Museum of Chinese in America: Centre St & Howard St

The Museum of Chinese in America does a great job of telling the stories of Chinese immigrants and their descendants.  They tell of the anti-Chinese/racist propaganda (see right), Chinese American soldiers not getting equal opportunities after the war (that would be WWII during which many enlisted to support the fight against Japanese aggression, simultaneously aiding their ancestral home), and the stereotypes developing into the "model minority"--the same characteristics (hard working, uncomplaining, and smart) that for decades had made them a threat to local labor and justified immigration restrictions.

Many of the displays are interactive and include audio and film.  They have a recreation of an herbalist shop (see left) with an accompanying audio recording that tells of Chinese American tradespeople who as entrepreneurs were able to overcome prejudices and uplift themselves and their communities.  There are also many plaques describing the many achievements of Chinese Americans like Vera Wang (fashion designer), Gary Locke (former Governor of Washington state and current Secretary of Commerce), Elaine Chao (Secretary of Labor under George W. Bush), Jerry Yang (co-founder of Yahoo!), Michelle Kwan (the most winning American female ice skater) and Maya Lin (artist and designer of the MOCA and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.  Really, after the majority had come over to this country with little but their wits and muscle and started at the lowest rung of the society ladder, it is amazing that in just a few generations such incredible success was achieved.

Finally, currently there is an exhibition room of antique, classic games, some of which are over 1,000 years old!  What do the Chinese have to do with games?  Well, I was surprised to find out that they are the creators of puzzle pots, tangrams (see right), Qing dynasty puzzle rings and bracelets, sliding block puzzles, burr puzzles, and ingenious linked ring puzzles (see below right). 

If you have a free hour just north of Canal Street, this small museum can provide a great hour of exploration and understanding.  Plus every Thursday admission is free!  If you happen to go on a weekday, you may also face groups of students so if you want to avoid such crowds, I would suggest going right when the museum opens or on a weekend.  Check out their website at MOCA for details of hours and current exhibits.

Tenement Museum: Orchard and Delancey Streets

The word "tenement" brings to mind dirty and dark over-crowded spaces, perhaps lacking indoor plumbing, and impoverished immigrants.  The tours at the Tenement Museum in the lower east side do not white-wash the realities from 97 Orchard Street, which was built as a tenement apartment for 20 families in 1863 and operated through 1935.  Rather, they provide a fuller picture of what it must have been like to live there throughout the years.

I took the "Getting By" tour (one of several available--check out the various tour descriptions and times at Tenement Museum) and learned about 2 tenant families living in the house after the crash of 1873 and the after WWII and during the Great Depression. 

It was truly humbling to see an apartment re-created to the early years of the building.  Visiting the restored homes of the German-Jewish Gumpertz family, we heard about the patriarch abandoning the mother and 4 children during the Panic of 1873.  Through public documents, the museum researchers were able to find out that after the father disappeared the youngest child died before reaching his second birthday.  However, the story was ultimately one of triumph.  The mother/homemaker was able to secure a loan, start a sewing business and raise her three other children to maturity.  An interesting addition to the story is that about a year and a half ago, a visitor to the museum who is a historian/genealogist was able to identify that the Gumpertz father had moved to the mid-west and died there in his 70s.

The second apartment on the tour was one that was the home of the Italian-Catholic Baldizzi family, who lived through the Great Depression. What was so special about this part of the tour was that the the museum was able to contact the daughter who grew up in the apartment (recently deceased but who had been living in Brooklyn, NY) and have her record her memories of living in this apartment.  You really can get a sense of what it was like for this family four to live in the 3-room apartment with shared toilets down the hall (at least an improvement from the 4 outhouses that the Gumpertz family used -- see left).  Also quite heartening was the clear expression of the Gumpertz's American pride.  Remember in WWII the US joined the Allied Forces so the Gumpertz family had to decide whether to support America or Italy--they adamantly chose their adopted home, the US.  You can see a faded embroidered pillow of the American flag in the main living room and the prominent picture of FDR in the corner.

After the tour, I was tempted to go on another tour, but time was running short so instead I watched some of the 30 minute informative film made by the History Channel at the visitor center (very unassuming and easy to miss -- see right; they are building a new larger one currently across the street) and then headed home.  What a great afternoon "re-living" history.