Chinese chefs call on the public to help revitalize New York's Chinatown: Don't wait for loss to cherish

According to the "World Journal" in the United States, the outbreak of the new crown pneumonia epidemic in New York City will be two years old, Manhattan Chinatown is the first to bear the brunt, and now the mutant virus Omicron (Omicron) has struck again, bringing a new wave of threats to the community. Ms. Yang, a Chinese-American chef, said that for small businesses in Chinatown, it will not be realized until it is lost, and she called on everyone to invest more love and attention in Chinatown to help the community get back on its feet.

After the start of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, some restaurants and small businesses in Manhattan Chinatown have experienced a sharp decline in business due to fear and speech from the outside world, and hate crimes against Asians have also increased sharply, Ms. Yang, who lives near Chinatown, recalled in a local media report on the 10th that only restaurant waiters stood in empty restaurants, and Chinese people were afraid to go out after dark.

In mid-March 2020, New York City began to implement "stay-at-home", and Asian communities in other U.S. states, including Chinatown, became increasingly deserted, but many restaurant operators continued to insist on working with expensive food delivery platforms in the hope of earning rent and utilities to survive.

Ms. Yang, who grew up in San Francisco's Chinatown, said that in the past, she went to local Chinese restaurants with her family to drink tea, and felt that the existence of Chinatown was taken for granted, "when I need to shop or go to restaurants, I will pass"; but after the epidemic, walking on the empty streets of Chinatown, she began to worry that Chinatown's historic and cultural neighborhoods might disappear forever.

In fact, the New York Chinese Community is not the only Affected Asian Community, the Chinese community, the Japanese community, the Koreantown and the Vietnamese community across the United States have similar problems, although under the appeal of all walks of life and the popularization of vaccines, the government's assistance, the New York Chinese Community has begun to revitalize, but now a new wave of the epidemic has struck again, and it is still unknown whether the small businesses and restaurants that have taken a long time to stand firm can stand through this wave of the epidemic without fully recovering.

During the epidemic period, Ms. Yang, who not only donated money and filmed documentaries to appeal to the public to pay attention to and care for Chinatown, said that Chinatown preserves important history, culture, etc., in addition to being a symbol, it also provides various services in the city, targeting both Chinese and foreign ethnic groups.

Faced with Chinatown, which is in jeopardy from the epicenter of the pandemic, Ms Yang said: "When people see supermarkets like Trader Joe's in Mott St. When they open, they say ' we didn't know we were going to lose Chinatown' and then they will realize the importance of this place"; she said: "You take their existence for granted, and now they need your love and attention." (Yan Jiaying)

Source: China News Network