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BAYOU CHANNELS NEW ORLEANS CHANNELS TOPICAL
VISITS RESOURCES |
Discovering The Forgotten New Orleans Chinese Quarter New Orleans paved over most of its old Chinatown in 1937 when the neighborhood was torn down to make way for a parking garage. A few stores moved to Bourbon Street in the French Quarter and continued on as the Chinese business center before succumbing to the ill wind of urban flight. Little physical evidence remains of the early presence of Chinese in New Orleans. Another parking garage proposal is expected to go before the City Council and if passed will obliterate the last five old buildings in an area once known as the “Chinese Quarter.” The new garage will stamp out the last physical ties to the hub of a unique early Chinese-American immigrant experience. The multitude of cars parading up and down the ramps will serve as the surrogate second line mocking fitfully the passing of a landmark. New Orleans will be a city where more than “care” forgot. The five remaining buildings of the forgotten "Chinese Quarter" at the corner of Rampart and Tulane Streets:
Why has it come to this in a city that takes so much pride in its rich and diverse heritage? How could this happen in a city where preserved historical landmarks form the cornerstones of its vibrant tourism industry? How could this happen at a time multi-cultural tourism is all the rage? Why the silence in a city with a well-established and vibrant modern Chinese-American community? Or more importantly why is there so little awareness and emphasis placed on its part of our collective heritage and historical landmarks? Could it be that we have already lost touch with that part of our collective past? There are so few visible imprints and footprint left from the Asian American experience of that era; every little bit is worth preserving for tomorrow. The Chinese Merchants Association, located in the French Quarter:
The city was once Mecca for Chinese contract laborers who left the plantations along the Mississippi River in the post-Civil War South. This city provided a refuge to the Chinese laborers escaping the anti-Chinese frenzy in the West Coast. This is also the city where early enterprising Chinese merchants made large fortunes running dried shrimp operations deep in the Louisiana Bayous. In this city a dedicated Christian Mission nurtured and guided the early assimilation of a fragile community of Chinese families. It was said that Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, the George Washington of modern China came to raise money for the revolution from the local Triad of Chinese free masons. New Orleans is where self proclaimed Chinese Cajun Cowboy Sheriff Harry Lee, the second most powerful politician in Louisiana today, was born and raised. This is also the city where the noted African-American political and civil rights leader Judge Revius Ortique recalls fondly of his Chinese grandfather. “Lotus Roots” run deep in this city. It probably is the best kept secret ingredient in the famed New Orleans cultural gumbo. The Chinese Society crypt, in St. Louis Cemetery:
Researching into the long forgotten
Chinatown surely could offer answers to the litany of intriguing questions.
Exploring the past invariably leads to new insights into potent issues that
present day Chinese Americans are grappling with. As the old saying goes, those
who do not learn from history are destined to repeat it.
Currently “Operation Lotus Roots” seeks to rediscover the long
forgotten Chinese Quarter. The
first phase will put Chinatown back on the literary map, connect it with the
notable New Orleans historical preservation community and produce a visual
medium to tell this unique Chinese-American experience with a southern and
Creole flavor. Please support Operation Lotus Root by contributing financially
or by making available articles, pictures or leads connected with the New
Orleans Chinese history.
Shaie-Mei Temple Book
May Shed Light on China Crisis Photographs from the Mrs. Hew interview, December,
1999, one of the few remaining New Orleanians who grew up in the Chinese
Quarter. She recently celebrated her 93rd birthday: |
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