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Media Ethnography, Living Archives: Collaborative class: IML423 and ANTH327

Constructions of Chinatown by Quinn Soltesz

Where most neighborhoods in Los Angeles have grown up organically, or were carefully planned for development, few were designed to evoke a false reality, much less the facade of a Hollywood film set. Los Angeles’ Chinatown, in its original settling and subsequent destruction and rebuilding, has been “constructed” in every sense of the word. This piece engages a philosophical reading of the neighborhood, using historical lineages, archival footage, community interviews, and commercial film clips to examine the site’s various (and parallel) notions of the reality. Through this multi-source analysis of the community, the crises of modern urban planning, gentrification, and skewed representations of Asian-American identity coincide within these city blocks. By analyzing these sources with a philosophical and filmic lens, it becomes clear that in “Constructing Chinatown,” more than just a neighborhood is built, but rather a method for understanding the power of the image in Angeleno history.

References

Baudrillard, J. (1994). Simulacra and simulation. University of Michigan Press.

Botula, M. (1980). [KTLA news (Los Angeles, Calif.). 1980-01-16--excerpt and/or outtakes. Chinatown redevelopment plan public hearing, FM7788].

Gow, W. (2010). Building a Chinese Village in Los Angeles: Christine Sterling and the Residents of China City, 1938-1948. Gum Saan Journal, 32(1), 39-53. https://www.csus.edu/faculty/g/william.gow/documents/gow--building-a-chinese-village-in-los-angeles.pdf

Los Angeles Public Library. (2021). Stories and Voices from L.A. Chinatown. [Multimedia].

Paytas, T. [@trishlikefish88]. (2020, August 22). #freakyfriday #chinatown #lindsaylohan [Video]. TikTok. https://www.tiktok.com/@trishlikefish88/video/6863938421044333830?lang=en

Photos: China City, Recreating a Small Chinese Village. (2010, June 30). PBS SoCal. Retrieved April 22, 2024, from https://www.pbssocal.org/shows/departures/photos-china-city-recreating-a-small-chinese-village

Quillen, H. (~1930). Tyrus Wong's Dragon's Den Chinese Foods Restaurant [Photo]. Los Angeles Public Library Collection.

Polanski, R. (Director). (1974). Chinatown [Film]. Paramount Pictures.

Ratner, B. (Director). (1998). Rush Hour [Film]. New Line Cinema.

[Union Station under construction]. (1938). Union Station under construction, downtown Los Angeles

[Photo]. Union Station Los Angeles.

Ward, J. (2013). “Dreams of Oriental Romance”: Reinventing Chinatown in 1930s Los Angeles. Buildings & Landscapes: Journal of the Vernacular Architecture Forum. 20. 19-42. 10.5749/buildland.20.1.0019.

Waters, M. (Director). (2003). Freaky Friday [Film]. Walt Disney Studios.

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Constructions Of Chinatown Abstract Where most neighborhoods in Los Angeles have grown up organically, or were carefully planned for development, few were designed to evoke a false reality, much less the facade of a Hollywood film set. Los Angeles’ Chinatown, in its original settling and subsequent destruction and rebuilding, has been “constructed” in every sense of the word. This piece engages a philosophical reading of the neighborhood, using historical lineages, archival footage, community interviews, and commercial film clips to examine the site’s various (and parallel) notions of the reality. Through this multi-source analysis of the community, the crises of modern urban planning, gentrification, and skewed representations of Asian-American identity coincide within these city blocks. By analyzing these sources with a philosophical and filmic lens, it becomes clear that in “Constructing Chinatown,” more than just a neighborhood is built, but rather a method for understanding the power of the image in Angeleno history. References Baudrillard, J. (1994). Simulacra and simulation . University of Michigan Press. Botula, M. (1980). [KTLA news (Los Angeles, Calif.). 1980-01-16--excerpt and/or outtakes. Chinatown redevelopment plan public hearing, FM7788]. Gow, W. (2010). Building a Chinese Village in Los Angeles: Christine Sterling and the Residents of China City, 1938-1948. Gum Saan Journal , 32 (1), 39-53. https://www.csus.edu/faculty/g/william.gow/documents/gow--building-a-chinese-village-in-los-angeles.pdf Los Angeles Public Library. (2021). Stories and Voices from L.A. Chinatown . [Multimedia]. Paytas, T. [@trishlikefish88]. (2020, August 22). #freakyfriday #chinatown #lindsaylohan [Video]. TikTok. https://www.tiktok.com/@trishlikefish88/video/6863938421044333830?lang=en Photos: China City, Recreating a Small Chinese Village . (2010, June 30). PBS SoCal. Retrieved April 22, 2024, from https://www.pbssocal.org/shows/departures/photos-china-city-recreating-a-small-chinese-village Quillen, H. (~1930). Tyrus Wong's Dragon's Den Chinese Foods Restaurant [Photo]. Los Angeles Public Library Collection. Polanski, R. (Director). (1974). Chinatown [Film]. Paramount Pictures. Ratner, B. (Director). (1998). Rush Hour [Film]. New Line Cinema. [Union Station under construction]. (1938). Union Station under construction, downtown Los Angeles [Photo]. Union Station Los Angeles. Ward, J. (2013). “Dreams of Oriental Romance”: Reinventing Chinatown in 1930s Los Angeles . Buildings & Landscapes: Journal of the Vernacular Architecture Forum. 20. 19-42. 10.5749/buildland.20.1.0019. Waters, M. (Director). (2003). Freaky Friday [Film]. Walt Disney Studios.