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San Francisco Chinatown
A Guide to Its History and Architecture
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Check link for latest rating. ( 36 ratings, 7 reviews)
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Format: Paperback / softback
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San Francisco Chinatown
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See moreSan Francisco Chinatown is the first history of and guide to SF Chinatown written by someone born and raised there.
Major focus on Bay Area media
Print: Pursue feature/interview with Philip Choy: SF Chronicle, SF Bay Guardian, SF Weekly, SF Magazine, 7x7 Magazine, Asianweek (SF publication), San Jose Mercury News, Sunset Magazine. International Examiner/Pacific Reader, Multicultural Review; Travel magazines: VIA, American Way Magazine, Southwest Airlines Spirit, Westways, Hemispheres. UC Berkeley Alumni Magazine. Will contact SPUR (San Francisco Planning + Urban Research Association) to see if they'll feature an announcement in their magazine The Urbanist and/or in their e-newsletter since Choy is well-connected in the SF architecture community. OCA's (Organization of Chinese Americans) official biannual magazine Image should do a feature or review the book too. Chinese Historical Society of America (should do an event + spread the word in their catalog and bulletin).
Web: Goodreads, travel sites, sites with Asian American/California interest
Radio: KQED Forum, KQED California Report, KALW Your Call, and other Bay Area Pacifica and NPR shows.
Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and
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Description
Winner of the American Book Award
San Francisco Chinatown is the first book of its kind - an "insider's guide" to one of America's most celebrated ethnic enclaves by an author born and raised there. Written by architect and Chinese American studies pioneer Philip P. Choy, the book details the triumphs and tragedies of the Chinese American experience in the U.S.
Both a history of America's oldest and most famous Chinese community and a guide to its significant sites and architecture, San Francisco Chinatown traces the development of the neighbourhood from the city's earliest days to its post-quake transformation into an "Oriental" tourist attraction as a pragmatic means of survival. Featuring a building-by-building breakdown of the most significant sites in Chinatown, the guide is lavishly illustrated with historical and contemporary photographs and offers walking tours for tourists and locals alike.
"A stunning new guidebook... History buffs will be amazed by the wealth of lore, legend and radiant fact." -San Francisco Chronicle
A Los Angeles Times summer reading pick
"San Francisco Chinatown illuminates the untold history of the enclave... to consider the political, historical, and cultural implications of Chinatown's very existence." -San Francisco Bay Guardian
"Part history book and part tour guide, San Francisco Chinatown is definitely niche, but wonderfully so. In it, Choy quickly outlines the history of San Francisco as a whole, then jumps into a section by section investigation of the city's famous Chinatown... San Francisco Chinatown whets one's appetite to learn more about Chinese-American history." -Evelyn McDonald, City Book Review
Retired architect and renowned historian of Chinese America, Philip P. Choy co-taught the first college level course in Chinese American history at San Francisco State University. Since then, he has created and consulted on numerous TV documentaries, exhibits, and publications. He has served on the California State Historic Resource Commission, on the San Francisco Landmark Advisory Board, five times as President of the Chinese Historical Society of America (CHSA), and currently serves as an emeritus CHSA board member. He is a recipient of the prestigious San Francisco State University President's Medal.
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
San Francisco Chinatown by Philip P. Choy is praised for being both informative and user-friendly. It serves as an engaging guide to the history and architecture of the Chinatown area, appealing to both locals and tourists. The book effectively combines historical insights with practical usability as a travel companion, enriched by vivid photos and concise descriptions.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780872865402
Publisher: City Lights Books
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 27 September 2012
Country: United States
Imprint: City Lights Books
Illustration: B&W photos throughout
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Width: 117.0mm
Height: 215.0mm
Weight: 212g
Pages: 184
About the Author
Philip P. Choy was born 1926 in San Francisco Chinatown at a time when an invisible boundary isolated the community from mainstream San Francisco. He lived on the N.W. corner of Pacific and Grant Avenues, where his father co-owned a meat market that catered not only to the Chinese in the community but to the neighboring Italian housewives in North Beach.
Like all Chinese children, he attended public school and after school attended Chinese school from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. He went to the University of California under the G.I. Bill and graduated with a degree in Architecture.
He is a retired architect and a renowned historian on the history of Chinese America. In the midst of the Civil Rights Movement, Philip P. Choy and his colleague Him Mark Lai co-taught the Nation's first college-level course in Chinese American history at San Francisco State University. Since then he has created and consulted on numerous T.V. documentaries, exhibits and publications, including the Gaam Saan HaakThe Chinese of America in 1974. He co-authored The Coming Man: 19th Century American Perceptions of the Chinese with Professors Marlon Hom and Lorraine Dong. His most recent book is Canton Footprints: Sacramento's Chinese Legacy.
His community services includes providing pro-bono architectural services to non-profit organizations such as the Chinese for Affirmative Action, the former Chinese YWCA, the Oroville Temple and in 1943 produced the case report that placed the Angel Island Immigration Station on the National Registry of Historic Places. He has served on the California State Historic Resource Commission, on the San Francisco Landmark Advisory Board, five times as President of the Chinese Historical Society of America (CHSA) and currently an emeritus CHSA boardmember.
Among his awards of recognition is the prestigious San Francisco State University President's Medal.
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