Category: Chinatown

Chinatown is a 1974 American neo-noir mystery film, directed by Roman Polanski. The film took inspiration from the California Water Wars, which were disputes over the water in Southern California. Polanski uses a range of techniques and a unique way of portraying crucial themes. In the film, Jake knows about the dangers of unintended consequences from past experiences when helping a woman leads to disastrous results. After this, he relates those terrible events to Chinatown. This is a place with its own culture, language, and customs where the police do “as little as possible”, leading to doing more harm than good.

In 1937 Los Angeles, private investigator Jake ‘J.J.’ Gittes specializes in cheating-spouse cases. Currently, he is working on a case targeting Hollis Mulwray, who is an engineer for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. Mulwray’s wife suspects him of infidelity. At the beginning of the Mulwray case, Gittes witnesses some unusual business meetings and meetups regarding the construction of the new dam. Eventually, Gittes sees Mulwray meeting with an unknown young woman who isn’t his wife. Once the news got out of the supposed tryst between Mulwray and this woman, additional information comes to light. Gittes believes that Mulwray is being set up and framed for actions taking place over the dam. In the investigation, Gittes is assisted by Mulwray’s wife Evelyn, and the secrets start to be uncovered about Mulwrays’ professional and personal dealings. With all the secrets unfolding, the identity of an unknown woman may be the key to uncovering the whole story.

Roman Polanski has portrayed the key ideas throughout the film with the use of themes, motifs, foreshadowing, and a variety of film techniques. This is a film whose subtlety deserves seeing more than once.

The Dishonesty of Authority Figures (theme)

Chinatown suggests that the very notion of an honest, trustworthy leader is a myth. In Chinatown, people in positions of power are brought out to be mischievous and their greed for power gets the better of them. Cross, who has no official power, earns his power through his wealth and is able to control the leaders and potentially run the city. The police in Chinatown has the reputation for ignoring every crime that is committed. Throughout the film, Escobar is willing to let injustice occur without punishment for those people who brought it to pass. This allows for more power and emphasizes the corruption of the town. In the world of Chinatown, anyone with any authority becomes a mere cog in a machine that maintains corruption.

Ignorance (motif)

Many of the people in Chinatown claim ignorance of the corruption that surrounds them, often with tragic results. Throughout the film, Gittes is unable to piece the clues together as all the clues seem obvious and clearly shown. Evelyn acts innocent and pretends to know nothing about the woman her husband is seeing. Doing so greatly puts her own life at risk. Ida Sessions professes her ignorance of the full scope of the crime she helped commit and therefore cannot see that she is in deep enough to be murdered. At the end of the film, when Jake naïvely tells Evelyn to “[l]et the police handle”. Escobar realizes that the only way to handle the situation was to kill Evelyn.

Looking at the long river of history, people would always find that some region which used to thrive for years would return to silence again. Chinatown in Newark was one of example. The book “When Newark Had a Chinatown” by Yoland Skeete-Laessig talks about the development process of Chinatown in Newark and the decline of Chinatown after a few years. Modern citizens know little about this Chinatown, let alone the contribution Chinatown made to the development of Newark. From my perspective, the most two important reasons that played a role in the rise in Newark’s China are cultural and economic reasons. The factor which leads to the decline and eventual disappearance of Newark’s Chinatown is that the forbidden law of immigration for Chinese. Meanwhile, the unsafe environment and threatening forced Chinese moved to other place to live.

One reason that Chinatown raised up is because of the cultural reason. During late nineteenth century and early twentieth century, many Chinese moved to America under many aspects of stress. Before Chinatown in Newark was founded, Chinese had already started to celebrate their traditional festival. Yoland described the festival atmosphere carefully that there were foods, drinks and musical instruments and many other things to celebrate the Lunar New Year, and public would see that Chinese culture processes deep influence to Chinese. The stereotype of “Heathen Chinese” would be changed to public and the traditional celebration would be hold and expand for coming years. This description make the reader think of the strong cohesion Chinese culture had and because of the culture, Newark’s Chinatown would be set up after several years. When the author uses words like “Heathen Chinese”, it emphasizes how prejudice public had to Chinese. These words were also effective because it makes reader think of the hard process to set up a Chinatown in Newark.

