Chinatowns worldwide are under threat of disappearing, but residents fight back (Documentary, 2022)

All across the globe, Chinatowns are under threat of disappearing – and along with them, the rich history of communities who fought from the margins for a place to belong. Set against the backdrop of the unfolding COVID pandemic and an unprecedented rise in anti-Asian racism, Big Fight in Little Chinatown documents the collective fight to save Chinatowns across North America.

Coast to Coast the film follows Chinatown communities resisting active erasure. From the construction of the world’s largest vertical jail in New York, Montreal’s fight against developers swallowing up the most historic block of their Chinatown, big box chains and gentrification forces displacing Toronto’s community, to a legacy Chinatown business holding steadfast in Vancouver, Big Fight in Little Chinatown is the story of community resistance and resilience in a neighborhood under pressure.

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Chapters
▷ 00:00 - Introduction
▷ 02:11 - The family businesses of New York's Chinatown are threatened by developers
▷ 10:43 - Montreal's francophone Chinatown had the first bilingual fortune cookies and kosher food
▷ 16:35 - Growth and decline of Chinatown throughout the years
▷ 20:35 - In Vancouver, William Liu put aside his dream to take over the family dim sum business
▷ 25:57 - New York's Chinatown is threatened by the construction of an enormous vertical jail
▷ 29:09 - In Montreal, residents try to save their beloved 'Wings' building from being purchased by developers infamous for renovictions
▷ 31:54 - Toronto's Chinatown resists the building of a freeway that would divide the neighborhood
▷ 37:45 - Chinese immigrants coming to build a railway were not allowed bring family with them
▷ 42:35 - Family associations provided protection and opportunities for employment
▷ 46:46 - Different strategies of each Chinatown to remain
▷ 52:12 - On Chinese New Year in 2021, New Yorkers protest the new jail
▷ 59:19 - The rise of anti-Asian hate
▷ 1:03:55 - Bringing the community back to Chinatown
▷ 1:10:05 - In Montreal, residents manage to organize a debate with developers
▷ 1:13:57 - Residents of New York continue to protest the new jail
▷ 1:16:40 - A portion Montreal's Chinatown is declared a historic site
▷ 1:20:55 - Wing on Wo reopens its doors
▷ 1:25:06 - Credits

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Jumping back and forth in time, the film draws parallels between the past where Chinatowns were razed in the name of slum clearance, the present where gentrification pressures are accelerating displacement, and the future of Chinatown being re-imagined and re-shaped by the community today.

The film takes us beyond Chinatown’s tourist façade, and into the lives of the residents, businesses and community organizers that are the heartbeat of a neighbourhood that holds meaning for so many.

More than a fight for space, the film reveals how the struggle to preserve Chinatown is a fight for a living community and the values around building resilient neighbourhoods of the future. With its walkability, affordability, dynamic street life and sense of community, Chinatown is the quintessential Jane Jacobs - style neighbourhood. The film reveals the ways in which Chinatown itself can be a blueprint for the building of inclusive, sustainable and resilient neighbourhoods of the future.


Original Title: Big Fight in Little Chinatown
Directed by Karen

© 2022, Licensed by Sideways films

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