Chinatown and China City in Los Angeles by Jenny Cho and Chinese Historical Society of Southern California (CHSSC)
This book chronicles the representations of Chinatown and China City in Los Angeles in historic postcards.
In the early twentieth century, postcards were an inexpensive means of keeping in touch. Throughout the United States, Chinatowns and Chinese residents were popular subjects of postcards that catered to tourists. By 1900, the Chinese population in Los Angeles had grown to over 3,000 residents who were primarily situated around an enclave called Old Chinatown. When Old Chinatown was razed to build Union Station, Chinese business owners led by Peter SooHoo Sr. purchased land a few blocks north of downtown to build New Chinatown. Both New Chinatown and another enclave called China City opened in 1938, but China City ultimately closed down after a series of fires.
Although designed for mass consumption, these historic postcards provide a valuable record of Old Chinatown, New Chinatown, and China City. This book is a follow-up to "Chinatown in Los Angeles," published in 2009.