San Francisco Impressions 2023 #1: Chinatown

Written by

No visit to San Francisco would be complete without seeing North America’s largest Chinatown. I have been here several times, yet each visit leaves a different impression. The years slip by; the place remains, but the people change.

Chinese and international tourists still come to check it off their lists, but the crowds are much thinner than before the pandemic. The streets, on the other hand, are noticeably cleaner.

Times change, and Chinatown keeps pace. A fashion shop has filled its window with virtual-reality-inspired displays.

Toy shops, meanwhile, put Transformers robots in their windows—

futuristic,

violent,

raging… every kind imaginable.

The bank has used LEGO bricks to create AI figures wearing all sorts of expressions. Alongside the pandemic, war, inflation, and the wave of bank failures, artificial intelligence is one of today’s hottest topics—and savvy businesses are not about to miss such an enormous opportunity.

The rapid rise of artificial intelligence has also brought many anxieties. Most of the images reflect that unease: figures that are struggling,

despairing,

helpless… the list goes on.

Paired with this “Do Not Enter” sign, the image could hardly be more fitting. Elon Musk and a host of other prominent figures were loudly calling for a halt to AI development, lest humanity set off down a road of no return.

Of course, Chinatown’s shop windows would not be complete without distinctly Chinese touches: a statue of Bruce Lee to catch the eyes of passersby,

or a mannequin in a qipao used to sell traditional Chinese clothing.

Statues of galloping horses—symbols of swift success—or of the Buddha help sell jewelry, trinkets from Yiwu, and all manner of other goods.

Outside one shop are Terracotta Warrior sculptures and graffiti. Foreign children who spot them invariably exclaim, “So cool!”

The streets are strung with traditional Chinese lanterns,

and even the pedestrian crossings have a distinctly Chinese look, as though paper-cut window decorations had been pasted onto the road.

The pandemic’s impact on small businesses can still be glimpsed in the shuttered storefronts.

Tired from walking, we make our way to nearby Washington Square. Sitting and watching people come and go offers a glimpse into how the locals live and the spirit in which they meet the world.

Churches rise amid the clutter of their surroundings, the two woven into a scene that feels impossible to disentangle.

Near the park is the Little Italy neighborhood, with its many Italian restaurants and cafés. The weather is still a little chilly, so we find a pastry shop where we can rest and warm up.

The walls are covered with old photographs. Longtime patrons leisurely read their newspapers and sip their coffee… Perhaps this is how life ought to be.

Languid music, an unhurried atmosphere—it all leaves us yearning, just a little, for the good old days…

San Francisco Impressions 2023 #1: Chinatown

Continue Reading

In This Series

More posts

Day Seven: A Whirlwind Tour of Athens

Day Five: Rhodes, City of the Knights

Day Six: Christmas—Taking Gains and Losses as They Come

Day Four: Ephesus, After the Sea Receded