Phoenix Chinatown | |
|---|---|
Neighborhood | |
 Sun Mercantile Building, the last remaining building in the area once called "Chinatown" | |
 Location of the two Chinatowns of Phoenix | |
| Coordinates: 33°26′46″N 112°04′21″W / 33.4461°N 112.0725°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Arizona |
| City | Phoenix |
| Original location | 1870s |
| Second location | 1890s |
| Dissolved | 1940s–1950s |
A Chinatown developed in Phoenix in the 1870s as the predominantly single male Chinese population self-segregated primarily to provide cultural support to each other in a place where they faced significant discrimination. They came to dominate certain types of jobs and made an impression on the greater community with their celebrations of Chinese holidays. Other aspects of their culture, primarily gambling and the smoking of opium were viewed less favorably, and in the 1890s, they were forced to establish a new Chinatown several blocks away from the prior prime downtown location, where their community would be "less visible".
The new Chinatown grew to be much larger than the original, as the Chinese population increased and successive generations became more likely to plan to stay in the country, have families, and own and operate businesses. Chinatown was "governed" for decades by unofficial "mayor" Louie Ong, also known as "China Dick", who was given considerable "authority" by city officials. Ong represented the biggest family or clan in Phoenix, who had emigrated from the village in Hoiping county in Guangdong Province, southeast China, where most Phoenix Chinese traced their ancestry. The Chinese prospered, often as grocery merchants, and gradually became more assimilated. Through this process, they more often lived outside Chinatown to take advantages of the city's growth and to distance themselves from the seedy reputation of Chinatown's gambling and opium dens. By the 1950s, Chinatown had largely dissolved with the Chinese population scattered throughout the city and its suburbs. One grocery warehouse building remained standing after the area was redeveloped in the 1980s for a major league sports arena.