How was New Yorks Chinatown formed?
According to historical records, the first Chinese visitor to New York City was Pang Hua, a compradore of Astor, an American trading company in Canton, China. The year was 1807. The first sailboat from China arrived at New York Harbor on July 10th, 1847. Among the passengers abroad was Yung Wing. He was the first Chinese student ever to enroll in an American school, and was graduated from Yale University in 1854. PS 124 on Division Street was named after him. The first Chinese immigrant to have permanent residence in New York City was Lee Hua. He had amassed a fortune by gambling, and became the owner of a gambling house in 1851. Seven years later, a merchant by the name of Ah Kam settled down on Mott Street, thereby opening a cigar-and-tobacco shop on Park Row and a grocery store on Pell Street. Thus, with Mott Street as a “beachhead,” the early Chinese settlers gradually expanded their sphere of influence along Chatham Square, the Bowery, Park Row, and such Streets as Doyer, Pell, El
