Chinanews.com, September 27. According to the US "World Journal" report, Chen Zuozhou, chief executive of the Chinatown Joint Development Agency in New York, said that if New York Chinatown is to be revived, community members need to work together.
He said that the economic development model of the community is not like others. The local economy depends on the people in the community to take the initiative, rather than waiting for the government to decide how to develop before the local can make decisions.
He said that the New York City Future Center (CUF) has just made a research report to collect New Yorkers' ideas for the development of New York after the epidemic.
The researchers collected the ideas of 175 people and reclassified these ideas, listing nearly 250 ideas.
"I think that many ideas have reference significance for activating Chinatown." He said, judging from these ideas, Chinatown needs to do a lot of things.
The Chinese community needs to live and work in peace and contentment
Many Chinese came to New York first and lived in Chinatown.
Later, some people stayed, but others moved.
Chen Zuozhou said that some people moved to Newark, New Jersey that year.
He said that to be able to form a Chinatown, there must be several conditions: housing and housing, a job, and a safe place.
"Without these few conditions, the Chinese would go elsewhere to find better places."
New York's Chinatown can continue to the present, after all, it has its advantages.
Old residents of Chinatown are also facing challenges in life and work.
For example, many old overseas Chinese do not speak English, so they have to live in Chinatown.
Many Chinatown residents have low academic qualifications and have difficulties in learning computers and surfing the Internet.
"During the epidemic, guests need to order food online, but they cannot go online and cannot do business online."
He said that many New Yorkers moved out of New York after retirement and went to other warm places, like Florida.
However, this type of pension is not the most ideal. The best pension is in-situ pension.
It is beneficial for retirees to stay in the community where they used to work and keep in touch with their families.
This is also called community health.
However, Kennedy Road in Chinatown is the most dangerous section, and there are frequent traffic accidents, which is not good for the elderly.
Now, the living conditions in New York’s Chinatown are getting worse.
For example, housing is necessary, but the housing in Chinatown is old, "the old building is not good, and there is no new house."
In the past 50 years, no new residential buildings have been built in the heart of Chinatown, and people are reluctant to live here.
Jobs in Chinatown are now also reduced a lot.
For example, jobs in the catering and tourism industries have decreased.
He said that this place in Manhattan's Chinatown has changed at least five groups of ethnic residents.
First, Jews lived here, and later moved to Brooklyn and other places.
Then came German immigrants and later moved to the Upper East Side of Manhattan.
This was followed by the Irish residence, which was later removed.
Then came the Italians, most of whom left, leaving only a little Italy.
Now, the Chinese have lived here for more than a hundred years.
"Some friends in Italy said that the symptoms in Chinatown now are the same as in Little Italy in the past."
Residents take the initiative in Chinatown to have hope
Chen Zuozhou said that the revival of Chinatown depends on the community itself, not others.
He believes that the transit of New York's Chinatown depends on the extension of the Second Avenue subway line to Chinatown.
"The subway line plans to open a subway station at Lin Zexu Plaza in the center of Chinatown." If the subway can be connected here, then Chinatown can be connected with Wall Street and Upper Midtown Manhattan.
"If the traffic problem is resolved, Chinatown has great hope."
As the president of the New York Chinatown Joint Development Agency, what he wants to do is a basic platform.
For example, include Chinatown in a Business Improvement District (BID).
A few years ago, he also applied to list Chinatown as a "disaster area" with severe disasters.
He said that the US government has been doing this all the time.
"The community decides what is most important."
He said that since "911", Chinatown has suffered multiple blows and needs government attention.
At the same time, he also promoted Chinatown.
"Chinatown not only has Chinese food and Chinese crafts, it is also a jewelry center." If someone gets married, they can choose jewelry in Chinatown and set up a banquet here.
The next mayor of New York will take office in January 2022.
Therefore, researchers from the Center for the Future of the City of New York interviewed a number of New Yorkers through face-to-face interviews, email correspondence, and roundtable meetings from March to May 2021, hoping to get good suggestions from the public and contribute to the future of the city. Changhe City Government provides development suggestions.
This report brings together ideas from 175 outstanding New Yorkers, including community advocates and small business owners; chief operating officers of media, healthcare, technology, and non-profit organizations; artists and cultural leaders; and social service agency leaders; Experts in the fields of finance, law, and public health; labor leaders; award-winning designers and architects; leaders in education and workforce development; innovators in the creative economy; and guiding the city through the 1970s and after the terrorist attacks And former government officials in the economic crisis.
The researchers divided nearly 250 ideas into 10 principles, including specific policy recommendations.
He said that this report is the latest blueprint for New York City.
The ten core principles of New York's recovery are quite comprehensive.
Some of the content is related to Chinese and Chinatown.
For example, the second item is “strengthening small businesses in New York City”, the third item is “helping New Yorkers of color increase income and create wealth”, and the ninth item is “prioritize hard-hit workers and communities”.
The research report predicts that tens of thousands of small businesses may go bankrupt, and thousands of small businesses are still struggling.
