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by Deborah L. Martin with photography by Bochun Cheng
CHINATOWN HOLDS A SPECIAL PLACE in the hearts of New Yorkers. Vendors shrieking, the smell of the fish markets, roast duck and pork gleaming in red and gold festooned windows; the sights and sounds of Chinatown are embedded in our DNA. Chinese and non-Chinese alike eat at favorite dumpling and noodle shops, and vigorously debate which bakery makes the best pork buns and almond cookies.
New York’s Chinatown is the largest in the United States. It is one of the last neighborhoods in the city to remain relatively un-gentrified, and though there are signs of encroaching hipsterism it remains, for the most part, uncompromisingly Chinese. It is a treasure to be protected for the families, the shopkeepers, and the restaurateurs, whose history is inextricably tied to the history of New York. It reminds us that immigrants came here—either recently or many generations ago—to make a life, while preserving their own cultural traditions, and in so doing they helped write our New York story.
Doyers Street—known as the Bloody Angle for its sharp bends and its part in the deadly Tong wars of the 19th century—sits at the heart of Chinatown. I explored Doyers, Pell, and Mott Streets with Shirley Dluginski, a working actor (Orange is the New Black, Gotham) and native New Yorker who grew up in Chinatown. We started our journey on the corner of Pell and Bowery at the Edward Mooney house, and ended with dim sum at historic Nom Wah Tea Parlor, which opened its doors in 1920. DT
EDWARD MOONEY HOUSE, completed in 1789, is the oldest surviving row house in New York. We started our journey here, on the corner of Bowery and Pell. 
PELL STREET is known as hair cutters row, and generations of Chinese-Americans have their favorite salons along the street. 
GOOD FORTUNE GIFTS was once a general store serving the many single men who settled here. It had sleeping lofts, safe boxes, and a small post office to receive mail from home 
WING ON WO on Mott Street, is the oldest shop in Chinatown, founded in 1925. It carries an unparalleled collection of Chinese artisanal porcelain and gifts.
PELL STREET is one of the most photographed streets in Chinatown, filled with neon and hanging signs (and a mysterious golden Pegasus). Some of the buildings date to the late 1800’s, and are reminders of what life was like in the city for millions of Chinese who came here to make a better life 
WING ON WO’S Gary Lum chats with Shirley about the history of the shop, and the W.O.W Project created by Gary’s daughter Mei Lum—the fifth generation owner of the shop—to preserve, revitalize, and encourage Chinatown’s culture and history through arts, culture, and activism.
WO HOP has been on Mott Street since 1938. It is Chinese food for old-time New Yorkers. The New York Times called it, “An authentic taste of an inauthentic past.” 
CHURCH OF THE TRANSFIGURATION is a Georgian-style building made from Manhattan schist. The current structure was rebuilt in 1815. 
OLD FAVORITES: Having grown up in Chinatown, Shirley has fond memories of certain restaurants that specialized in some of her favorite fare. 
LIONS, lions everywhere.
Lunar New Year celebrations in Chinatown include the famous lion dances performed by local civic associations.
CHINATOWN FAIR is a video arcade, famous among locals for the live chickens who used to play tic-tac-toe with anyone who dared challenge them. Shirley recalls happy hours spent there after finishing her school-day across the street at the Church of the Transfiguration. 
TAIWAN PORK CHOP HOUSE on Doyers Street—like many of Chinatown’s best eateries—is a no-frills joint that specializes in Taiwanese fare with an emphasis on pork chops, as the name implies 
DOYERS STREET was known as The Bloody Angle because of it’s angular topography, and for the notorious Tongs who fought bloody battles here. On the right is the post office which was renamed for Dr. Mabel Ping-Hua Lee, who settled in Chinatown in 1905, and who became an advocate for women’s suffrage. 
NOM WAH TEA PARLOR is the oldest dim sum restaurant in New York, founded in 1920. Inside, pictures of famous regulars line the walls, and a large turquoise bookshelf holds vintage, beautifully illustrated tea canisters. Pork buns, rice rolls, and dumplings are just some of the delicious and traditional dim sum dishes on offer.
MUSIC MAN: The erhu is a traditional, two-stringed instrument that can frequently be heard on the streets of Chinatown. 
APOTHÉKE is a hidden gem on Doyers that is a tribute to both the European apothecary shops and the famous absinthe dens of Paris. 
CHINESE TUXEDO is located in the former Chinese Opera House on Doyers Street. The chic bi-level eatery recently opened a speakeasy-style bar called
Peachy’s on the lower level
TING’S GIFT SHOP has been on the corner of Doyers and Pell since 1957, and is filled to the brim with fans, lanterns, and knick knacks. It was famously the site of a massive drug raid, in 1958.