They brought lion dancers, a dragon, and a 20' long flag.  Today we're celebrating their spirit and enthusiasm and home. 

Mable Lee Chinatown US Post Office - 2018 - Mabel Lee was born in Guangzhou, China, in 1896 and moved with her family to New York City in 1905. By age 16, she was already active in the suffrage movement. In 1912, she rode on horseback at the head of a New York City parade of 10,000 suffragists, calling voting rights and equality of opportunity the hallmarks of true feminism.Although women in New York won the vote in 1917 and the 19th Amendment extended it nationally in 1920, Chinese immigrants like Lee remained excluded due to the Chinese Exclusion Act, which barred citizenship until 1943. Still, Lee and other Chinese suffragists fought for women’s voting rights, even though they themselves were disenfranchised.Lee graduated from Barnard College and earned a PhD in economics from Columbia University in 1921, becoming the first Chinese woman in the U.S. to do so. She later published her dissertation, The Economic History of China. After her father’s death in 1924, she led the First Chinese Baptist Church of New York City and founded the Chinese Christian Center, which offered classes, health services, and community support.Lee never married, dedicating her life to the Chinese community until her death in 1966. It remains unclear whether she ever became a U.S. citizen or voted.

1st Chinese immigrants in NYC - 1830 - During Mid-1800’s the cities first Chinese immigrants were recorded. In a census taken in 1855, there were recorded 38 Chinese in New York, all males. The general occupation of these Chinese immigrants was sailors, boarding house owners, proprietors of small businesses, peddlers, and cigar makers.Surprisingly some of the Chinese immigrants married Irish women and became American citizens. By 1873, the New York Times reported around 500 Chinese Immigrants, most of them men, half of which moved to what we now call Chinatown.

Chinese spy outpost in New York City - 2022 - Federal investigators uncovered what prosecutors described as a secret Chinese government outpost operating in Manhattan's Chinatown. The office, known as the Fuzhou Police Overseas Service Station, was allegedly linked to China's Ministry of Public Security and accused of monitoring critics of the Chinese government living abroad.At the center of the case was Lu Jianwang, a longtime Chinese American community leader. Prosecutors argued that Lu helped establish and operate the station, maintained contact with Chinese officials through WeChat, and deleted communications after the FBI searched the office.Lu's defense maintained that the location was simply a community center that assisted members of the Chinese diaspora with services such as renewing Chinese driver's licenses during the pandemic and hosting social activities.

1982 NYC's Chinatown Garment Workers' Strike - 1982 - The 1982 Chinatown Garment Workers’ Strike in New York City was a landmark moment in U.S. labor history—especially for Asian American women. At the time, Chinatown was home to around 500 garment factories employing roughly 20,000 workers, most of whom were immigrant women from Hong Kong and southern China. These women endured long hours, unsafe conditions, and were paid by the piece—often earning far below minimum wage.The strike was sparked when Chinatown contractors rejected a union contract negotiated by the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union (ILGWU). The contractors demanded changes that would have weakened worker protections, such as shifting responsibility for holiday pay to the union and allowing business with non-union manufacturers.In response, nearly 20,000 workers—many of whom had never participated in a protest before—rallied in Columbus Park on June 24, 1982. They carried bilingual signs and wore union caps, declaring solidarity with the ILGWU. Organizers like Katie Quan and Lily Moy played key roles in mobilizing the community.The strike was a resounding success. Within days, nearly all contractors agreed to sign the union contract, preserving critical benefits like health care, pensions, and fair wages. It also shattered stereotypes about Asian American women being passive or apolitical, showing their collective power and resilience.

1st fine dining restaurant in Chinatown - 1904 - The Chinese Tuxedo restaurant opened at a time when several other upscale Chinese restaurants were also popping up, all attempting to take advantage of the influx of non-Chinese tourism to Chinatown. The restaurant was decorated with elaborate chandeliers and tables with decorative patterns, chosen to appeal to visitors looking for an “exotic” experience. The restaurant was best known for its ornate eagle-crowned balcony, which served as advertising that could be seen from the now-defunct Third Avenue El train.