Here is another example, which supports that Cultural ascription is one of reason to set up Chinatown. Everyone enjoys stay at hometown and because of the upheaval in China at that time, go back to homeland became an extravagant hope for Chinese who made a living in America. Yoland mentioned that Chinese did not like Germans and Italians to chase American dreams and they wanted to get enough money to support their family and then came back to homeland. The money is enough, but they cannot come back anymore. These sentences make the reader think of that this kind of homesickness is one of the cultural reasons to build a Chinatown in Newark. Because of Chinese cannot come back to homeland, they hope to set up a Chinatown to feel like they were at homeland.

Another reason that Chinatown successfully set up is because of the economic reason. Some of the Chinese labor could not earn good base salary in China and then they moved to America and other countries to make money to support their family in spite of they earn the lowest amount of money. Yoland said that there used to be laundries in Newark which needs cheap and hard-working labor force and thus the first group of Chinese came to Newark and then many of them came in. Although they earn less money than the local labor, they earned much more than they used to get in China, which is the reason for Chinese labor flock in Newark in the economic aspect. Thus, more and more Chinese live in Newark, and more and more willing they had to set up a Chinatown.

The reason which caused the decline and eventual disappearance of Newark’s Chinatown is that the forbidden law of immigration for Chinese. With the increasing number of Chinese in Newark and many of them became the labor force in America. The country started to stop Chinese get in America and they started to find Chinese, who stayed America illegally. Yoland said that the customs was extremely strict that some Chinese who used the fake name had to borrow their visa to other Chinese and tried to come to America. Under this condition, it was difficult for Chinese to come into America and it was easy to avoid the illegal immigration in mega cities instead of Newark. Thus, many Chinese started moved out of Newark and want to big cities like New York and San Francisco. After many Chinese left Chinatown in Newark, it declined and went to disappeared.

Another reason which caused the decline and eventual disappearance of Newark’s Chinatown is that the unsafe environment and threatening forced Chinese moved to other place to live. From Yoland’s description, there were many reactionary gangs and lawbreakers appeared in Chinatown in Newark and Chinatown happened many murder cases, and many Chinese lived in fear and worry. Most of Chinese who moved to America were just wanted to make money and support their family and if the work place was not safe, they would move to other place, which was one of reason for Newark Chinatown’s decline. Yoland also described that the police in Newark were always spot check Chinese in Chinatown who were gamble with others and if they did not give a certain amount of penalty, the police would catch them into the jail, but theses polices did not always check other place. These sentences were effective because it makes the reader think of the unfair treatment Chinese suffered in Newark and readers would understand the reason why Chinese moved out of Chinatown in Newark. Although Chinese had a deep emotion with Chinatown in Newark, it was not a good place for them to live and make money and they went to other place under the pressure of gangs and unequal treatment from police.

All in all, culture and economic were the main factor to established Chinatown and the exclusion laws and dangerous environment were the reason which caused the decline of Chinatown. No one was wrong and no one should be responsible for the disappearance of Chinatown. With the developing of mega cities and industrialization of other cities, the vanished of Chinatown and Chinese in Newark is an inventible historical development.

Racializing Asians and Asian Americans as carriers of disease has always been a way for Westerners to frame them as the perpetual “other.” Ever since their earliest interactions, the “Occident” has continuously seen the “Orient” as inferior and exotic compared to their own behavior and way of life. Because they were regarded as inferior and different, Asians were quickly accused by the West and racialized as carriers of disease. Every time there was an outbreak, the Westerners’ presuppositions naturally led to the blame falling on Asians. In the eyes of the West, Asians embodied and became the disease, which evidently and unfortunately still appears to be true today and results from racialized perspectives that have been passed down many generations.

As a derivative of Orientalism, racialization is the “process by which economic, political, and social forces shape racial categories and assign the meanings that get attached to those categories”. Racialization is a more specific form of stereotyping that directly targets people who are defined purely on race, which is the main basis by which Europeans and white Americans distinguish themselves from Asians. With distinctly different physical attributes, cultures, religions, and ways of life, Asians were seen so unlike Europeans that it was inevitable that they would be targeted. Because they are different, Asians are seen as inferior within the societal hierarchy in relation to the Westerners and are thus prone to racialization.

One of the early records of racialization against Asians in America was the treatment towards the Chinese living in Chinatown, San Francisco during the mid-1800s. An influx of Chinese immigrants looking for gold and better jobs naturally found solace in the company of fellow countrymen in a foreign new land and built Chinatown. They grouped together because the environment was culturally familiar to the immigrants and they were not welcome in any other area of the city. This led to incredibly crowded and unsanitary living conditions that the Chinese had to endure. Unfortunately, because the Chinese were residents of these so-called slums, they were looked down upon and were inevitably associated with disease.

