Chinatown is packed with interesting stores, markets, restaurants, tiny parks and lots and lots of color! Our teacher Drew took a group of students to Chinatown and toured the back alleys, the Buddhist temple, and of course the fortune cookie factory….yes Chinese fortune cookies were invented in San Francisco! They talked to lots of local people in English and yes, Chinatown is a great place to Learn English in San Francisco.
Just 5 minutes from EC San Francisco’s front door is the Chinatown Gate, at the corner of Grant and Bush Streets. Since it is so close, we tend to take it for granted…”oh yeah, Chinatown, its right up the street” but it is a fascinating section of the City with an incredible history. SF’s Chinatown is the largest Chinatown outside of Asia and it is the oldest Chinatown in North America….older that New York’s, older than Vancouver’s!
The first Chinese immigrants to San Francisco arrived in 1848, 2 men and one woman. They came on the American ship, the Eagle. Gold was discovered in California the next year and that event caused the Gold Rush, people from all over the world came to California, including thousands more people from China.
