China News Service, February 18th. According to the US "World Journal" report, every city in the United States where Chinese people gather, there will be a Chinatown. Although these communities retain the traditions of Chinese food and culture, the number of Chinese is increasing. More and more, these old Chinese communities have continued to emigrate their population and businesses.
Nowadays, the new crown pneumonia epidemic has changed people's consumption patterns. How to continue to attract outsiders to Chinatown while assisting the economic recovery of the community has become an important issue.
Restaurant and supermarket operators saw more demand from the Chinese and began to open stores in other communities.
(Photo source: US "World Journal" / Photo by Yan Jiaying)
Flushing, Queens, New York, with a population of more than 100,000 Chinese, has become a new Chinatown in New York City. In recent years, new stores have sprung up, but the community is also facing the migration of population and businesses.
Yu Tiansong, executive director of the Flushing Business Reform District, said frankly: "Flushing is already saturated."
He said that Flushing's success is difficult to replicate in other communities. However, under the fierce competition in various catering industries, although business is still good on the weekend after the epidemic has eased, it is not optimistic whether it can return to the scene before the epidemic and continue to prosper in the long run.
He said that because restaurant and supermarket operators saw the demand of the Chinese people, when Flushing was saturated and traffic was inconvenient, the operators began to move to Changdao, Xiaoneck, Fresh Grassland and other communities for development. "These places have convenient transportation and free parking, not to mention. Worried about the car being towed, Flushing’s original advantage is disappearing bit by bit."
Chen Zuozhou, executive director of Manhattan's Chinatown Commercial Reform District and Chinatown Joint Development Agency, also believes that the demographic changes in nearby communities are also one of the reasons why Chinatown cannot stand up after the epidemic.
He pointed out that the real population of Chinatown is only about 2-3 million. Compared with the more than 100,000 people on 8th Avenue in Flushing and Brooklyn, there are fewer residential areas around Chinatown in Manhattan, even if the entire population of Lower Manhattan is Ordering food and shopping in Chinatown still cannot support commercial development.
According to a survey by Mastercard, in the summer and autumn of 2020, when grocery consumer spending rebounds in New York City, Chinatown, which relies on tourist business, has a much smaller rebound than other communities.
The report believes that the main reason is that supermarkets and grocery stores in Chinatown used to be patronized by tourists and other people seeking specialty products. The epidemic has reduced people's travel opportunities and caused significant differences in data.
How to attract the outside world to return to the Chinese community for consumption has become a serious challenge. The Flushing Commercial Reform District aims to increase customer diversification, hoping to attract more foreign customers to the community for consumption, continue to introduce Flushing guides and promote local stores to let the public know that Flushing has not only restaurants and supermarkets, but also many features Store. The Chinatown Commercial Reform District is to hold heart-warming activities to let the outside world learn about Chinese culture and history and encourage people to consume in the community, hoping to maintain the development of the community. (Yan Jiaying)