Chinatown Gate at Beach Street - ABOUT THE HISTORICAL PHOTOGRAPHS Beach Street in Boston's Chinatown takes its name from the fact that it once marked the water's edge of the original Boston peninsula. In his 1972 book, What Time Is This Place? urbanist Kevin Lynch claims that on this street, "If you look closely at the ground, you can trace the outline of the former shore." It would be wonderful to have a photograph of Beach Street as it looked when it was indeed a beach, before the South Cove landfill of the 1830s. But the two photos reproduced here depict a change almost as great, one that took place only in the past half-century. Hard as it is to believe, these photos are made from the same place, looking in the same direction. The older photo, taken in 1923, looks westward along Beach Street. On the right you can clearly see a section of the old Atlantic Avenue elevated line, which looped down Beach Street.(This elevated line opened in 1901, closed in 1938, and was demolished for wartime steel scrap in 1942.) The buildings at the left were built, for the most part, in the 1880s. The photo shows no evidence of Chinese inhabitants, yet there must have been many nearby, for even as early as 1900 there were about 500 Chinese in the South Cove area. The new photo, made in 1986, looks not down a street but across Surface, Road, above the stretch of highway that becomes the Central Artery, for which all these buildings were demolished starting in 1954. At the time, according to a contemporary news account, Chinese merchants and residents "bitterly opposed" the demolitions. Many families and businesses were displaced. In recent years the Chinese community has again been expanding, and Chinatown's presence as a special quarter of the city is now symbolized by the new Chinese Gate, a gift from the government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) that was erected in 1982. -Robert Campbell and Peter Vanderwarker, "CITYSCAPES - To Chinatown", Boston Globe, 13 April 1986

St. Joseph Church in Chinatown - 1887 - The Missionaries of St. Charles Borromeo, founded by Blessed John Baptist Scalabrini in Italy, are a Catholic congregation created to serve the needs of Italian immigrants coming to America to escape poverty.

Fearless Girl Summer Block Party - New York - 6:00 PM, Friday, 24th July 2026 - On Friday, July 24, Broad Street between Wall Street and Exchange Place will close to traffic for the inaugural Fearless Girl Summer Block Party, a free afternoon event inviting New Yorkers to celebrate what it means to be fearless with music, giveaways, photo opportunities, and plenty of summer treats.

This is Summer Streets - New York - 1:00 PM, Saturday, 25th July 2026 - Summer Streets is an annual celebration of New York City's most valuable public space – our streets. On select summer Saturdays our city’s usual traffic noise and honking horns will be replaced with open streets teeming with walkers, bikers, runners, and performers. Discover a wealth of free cultural programs, performances, fitness classes, interactive art, giveaways, and much more as you experience the city in this whole new way. Summer Streets: 5 Boroughs / 5 SaturdaysQueens and Staten Island on July 25 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.Manhattan on August 1 from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.Manhattan on August 8 from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.Manhattan on August 15 from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.Brooklyn and The Bronx on August 22 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Search for the Past - New York - 2:00 PM, Saturday, 25th July 2026 - Join the Metro Desk, Special Projects, and our journalists for an interactive exploration of Lower Manhattan! You will trace a route through streets and neighborhoods, observing how the city’s past still quietly shapes the present. Immerse yourself in The New York Times’s reporting. Through this experience, you’ll uncover layered histories by following a trail of clues and collecting a series of custom postcards and stamps as you go. This event is free, and advance registration is required. Space is limited, and admission will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis to the first 250 registered guests to arrive. Walk-up registration will not be available. Adults (ages 18 and up) may bring up to two children (ages 13-17). We will send registrants specific starting locations one day before the search begins. Plan for walking and navigating the city in rain or shine for about two to three hours.

City of Water Day - New York - 2:00 PM, Saturday, 25th July 2026 - Now in its 19th year, City of Water Day — taking place this year on Saturday, July 25 — is a  region-wide day organized by Waterfront Alliance and New York–New Jersey Harbor & Estuary Program (HEP), to champion a climate-resilient New York and New Jersey harbor.   Dozens of communities across all five boroughs, Westchester and Rockland counties, and New Jersey will host events on and near the water that celebrate the importance of a resilient and equitably shared waterfront. From free kayaking to rowing to hands-on workshops, these events offer community members opportunities for fun, education, and access to their local waterfront.

Tavern Night - New York - 10:00 PM, Saturday, 25th July 2026 - Raise a glass with friends and raise funds for the Morris-Jumel Mansion, Manhattan’s oldest remaining residence! Come revel in a way American Revolutionaries would be proud of! Don’t miss our premiere event for 21+ audiences. For one night only, the Mansion returns to its roots as an Olde New York City Tavern. Step back in time to experience the lively historic music, entertainment, and fun that only an 18th-century tavern can offer! Of course, there will be a plethora of bites and beverages (alcoholic and nonalcoholic) that George Washington himself would be envious of! This year’s event is bigger than ever, celebrating America’s 250th anniversary, making for an unforgettable summer night on the historic grounds. Located in the lush and historic Roger Morris Park, Tavern Night festivities are the perfect celebration of summertime in the city. Raise a glass with us at the Morris-Jumel Mansion–where history comes alive and good cheer is always on tap.