CCDC 43 YEARS

CELEBRATING CHINATOWN RESILIENCE

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LOVE LETTERS

Click on images below to read some love letters.

Share your 'Love Letter to Chinatown' and tag it #dearchinatown and #ccdc43years

Dear Cooks, Barbers & Seamstresses,

With your knives, scissors, and needles—you are the ‘Three Blades’ of Chinatown.

When you first arrived, you were limited to these trades because society had considered you and this work undesirable.

But in your search for a better life, you devoted yourselves to this labor—carrying your families and the community on your strong backs.

We are grateful for those who are still doing the work of the ‘Three Blades’ today.

Your knives slice, chop, and prepare delicious meals to fill our bellies.

Your scissors give us fresh, beautiful trims so we can step out with confidence.

Your needles mend clothes that have become worn out and tattered.

Even though the fences imposed by long gone forefathers gave you few choices for success—you transformed this work into the backbone of our community.

You were and are, the everyday heroes and heroines of Chinatown.

By Sandy Jiang

Dear Ping Yuen,

Ping Yuen is indispensable affordable housing in Chinatown

Ping Yuen is where I raised all my children

Ping Yuen is where I celebrate festivals together with residents year after year

Ping Yuen is where I stood alongside with my family fighting for tenants’ rights

Ping Yuen is our forever home

By Chang Jok Lee

By Sophia Chong

“I drew a bok choy that I’m propagating in water because I think it represents the healing and growth that can happen through all this, despite rocky starts and hard struggles”

By Kimberly Au

By Erin Rairdan

Dear Sundays in Chinatown,

You were my favorite day of the week

Growing up, mom and dad worked long hours Monday through Saturday

So my siblings and I didn’t have much time with them

But on Sunday, we got them all to ourselves

On Sundays, I remember walking among the bustling crowds of people shopping for fresh produce, meats, and pastries

I remember waiting outside the grocery store bored

And when they finally came out, dad carried the heaviest items while I dragged the lightest, red plastic bags behind me

I remember these groceries became our favorite dinner: rice pot chicken, cooked in our rice cooker

I will always remember the smells, sounds, and flavors of this special meal made by mom and dad, with all the love in their hearts

And I will always remember my Sundays in Chinatown

By Lisa Yu

Dear New Home,

Every new immigrant, every foreigner, can surely attest

There is a moment, an event, a time when you truly feel at home

When I moved to San Francisco from Sicily,
When I found my way to Chinatown,
I found a part of home

I’m at home in Portsmouth Square where community argues, gossips, and talk as loudly as they do in Italy

I’m at home in the banquet halls where every event feels like someone is getting married

I’m at home in the small shops where people sit in cheap, plastic chairs enjoying a pastry

And a bowl of noodles
And milk tea
And curry rice plates
And chicken wings
And baked pork chop

Without Chinatown, this lost son would not have a home

And like so many immigrants, I am proud to call Chinatown my home

By Matthias Mormino

By Nada Ghadan

Dear Community Tenants Association Members,

You are the force in our fights for tenants' rights

The heroes who pushed for Portsmouth Square Redesign

Age has not deterred you from marching to City Hall and the State Capitol

Age is a deep-rooted symbol, the representation of wisdom

For thirty years, you march forward, unwavering, and will always be the role models in your contributions to our community

By Wing Hoo Leung

Dear International Hotel,

You are not the most recognizable

You are not the tallest

You are not even printed on postcards

But make no mistake, you are the structure that symbolizes our city’s resilience

When our Filipino manongs and Chinese gong-gongs were forcefully evicted from their homes

When the police and horses came charging the night you fell

When the building—along with this last vestige of Manilatown—were torn down

A hole was left in the ground—and in our hearts

But the cries for social justice were not buried in that hole

Your story was not buried in that hole

From your ashes, a housing and tenants’ rights movement was born

And from these struggles arose a new I-Hotel that has become home for our aging seniors once again

We honor the unwavering persistence of those who carried your legacy and believed: we are nothing without community, aging-in-place is a dignity we should all be afforded and housing rights are human rights

When we glance at our city’s skyline, we marvel only for a second at the tallest, shiniest towers in the sky

But our gaze remains on you, the I-Hotel

And our hearts fill with pride at your resilience

By Suosdey Penn & Malcolm Yeung

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Chinatown Community Development Center | chinatowncdc.org