Any knowledge of Chinatown were speculations based on the public health investigations that racialized the Chinese’s living spaces to be dens of vice and filth. Chinatown was described to be cramped and full of “opium fumes, tobacco smoke, and putrefying waste” that “pervaded the atmosphere in [the] windowless and unventilated rooms”. The imagery shocked many of the white residents of San Francisco and the blame for oncoming outbreaks quickly fell on the Chinese living in so-called contaminated spaces. In an investigation (led by the Common Council) of the 1850 Cholera outbreak in San Francisco that killed forty people, the excessive number of Chinese was emphasized and was held liable. The committee members, under a guise to protect their white citizens, “shifted from attributing the health threat to collective Chinese behavior to denouncing the Chinese as the very embodiment of disease”. The blame is thus skewed from the unhygienic actions of the Chinese to the very fact that they were Chinese. The racialization of the Chinese to be carriers of the disease was redirected to be the racialization of the Chinese as the personification of disease. The public health arena continued to project racialization of the Chinese through guided midnight journeys that offered first-hand “experience” of the Chinese living conditions. These journeys fed the idea that the presence of Chinese men and women were dangerous and harmful to white Americans’ health — especially because it only targeted areas that public health officials knew were unhygienic instead of cleaner, sanitary areas such as opera theaters, temples, and merchants’ homes.

Chinese American children have also experienced the impact of racialization. After immigrating to San Francisco, the children attended school along with white American children as their parents worked. Supporters of the Chinese Exclusion Act insisted that “Chinese children represented a moral threat and a source of contagion to white children,” insinuating that Chinese children were a disease and shouldn’t be attending school with white American children. These children were innocent and were simply attending school, but because they were Chinese, they were racialized to be the epitome of a disease. The effects of racialization were so far-reaching that they affected the lives of children, who — unlike their parents — would have not been able to understand why they were treated so differently.

Racialization of Asians as carriers of disease is still present and pertinent today. As of now, the COVID-19 pandemic is still running rampant throughout many of the Westerns countries. The first case of this disease originated at an open-air wet market in Wuhan, China during the colder months of 2019. The virus soon spread to other countries and the world went under lockdown. Because of this, many fingers point the fault towards China and its government — including its race. And once again, Asians — not just the Chinese — were racialized to be carriers of disease or even be the embodiment of disease, despite COVID-19 being more under control in eastern countries as opposed to in Europe and the Americas.

Hate crimes against Asians skyrocketed after the pandemic outbreak. On March 14th, an assailant stabbed a Burmese family; the victims included a 2-year-old girl and a 6- year-old boy. The attacker claimed that he “feared the victims were Chinese and infecting others with the coronavirus”. The innocent family was violently assaulted merely because they were Asian; they weren’t even Chinese. Another case involved a 26-year-old Asian American man who was spat on by a man who yelled: “You (expletive) Chinese spreading the coronavirus!”. There are countless amounts of hate crimes against the Asian American community that deals with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. These people who are living their life like the rest of America are labeled as spreaders of the disease/being the epitome of disease based on their race.

In the past, the public health authorities held a lot of influence. They projected distasteful imagery of the Chinese and Chinatown and relayed back information that would further stigmatize the Chinese as personified diseases. Today, President Trump has a similar impact over his supporters. In a tweet on March 18th, 2020, President Trump tweeted “I always treated the Chinese Virus very seriously, and have done a very good job from the beginning…” . Olimat has a PhD degree in Computational Linguistics and from his analysis, came to the conclusion that President Trump’s constant usage of “Chinese Virus” and “China Virus” was an attempt to depict China as to blame for the outbreak. A day later at a press conference, Trump’s notes were shown to have “’corona’ in ‘coronavirus’ crossed out and replaced with ‘Chinese’”. This shows that Trump had intentionally replaced the WHO-approved name for the virus with one that sparks racialization of Asians as the virus. Changing “coronavirus” to “Chinese virus” becomes a redirection of attention towards a possibility for blame instead of referring to the virus with its official non-stigmatized name.

