New York. Chinese jostle in this densely populated area to shop in the myriads of stores catering for Chinese needs, or to eat at one of the Chinese restaurants that are at every corner. Whether you are looking for quality chopsticks, or for red decorations to celebrate the New Year, or seafood from the cavernous seafood outlet with live eels, fish, lobsters and crabs jumping around, it’s all available here.

    Chinatown, Manhattan, New York

    Seafood

    Within Chinatown, Columbus Park is a center of activity. Columbus Park exudes an aura of the charming old China, although their mother country has undergone a transformation, at least in the big cities, bustling with energy, fast paced, full of high rises, flyovers and spanking clean. You will find groups of Chinese sitting around playing Xiangqi or cards, or a musical instrument. It is the go to place for early morning Tai chi. A tall sculpture of Sun Yat-sen, commonly regarded as the founder of modern China, watches over his people engrossed in their hobbies or just huddled on the benches chatting. Not far from the Park in Chatham Square stands a statue, over eighteen feet tall, of Lin Zexu, an outstanding official of the Qing dynasty who led the crusade against the import of opium into China by the British merchants, resulting in the First Opium War of 1839. He had realized the devastating effects of opium on the Chinese, but although he defeated the British repeatedly in Canton, they sailed north and established their hold in provinces there. Zexu was made the scapegoat for this setback by an imperial court in decline, and sent into exile. While Lin Zexu began the resistance to colonial powers, Sun Yat-sen led a movement that brought the decaying Qing dynasty to an end, and presided over the birth of the Republic of China.

     A stone’s throw from Chatham Square is the Confucius Plaza, the first public-funded housing project built in 1976. In front of it is a large bronze statue of Confucius, the Chinese philosopher and moral guide, whose wisdom and guidelines underpin the Chinese society and culture the world over. 

    Chinatown, Manhattan, New York

    Crowds at a vegetable shop

    It is cold and we are hungry, so we dive into the nearest restaurant. Food seems to be cheaper here than elsewhere in New York, including at Little India, where a meal that includes a main dish of your choice, a soup, and boiled rice is around $6.50. Chinatown neighbors Little Italy, where scenes of many a movie on the mafia have been shot.

    The strength of the USA has always been its inclusiveness, how immigrants from different parts of the world have entered this melting pot and contributed to building this into a great country. Manhattan has been its crucible. Watching the Republicans debate before the elections, I wonder whether they’ll have the wisdom to retain this advantage.


    As the new year begins, let us also start anew. I’m delighted to extend, on behalf of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and in my own name, new year’s greeting and sincere wishes to YOULIN magazine’s staff and readers.

    Only in hard times can courage and perseverance be manifested. Only with courage can we live to the fullest. 2020 was an extraordinary year. Confronted by the COVID-19 pandemic, China and Pakistan supported each other and took on the challenge in solidarity. The ironclad China-Pakistan friendship grew stronger as time went by. The China Pakistan Economic Corridor projects advanced steadily in difficult times, become a standard-bearer project of the Belt and Road Initiative in balancing pandemic prevention and project achievement. The handling capacity of the Gwadar Port has continued to rise and Afghanistan transit trade through the port has officially been launched. The Karakoram Highway Phase II upgrade project is fully open to traffic. The Lahore Orange Line project has been put into operation. The construction of Matiari-Lahore HVDC project was fully completed. A batch of green and clean energy projects, such as the Kohala and Azad Pattan hydropower plants have been substantially promoted. Development agreement for the Rashakai SEZ has been signed. The China-Pakistan Community of Shared Future has become closer and closer.

    Reviewing the past and looking to the future, we are confident to write a brilliant new chapter. The year 2021 is the 100th birthday of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan. The 100-year journey of CPC surges forward with great momentum and China-Pakistan relationship has flourished in the past 70 years. Standing at a new historic point, China is willing to work together with Pakistan to further implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, connect the CPEC cooperation with the vision of the “Naya Pakistan”, promote the long-term development of the China-Pakistan All-weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership with love, dedication and commitment. Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan said, “We are going through fire. The sunshine has yet to come.” Yes, Pakistan’s best days are ahead, China will stand with Pakistan firmly all the way.

    YOULIN magazine is dedicated to promoting cultural exchanges between China and Pakistan and is a window for Pakistani friends to learn about China, especially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It is hoped that with the joint efforts of China and Pakistan, YOULIN can listen more to the voices of readers in China and Pakistan, better play its role as a bridge to promote more effectively people-to-people bond.

    Last but not least, I would like to wish all the staff and readers of YOULIN a warm and prosper year in 2021.

    Nong Rong Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of
    The People’s Republic of China to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
    January 2021