Prelims

Half Title Page

The Significance of Chinatown Development to a Multicultural America

Title Page

The Significance of Chinatown Development to a Multicultural America

An Exploration of the Houston Chinatowns

By

Zen Tong Chunhua Zheng

University of Houston, USA

Houston Community College, USA

and

Yali Zou

University of Houston, USA

Copyright Page

Emerald Publishing Limited

Emerald Publishing, Floor 5, Northspring, 21-23 Wellington Street, Leeds LS1 4DL.

First edition 2024

Copyright © 2024 Zen Tong Chunhua Zheng and Yali Zou.

Published under exclusive licence by Emerald Publishing Limited.

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No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without either the prior written permission of the publisher or a licence permitting restricted copying issued in the UK by The Copyright Licensing Agency and in the USA by The Copyright Clearance Center. Any opinions expressed in the chapters are those of the authors. Whilst Emerald makes every effort to ensure the quality and accuracy of its content, Emerald makes no representation implied or otherwise, as to the chapters’ suitability and application and disclaims any warranties, express or implied, to their use.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-1-80455-377-0 (Print)

ISBN: 978-1-80455-376-3 (Online)

ISBN: 978-1-80455-378-7 (Epub)

Dedication Page

To my father Yunshi Zheng (鄭允實)

and mother Yaofang Ma (馬瑶芳) –

their infinite love, wisdom and sacrifice have bestowed me with life’s most exquisite blessings. My father’s parting words were

a plea for me to bring this study to fruition.

I dedicate this book to his cherished memory, and to my mother who continues to nurture me with her unwavering guidance.

To my parents I am forever indebted.

– Zen Tong Chunhua Zheng

To my daughter Yue

and grandsons William and James –

with deep pride and gratitude for their love for Chinese culture and drive to explore our celebrated heritage.

In their passions I find inspiration.

May Chinatown and this book always serve as

a testament to the splendor of our treasured roots

and the power of the rich diversity that thrives in its streets.

– Yali Zou

Contents

List of Figures

Acknowledgments

Foremost, we extend our sincere gratitude to the University of Houston Asian American Studies Center for its generous financial backing and steadfast belief in the significance of this project. The support has been pivotal in the realization of this book aimed at comprehensively documenting the history of Houston’s two Chinatowns.

We wish to convey our appreciation to the members of the Chinatown community and all those who experienced the Chinatowns for infusing our research with knowledge, insights, and candid perspectives over many years. We have been humbled by their openness and unreserved cooperation, which allowed us to gain firsthand understanding and appreciation of this community’s challenges and triumphs.

Our special thanks go to the following individuals who graciously granted us interviews or provided invaluable information resources to illuminate our study and enrich our Chinatown narrative: Harry Gee, Jr., for sharing his memories of Old Chinatown, his storied professional trajectories, his cross-cultural insights, and community advocacy; Kenneth Li, for imparting his encyclopedic knowledge of the Chinese neighborhood in which the press dubs him as the “unofficial Mayor of (New) Chinatown”; C. K. Lee, for narrating his entrepreneurial adventures as a banking executive; Gordon Quang, whose journey as an immigrant, attorney, politician, and community leader added depth to our understanding; Rogene Gee Calvert, who illuminated her life’s story against the backdrop of Old and New Chinatowns, alongside her advocacy for the Asian American community; Glenda Joe, whose passionate narrative traced her family roots and evolving cultural identity while championing Chinese heritage through her orchestration of the time-honored annualLunar New Year celebration; Chi-mei Lin, whose account captured the essence of running a beloved community center and cultivating cultural integration; Alice Cheng Lee, for sharing her experience straddling two cultures while pursuing her political activism and community engagement; Anton Sinkewich, who provided rare insights as a former leader of the management district that covers Old Chinatown revealing the intricacies of the neighborhood’s rise and fall; Alan Bernstein, whose distinct cultural perspectives as a descendant of immigrant Jewish heritage added a unique layer of understanding to the significance of Chinatown; Lee Wong, who unveiled a fresh direction for driving Asiatown development; Wea H. Lee, who shared his life’s story and path to building his multifaceted enterprise in Chinatown; Asr Cordes, whose narrative as a Cuban-Haitian American reveals his strong connection to Chinatown; and Bin Yu and Shaoli “Sally” Shi, who shared their visions for the last tracts of land in New Chinatown proper. We extend our appreciation to Jensen Shen for offering data that helped us gain a broader understanding of the city’s transnational commerce. Additionally, we thank Johnny Peña for his collaboration with us in the creation of two Chinatown maps.

We wish to convey our sincere gratitude to the Emerald team for endorsing our project, guiding us through the publishing process, and graciously extending our time to craft a rich and robust manuscript.

We also thank various organizations and institutions, particularly Houston Metropolitan Research Center, now known as the Houston History Research Center, for allowing us to access their archives and rendering assistance in navigating their troves.

Lastly, we must express our profound gratitude to our families for their enduring support and unconditional love throughout this journey. Their encouragement and confidence in our work have been a constant source of motivation and inspiration.