Some may argue that it is okay and harmless to label a virus with the place of origin. The “Spanish Flu”, for example, was a popular name for the 1918 influenza pandemic despite not actually originating in Spain. The WHO appropriately named the novel coronavirus “COVID-19” in accordance to their 2015 guidelines to “avoid causing offense to any cultural, social, national, regional, professional, or ethnic groups”. By using a name that avoids any geographic relations helps prevent any stigma that may occur. Monikers such as “Chinese virus”, “China virus,” or “kung flu” that are used by authorities creates an outlet for people who now believe it is appropriate to racialize Asians as a virus. This stimulates an increase of xenophobia and thus hate crimes against Asians and descendants of Asians in America. History is currently being repeated yet again due to racialization of Asians and Asian Americans as a disease to the white American people. The Chinese people were constantly stigmatized and blamed for outbreaks in San Francisco simply because Americans were fed imagery that proved to them that all Chinese were unhygienic, high on opium, and that they lived in dens of vice and filth. And now, the Asian race as a whole is being caught in a modern-day racialization of carriers of disease. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to relive it, and information authorities such as the media need to put more care in the way they present information, lest existing preconceptions twist the narrative into once again labelling Asian-Americans as the ‘other’.

Chinatown in New York was first established in about 1870s which is a “Home” for large numbers of Chinese immigrants to gather and live together in the United States. Thus, Chinatown can be seen as the historic product of Chinese immigration. With the development of Chinatown, more and more new immigrants from China are coming to gather around here. As new immigrants come from different provinces in China, people with the same hometown are willing to live with each other, which causes several zones, such as, little Fuzhou and little Hong Kong. After several decades, new Chinese immigrants are gradually forming their cultural features and ethnic communities in the area. Therefore, Manhattan’s Chinatown has become one of the landmarks in New York City.

Manhattan’s Chinatown is one of the biggest and oldest Chinese ethnic enclaves in the United States. Now, there are over 600,000 Chinese Americans who live and work here. The location of Manhattan’s Chinatown is excellent because it is bordering the Broadway, Little Italy, Civic Center, and Tribeca to the surrounding areas. Thus, there are many very convenient transportations to come here, such as subways, self-drives, and public buses.

For the demographic information of residents, it is found that they all totally are Chinese Americans, and hardly find the White, the Black or other ethnic groups here. Also, many mid-aged people or elders like to come here to shop in the morning because the local supermarkets sell fresh vegetables, fruits, and traditional Chinese foods. They perhaps live in other districts rather than live here, but they would like to shop in Chinatown in the morning. At noon and night, more young people came here for lunches or dinners or shopping. Except for local Chinese Americans of all ages, there were more international students and visitors from other nations who came here for vocations. Thus, the streets became busier at this time.

As one can observe, ommercial areas and residential areas are intersecting with each other. For example, the first floor of each building is mainly for commercial use because there are different stores, such as retail stores, restaurants, food markets. Due to the small interior space of many stores, the owners also put their commodities on the outside tables. Thus, the narrow sidewalks became more crowded and it feels like we are packed like sardines. And the upstairs are mainly for offices, service businesses, and condominiums. Besides, the shop signs in Chinatown are also written in Chinese which we can easily distinguish what type of store is. According to the research, a special definition for this commercial type, which is the Shopkeeper Model. This model is the most common commercial type in China. Shopkeepers often manage their independent stores and responsible for many affairs. For example, serving clients, taking customer payments, and giving advice about products to customers directly.

The residential types of Manhattan’s Chinatown are mainly apartments. However, more than half of the apartments in Chinatown have at least 100 years of history. These apartments are antiquated and shabby with age. For example, there is no elevator in the building, no fancy outlooks, and no large yards and garages. However, many people still chose to live here because it has a really good location and convenient lives. Also, people have a really good and closed relationship with their neighbors because they perhaps live here for several generations.

In Chinatown, because new immigrants came from different parts of China, thus many of them spoke their dialects, which consist of the bridge of their communication. Language helps them more conveniently to adapt to the brand-new life in a foreign country. The language in Chinatown could be divided into two categories, Cantonese group, and none-Cantonese group. The first generation of immigrants was most from Guangdong province, southern China where people speak Cantonese. People in the area were mainly speaking Cantonese, and they also taught their descents to learn the traditional dialects. Thus, Cantonese becomes the main tool of communication. For example, a famous restaurant’s name, Wu’s Wonton King in 165 East Broadway uses Wonton as their store’s name. Wonton’s pronunciation origin from Cantonese which means traditional food in Guangdong. For another example, Wah Fung restaurant’s name should be written as Hua Feng in Mandarin. However, it writes as Wah Fung for its Cantonese pronunciation. What’s more, except Cantonese, many people also speak other local dialects, such as Hokkien, Fuzhounese. Although some don’t know how to speak Cantonese or other dialects, many people can also speak Mandarin now. More and more people start to learn mainstream language because many visitors from other provinces of China who come to Chinatown only speak Mandarin.

