China Town Idea" Analysis "The Essay

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There is a romantic charm in the notion that outsiders only 'pass through' while residents are in a kind of stop time, insular and part of the background, not part of the larger cultural narrative. Thus the Chinatown idea is fundamentally that Asia is 'different' -- exotic, of another world, rather than part of 'America.' This has often subverted the ambitions of those residents who do wish to become more a part of American society, who may struggle acquiring English skills, for example. The existence of Chinatown reinforces the perception that Chinese segregation is self-imposed and that a complex array of social factors such as culture and discrimination have no impact upon mobility and advancement.

The persistence of Chinatown also questions the ethics of what it means to tour another culture -- an issue that also arises when an individual contemplates the ethics touring an Amish village, for example. These seemingly alien cultures are strangely dependant upon the larger culture, as they market their differences for paid consumption. What seems different -- a Chinese dragon, a whole duck roasting in a window -- inspires the desire to tour and eat in the area, yet also a mixture of contempt in the outsider. What does Chinatown communicate to the outsider? It is both real to the residents, yet an Epcot center in its presentation to tourists.

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A quick Google of San Francisco Chinatown's website reveals a dual presentation to outsiders, as the site's content spans everything from information designed to serve the community such as hospitals to the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory, presumably an attraction that is largely of interests to tourists. Chinatown exists both for insiders and outsiders, it preserves another culture yet exists in eternal dialogue with the outside -- without the West, there is no 'Chinatown.'

Liu's essay and hopefully this one as well encourage readers to become more critical consumers of 'otherness.' What seems exotic is still 'real' to those who live there. Furthermore, the "Chinatown Idea" exists as a profound challenge to the notion that cultures can be understood in purely visual terms. In reading about Liu's essay on Chinatown, the reader is forced to confront his or her own prejudices, not just about Chinese people and artifacts, but also the experience of entering into the world of any foreign culture as a tourist. Although no one wants to give up traveling, Liu's essay suggests that giving up the idea of being a tourist (as opposed to a gust) might not be such a bad idea to make the world a more tolerant place.

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