New York City can implement bold ideas now and in 2022 to strengthen small businesses, revitalize corridors and communities that have been hit hard, and restore the vitality and attractiveness of the city.
"There are many small businesses founded by Chinese people. Chinatown is a community that has been hit hard. You can get help from the city government's introduction of appropriate policies."
Take advantage of the advantages to reproduce the glory of the past
Yu Jinshan, chairman of the Chinese House in New York, pointed out that the biggest advantage of Chinatown in New York City is that it is located in Manhattan, the United States.
Here is the focus of world tourism.
"If you come to the United States to travel, tourists generally have to come to Manhattan." And Manhattan's Chinatown is also one of the important attractions.
He said that Chinatown began to recover, and the Chinese House opened its doors.
"Last week, the Chinese Museum reopened." He said that in Chinatown, many medical clinics, law firms and accounting companies run by Chinese have also opened.
"Yongtai Seafood Restaurant" and "Jintai Seafood Restaurant" in East Chinatown had decided to close their business permanently; but a year later, Jintai Restaurant reopened. "I just participated in its ribbon-cutting event." He said that only travel companies are still in a "latent state." ".
He said that another advantage of Chinatown is the large number of Chinese communities.
There are numerous surname offices, fellow villagers' associations, temples, Chinese schools and so on.
In the past, people often went to Chinatown to participate in various activities.
Because of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, these clubs, temples, schools, etc. are closed.
However, with the gradual control of the epidemic, these institutions have also begun to recover.
Currently, Chinatown still has the problem of parking difficulties.
Since the attack, the Park Street section has been banned for civilian use and is only open to public buses and government and emergency vehicles.
"The blockade of this section is extremely detrimental to residents in Chinatown and its vicinity." He suggested that the New York City Police Department could convert Park Road into a civilian parking lot.
"Park Road is a six-lane avenue that can park 150 cars."
The media has reported criminal activities against Asians in Chinatown.
He said that very few criminal activities occurred in Chinatown. These criminal activities occurred on the subway going to Chinatown, such as spitting, pushing, beating, etc.
He said that the fifth branch of the New York City Police Headquarters is in Chinatown.
At the same time, the Anti-Asian Crime Squad of the Police Headquarters also sent police officers to the fifth branch.
"We exchanged intelligence with the police station and reported signs in time. Therefore, there are very few cases in Chinatown. "The law and order in Chinatown is very good.
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He believes that another way to invigorate Chinatown is to apply for the construction of a "special tourist zone."
The buildings in Chinatown are relatively old, and many of them are historic sites.
"Chinatown protects these places and forms a special tourist zone that can attract tourists." Tourists come to Chinatown not only for eating and shopping, but also for sightseeing.
Non-profit organizations can help
Zhou Min, Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Asian American Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, said that many immigrant companies encounter difficulties, but new immigrant owners often do not know whom to turn to for help.
"Due to language and cultural barriers, these immigrant companies are out of touch with the government." Therefore, she suggested that non-profit organizations in the community should come forward to help the poor and weak in the community, and connect these small and medium-sized enterprises to help them tide over the difficulties.
She believes that the current economic model of Chinatown still has vitality.
But there is a condition, that is, the constant migration of new immigrants.
"As long as there are new immigrants, the ethnic economy will be vigorous." Immigrants have the entrepreneurial spirit, mentality and ability to act.
New immigrants also need Chinatown, because Chinatown has a bilingual and bicultural environment and services.
The development of Chinatown is also inseparable from the support of ethnic organizations.
She said that ethnic organizations such as chambers of commerce and fellow villagers' associations in Chinatown have the power to unite people and are an important part of the community structure and are of great benefit to the development of the community.
In turn, the development of the community’s ethnic economy also provides the foundation and conditions for the development of ethnic organizations.
"Community ethnic organizations and ethnic economic development can complement each other and promote each other."
She said that in Old Chinatown, many Chinese communities have their own buildings, and some even have rent income.
These associations can organize new immigrants and local residents to develop their economy.
At the same time, these clubs are also the activity centers of the community.
"Many new Chinese associations will go to Chinatown or the suburbs where the Chinese live together, instead of going to other places." Therefore, ethnic associations play a role in promoting the economic and social development of Chinatown.
Can the businesses in Chinatown survive?
She thinks it's okay.
Small and medium-sized enterprises are relatively vigorous, but they need reform and innovation. One of the reforms is the combination of online commerce, store sales and online sales.
She said that during the epidemic, the couple also chose to shop online.
"I have been working from home for more than 16 months. I haven't been to a supermarket or store once in eight months."
Recently, some mainstream English-language media have reported heavily on the impact of the epidemic on Chinatown.
She believes that deliberate reporting of the tragedy in Chinatown by mainstream media has both positive and negative effects.
She said that the positive effect is to let readers understand Chinatown and the impact of the epidemic on Chinatown, and to arouse readers' sympathy for the Chinese people who have been hit by the epidemic.
The negative effect may be that the report may deepen the anti-China prejudice and Qiu Ya sentiment of some readers.
(Han Jie)