
Chinatown was a bustling neighborhood with many businesses, temples, and associations. When the 1906 Earthquake hit the city, it destroyed large parts of the city. Fires caused by the troops completely decimated Chinatown, leaving the neighborhood in ashes and its citizens fleeing to neighbor districts and cities. CHSA’s traveling exhibit “Earthquake: The Chinatown Story” details firsthand accounts from the people who lived there, how the city had been planning to remove Chinatown, and how the Chinese fought back. The following are testimonials from the people who were there when the earthquake happened.

Available as a traveling exhibit:
Contact CHSA to request the Earthquake: The Chinatown Story traveling exhibit for your organization.
CHSA has also recreated this online at the Google Cultural Institute, making this important story more widely accessible to the public.
Naruta, Anna; Chung Sai Yat Po; Loong, Danny. (2006). Relocation. Earthquake: The Chinatown Story. Chinese Historical Society of America Museum exhibit. [PDF]