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Chinatown

San Francisco's 1906 Earthquake and the Paradox of American Immigration Policy

Dafeng Xu

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How disaster remade San Francisco's Chinatown—and revealed the limits of belonging in America.

San Francisco's Chinatown is the oldest Chinatown in North America and one of the largest Chinese enclaves outside Asia. Spanning 30 city blocks and home to tens of thousands of monolingual Chinese residents, its endurance is remarkable—especially given how close it came to erasure.

In this fascinating history, Dafeng Xu uncovers the contested history of this vibrant community, focusing on the transformative period surrounding the 1906 earthquake and fire that destroyed 80 percent of the city...

How disaster remade San Francisco's Chinatown—and revealed the limits of belonging in America.

San Francisco's Chinatown is the oldest Chinatown in North America and one of the largest Chinese enclaves outside Asia. Spanning 30 city blocks and home to tens of thousands of monolingual Chinese residents, its endurance is remarkable—especially given how close it came to erasure.

In this fascinating history, Dafeng Xu uncovers the contested history of this vibrant community, focusing on the transformative period surrounding the 1906 earthquake and fire that destroyed 80 percent of the city, including Chinatown. White San Franciscans saw the disaster as an opportunity to permanently displace the neighborhood. Instead, Chinatown was rebuilt—but not without conflict or consequence. Using detailed census data and other historical documents, Xu examines how this rebuilt Chinatown differed socially and physically from its earlier form—and the many ways it stayed the same. He explores whether the earthquake shifted patterns of segregation, if and how Chinese immigrants navigated pressure to assimilate—including adopting English, changing their names, and leaving ethnic neighborhoods—and whether they gained economic ground in the city's new landscape.

Xu's study reveals a striking contradiction: while Chinese Americans were often criticized for not assimilating, systemic barriers made that very process nearly impossible. The post-disaster Chinatown became a symbol of cultural resilience, shaped by both community agency and persistent exclusion. Rich in insight and original research, Chinatown offers a powerful look at how disaster, racism, and resistance shaped one of America's most storied immigrant neighborhoods.

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Reviews

Using historical censuses and archival material, Xu details the evolution of San Francisco's Chinatown and the importance of the 1906 earthquake in shaping its transformation. The historical racism experienced by Chinese San Franciscans—and their resistance—hold important relevance to today's immigration debates, making this book valuable for scholars and students alike.

Xu's Chinatown is a brilliant analysis of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the rebuilding of the city's Chinatown, and the ambivalent relationship that American society has always had with non-white immigrants. This book is a must-read for those wishing to better understand the paradoxes of America's immigration climate.

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Book Details

Release Date
Publication Date
Status
Preorder
Trim Size
6
x
9
Pages
256
ISBN
9781421453545
Illustration Description
4 b&w photos, 3 b&w illus.
Table of Contents

Preface
Introduction
Part I. Chinatown at America's Crossroads
Chapter 1. From the Gold Rush to the Earthquake
Chapter 2. The Ladder of Americanization
Part II. The People and the Place
Chapter 3. Gender

Preface
Introduction
Part I. Chinatown at America's Crossroads
Chapter 1. From the Gold Rush to the Earthquake
Chapter 2. The Ladder of Americanization
Part II. The People and the Place
Chapter 3. Gender, Marriage, and Family
Chapter 4. Language
Chapter 5. Residential Segregation
Chapter 6. Identity
Chapter 7. Occupations
Part III. The Old New Neighborhood
Chapter 8. Decomposing the American Dream
Chapter 9. Chinatown Beyond San Francisco
Conclusion: Revisiting the Old New Neighborhood
Appendix: Ethnic-Specific Occupation-Based Earnings
Notes
Index

Author Bio
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Dafeng Xu

Dafeng Xu is an assistant professor at the University of Washington.