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Jun 23, 03:31 AM | Author: jane kim | Category: personal
We're in the Oakland Tribune!
Monday, June 19, 2006. Oakland Tribune
Success blooms in Adopt-an-Alleyway
By Momo Chang, STAFF WRITER
SAN FRANCISCO — Ben Ng, 18, used to hate Chinatown. “I thought it was disgusting and cramped. I never thought about why things are they way they are.”
Ng, who has lived in San Francisco’s Chinatown his entire life, found an opportunity to learn about his community through the Adopt-an-Alleyway Youth Project (dubbed “triple A”). He now says he loves Chinatown.
About a dozen young people like Ng lead Chinatown Alleyway Tours for locals, college students and tourists. The tour has gotten some buzz as an insider’s look at Chinatown — a unique one because it is led by mostly high school students, some who have lived in Chinatown.
Want to learn about the fortune cookie factory? Check. The tour stops by the fragrant, small shop where people can sample the round disks before they are turned into that famous fortune cookie shape.
But the guides talk about much more than just food.
The factory is on Ross Alley. When young people began sweeping and cleaning the alleyways as a community service project several years ago, they found that while danky and dirty, the alleys were a cultural hub just as much as Grant Avenue or Stockton Street, more popular tourist spots.
Most of the 40 or so alleyways in Chinatown are private property and were not regularly maintained. But residents live there, small businesses have storefronts there, and family associations house events in the narrow streets.
Rosa Wong-Chie, 22, knows firsthand. She and her family lived on Spofford Alley for many years while she was growing up, next door to Sun Yat Sen’s headquarters.
She remembers trying to leave her apartment and being barricaded by groups of tourists. She never really understood what the fuss was about until she begain digging into the living history of her neighborhood.
The Adopt-an-Alleyway youth decided to clean up the alleys to improve the quality of life for the residents but at the same time realized the rich cultural history of each alleyway.
“We each have a favorite,” says Calvin Yan, 18, whose alley of choice is Waverly Place, which is wider than most alleys and recently renovated as a result of community advocacy.
While most mainstream tours go to Grant and Stockton and stop by produce markets and trinket shops, this tour shows Chinatown from a different point of view.
“It’s my home,” says Ng, who will be attending UC Davis in the fall but hopes to continue giving tours.
Beyond telling stories about the nooks and crannies of the alleyways, they also tell about the social and political history of Chinatown.
For example, they talk about the struggle, displacement and struggle of early Chinese immigrants and connect it to current issues, such as the need to maintain low-income housing for seniors.
The tour begins at Portsmouth Square, which the guides like to call the “living room” of Chinatown. Most Chinatown residents live in cramped conditions.
“They come here for sun, tai chi and socializing with their friends,” said Wong-Chie, gesturing to several dozens of elders hanging out at the park on a Friday morning.
Wong-Chie, who started as a youth member and now works for the Chinatown Community Development Center full time, says they hope to develop a “housing tour” soon.
Much of the history of Chinatown is about space or lack of it: from single-residence occupancy living conditions to the decades-long struggle of the I-Hotel, a piece of historical Manilatown next to Chinatown.
“It’s my home,” Ng says simply about the approximately 4-by-8 blocks of the city known as Chinatown, one of the most dense neighborhoods in the nation.
“And at the same time, I can educate the public about the history and significance of the community,” he says.
Reserve tours online at www.chinatownalleywaytours.org or by calling (415) 984-1478. Tours are given Tuesdays through Saturdays; $15 adults, $10 students, $5 children 5-9 and free for children under 5. Find out more about the Chinatown Community Development Center.
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