Due to the discrimination of Asian people in the 19th century, Chinese in the US were hard to integrate into mainstream society. They had to squeeze in the Chinatown to help each other. As time goes by, more and more second or third Chinese generations began to left Chinatown and they assimilate into American society and speak English. However, Chinatown’s residents still keep their traditional cultures and celebrate their festivals. For example, during Chinatown’s annual Lunar New Year celebration one can enjoy stunning visuals, tantalizing foods, and impressive performances. Many residents and visitors for all ages come here and welcome the New Year. Moreover, during the Spring Festival, there are many traditional Chinese activities such as dragon and lion dance.

The history of Chinatown is the epitome of all Chinese immigrants overseas. Although Chinese immigrants have experienced many struggles and difficulties, they use their wisdom to create amazing achievements; although Chinatown is crowded and compact, they still keep their cultural and language features. Chinese American respect and preserve their traditional culture because they never forget their roots. Thus, Chinatown is the harbor for every Chinese people overseas.

Introduction

‘Chinatown,’ directed by Roman Polanski, is a classic neo-noir film that captivates audiences with its atmospheric storytelling and compelling characters. In this critical essay, we will delve into the film’s use of various film noir elements that contribute to its dark and mysterious tone. From the evocative cinematography to the morally ambiguous characters, ‘Chinatown’ exhibits several key characteristics of the film noir genre.

Visual Style and Cinematography

One of the defining features of film noir is its distinctive visual style, characterized by low-key lighting, chiaroscuro effects, and strong shadows. In ‘Chinatown,’ the cinematographer, John A. Alonzo, skillfully employs these techniques to create a moody and atmospheric world. The use of dark alleyways, dimly lit rooms, and night-time scenes enhances the sense of mystery and danger, immersing the audience in the film’s noir aesthetic.

Femme Fatale

Another key element of film noir is the presence of a femme fatale, a seductive and enigmatic woman who leads the protagonist into a web of deceit and danger. In ‘Chinatown,’ Faye Dunaway delivers a mesmerizing performance as Evelyn Mulwray, a femme fatale with a hidden agenda. Her beauty, allure, and manipulation of the male protagonist, J.J. Gittes, contribute to the film’s noir sensibilities, blurring the lines between trust and deception.

Moral Ambiguity and Corruption

Film noir often explores themes of moral ambiguity and corruption, portraying a world where traditional notions of right and wrong are blurred. ‘Chinatown’ encapsulates this element through its portrayal of a corrupt and morally bankrupt society. The film’s characters, including the enigmatic Noah Cross and the morally conflicted Gittes, navigate a world of political intrigue and hidden agendas, highlighting the pervasive corruption that taints every aspect of society.

Hard-boiled Protagonist

In film noir, the protagonist is typically a hard-boiled detective or a morally compromised individual who finds himself embroiled in a complex and dangerous web of circumstances. In ‘Chinatown,’ Jack Nicholson delivers a remarkable performance as J.J. Gittes, a private investigator with a cynical outlook and a dark past. Gittes embodies the archetype of the noir protagonist, navigating a treacherous landscape filled with treachery and double-crossing.

Fatalistic Outlook

Film noir often presents a fatalistic worldview, where characters are trapped in a cycle of doom and their attempts to escape their circumstances often lead to their downfall. ‘Chinatown’ embraces this fatalism, culminating in a shocking and tragic climax. The film’s exploration of power, corruption, and the futility of fighting against an inherently corrupt system reinforces the fatalistic nature of the noir genre.

Conclusion

‘Chinatown’ successfully incorporates various film noir elements to create a captivating and dark narrative. Through its atmospheric cinematography, morally ambiguous characters, and fatalistic themes, the film captures the essence of the noir genre. Roman Polanski’s direction and the standout performances elevate ‘Chinatown’ to a classic neo-noir masterpiece.

The film’s ability to transport audiences into a corrupt and morally bankrupt world is a testament to its successful incorporation of film noir elements. By immersing viewers in the shadowy streets of ‘Chinatown,’ the film delivers a thought-provoking and engaging cinematic experience that stands the test of time.