The last week of April was a whirlwind for San FranciscoB次元官网网址檚 Chinatown.

The storied neighborhood debuted the B次元官网网址淎API Community Heroes Mural,B次元官网网址� a mostly black and white depiction of 12 mostly unsung Asian American and Pacific Islander figures on the wall of a bank. Three days later B次元官网网址淣eon Was Never Brighter,B次元官网网址� the first ever Chinatown contemporary arts festival, took over the streets throughout the night. Traditional lion and dragon dances, a couture fashion show and other public B次元官网网址渁rt activationsB次元官网网址� were featured in the block party-like event.

Cultural and arts organizations in Chinatowns across North America have worked for decades on bringing greater appreciation and visibility to these communities. But they faced an unprecedented one-two punch when the pandemic caused shutdowns and racist anti-Asian attacks increased B次元官网网址� and continue. As painful as those events are, they also indelibly influenced the reemergence of various Chinatowns as close-knit hubs of vibrancy and culture.

Cynthia Choi, co-founder of the Stop AAPI Hate reporting center, is still B次元官网网址渂lown awayB次元官网网址� to be one of the heroes painted in the San Francisco mural. But being at the festival was equally touching for her.

B次元官网网址淚 got really emotional because itB次元官网网址檚 been so long since IB次元官网网址檇 seen so many people come out to Chinatown, especially at night. I had heard so many of my friends or family saying, B次元官网网址業 donB次元官网网址檛 want to go to Chinatown,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淚 knew it was going to be fun and exciting, but I was really moved.B次元官网网址�

There has been renewed attention from cities, companies and younger Asian Americans from outside these historic Chinatowns. Wells Fargo partnered with the Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco on the B次元官网网址渉eroesB次元官网网址� mural. Everyone wanted to B次元官网网址渞eally address anti-Asian hate and to uplift Asian American voices,B次元官网网址� said Jenny Leung, the executive director of the Center, which is a member of the Chinatown Media & Arts Collaborative. Youths voted on who to put on the mural.

B次元官网网址淔requently the way that Chinatown looks is imported as a tourist kind of attraction and fantasy for visitors to see,B次元官网网址� Leung said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 never really about celebrating the communityB次元官网网址檚 perspective and voice.B次元官网网址�

The idea for the B次元官网网址淣eonB次元官网网址� festival, which was overseen by the Chinatown Media & Arts Collaborative, was briefly discussed pre-pandemic. But the events of the last two years lent urgency to it.

B次元官网网址淲e wanted to kind of push that deadline a little bit earlier in order to be able to address the 20, 30, 40, empty storefronts that are increasingly rising in the community,B次元官网网址� said Leung, who characterizes Chinatown as a B次元官网网址渕useum without walls.B次元官网网址�

Josh Chuck, a local filmmaker behind the documentary B次元官网网址淐hinatown Rising,B次元官网网址� has noticed younger generations dining or participating in events in Chinatowns. A friend who works in tech began last year picking up orders for friends who wanted to support Chinatown restaurants. Soon he was making spreadsheets to track 400 deliveries.

B次元官网网址淗onestly, thereB次元官网网址檚 no way I could have imagined something that would galvanize these people that I know. Even myself, like, I feel much more connected and committed,B次元官网网址� Chuck said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a silver lining.B次元官网网址�

In New York, the first of five summer night markets start next month in the cityB次元官网网址檚 Chinatown. It will be the biggest event to date for Think!Chinatown. The 5-year-old nonprofit has done numerous projects like artists-in-residency programs and oral histories. But last year after a series of verbal and physical assaults against Asians, they partnered with Neighborhoods Now, a local pandemic relief initiative, on Chinatown Nights.

It was a small-scale gathering of less than 10 artist booths and food trucks in Forsyth Plaza park. Despite a B次元官网网址渃razyB次元官网网址� two-month prep window, there was a collective feeling of B次元官网网址渨e just need to be together,B次元官网网址� said Yin Kong, Think!Chinatown co-founder and director. And there was a B次元官网网址渢ectonic shiftB次元官网网址� with philanthropy focusing on equity.

B次元官网网址淚t reprioritized these other organizations that traditionally would have funded other things to focus on how to support communities of color in a different way,B次元官网网址� Kong said.

The expanded event next month will have 20 booths and sponsorships, and will be scheduled when most Chinatown restaurants are closed so owners can participate.

B次元官网网址淭he mechanisms that got us there would not have happened without the pandemic,B次元官网网址� said Kong, who feels Think!Chinatown is now seen as more B次元官网网址渓egitB次元官网网址� with better funding, full-time staff and the possibility of an office space instead of her dining table.

In VancouverB次元官网网址檚 Chinatown, the pandemic only exacerbated ongoing issues of vandalism, graffiti and other crimes. But within the last year, the Canadian city managed to launch cultural projects planned before COVID-19.

Last month, the Chinatown Mural Project showed off a series of pastoral murals painted by a local artist on six roller shutters of a tea shop. In November, the interactive Chinatown Storytelling Centre with relics and recorded oral histories opened.

B次元官网网址淲e would have done this anyway (regardless of the pandemic),B次元官网网址� said Carol Lee, chair of the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation, which oversees the Centre. B次元官网网址淏ut you know, in some ways, it makes you feel like you have more purpose because itB次元官网网址檚 more necessary.B次元官网网址�

Jordan Eng, president of the Vancouver Chinatown Business Improvement Association, agreed that thereB次元官网网址檚 more collaboration and B次元官网网址渁 lot more youth interest than there was five, 10 years ago.B次元官网网址�

There are fewer than 50 Chinatowns across the U.S. with some more active than others.

Many Chinatowns took shape in the 19th century as Chinese laborers arrived to mine for gold out West or work on the railroad. They lived there because of blatant discrimination or self-preservation. Their housing was single-room-occupancy units, or SROs, with communal kitchens and bathrooms, said Harvey Dong, a lecturer in ethnic studies and Asian American studies at University of California, Berkeley. Many older Chinese Americans and immigrants in Chinatown reside in these units still.

Another constant in Chinatowns: developmentB次元官网网址攆rom the sales of no longer affordable SROs in San Francisco to a light rail expansion in Seattle to a proposed new jail in New York City. Chinatowns elsewhere have shrunk to a block or disappeared altogether because of gentrification. ItB次元官网网址檚 a tricky juxtaposition for a city to tout Chinatowns to tourists yet offer few resources to its residents.

B次元官网网址淪o you have these huge festivals to bring in businesses. You have these parades and all this stuff. But definitely, itB次元官网网址檚 important that the needs of the community, especially the working class and the poor, are addressed,B次元官网网址� Dong said.

Meanwhile, excited arts and culture advocates are moving forward to put their own stamp on Chinatown. Chinatown Media & Arts Collaborative in San Francisco is designing Edge on the Square, a $26.5 million media and arts center set to open in 2025. In New York, Think!Chinatown plans to lease a space with a kitchen for art exhibitions and cooking classes. The hope is to keep engaging with Asian Americans inside and outside of Chinatown.

B次元官网网址淲hat draws them to Chinatown is that cultural connection,B次元官网网址� Kong said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 something you canB次元官网网址檛 really put your finger on. B次元官网网址� But itB次元官网网址檚 really the soul of Chinatown. And we need to keep protecting it and make sure it can grow.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址擳erry Tang, The Associated Press