Little Fuzhou

Seen from Manhattan Bridge

East Broadway is a two-way east-west street in the Chinatown/Lower East Side neighborhood of the New York City borough of Manhattan. East Broadway begins at Chatham Square (also known as Kimlau Square) and runs eastward under the Manhattan Bridge, continues past Seward Park and the eastern end of Canal Street, and ends at Grand Street. The western portion of the street is primarily populated by Chinese immigrants (mainly Foochowese from Fuzhou, Fujian), while the eastern portion is home to a large number of Jews. One section in the eastern part of East Broadway, between Clinton Street and Pitt Street, is unofficially referred to by residents as Shteibel Way, since it's lined with approximately ten small synagogues ("shteibels").

Transportation

The M9 bus runs on East Broadway in both directions between Chatham Square and Canal Street. The M15 bus runs weekdays only on East Broadway in both directions between Chatham Square and Canal Street. The downtown M22 bus runs westward on East Broadway between Pike Street and Chatham Square.

The East Broadway station of the IND Sixth Avenue Line (F) is located near East Broadway.

Fuzhou Immigrants and Community Establishments

Chatham Square and Lin Zexu Statue

Fukien American Association at East Broadway

In recent years, East Broadway has been a central hub for recently arrived Fujianese (mainly Foochowese) immigrants(more than half are illegal immigrants). With a large Foochowese population, East Broadway is often referred to as Little Fuzhou by Foochowese immigrants. A considerable number of Fujianese clan associations can be found in and around the street, many of which are even specified by clans from certain villages of Fuzhou region, for example, the members of "Fujian Fuqi Association" are from Fuqi Village, Changle County, Fuzhou, Fujian. The Fukien American Association is also located here. Restaurants, markets and intercity bus lines run by Foochowese concentrate in East Broadway. A statue of Lin Zexu, who was also a Foochowese, was erected in Chatham Square in 1997.

In more recent years, there are fewer new Fuzhou immigrants settling in Manhattan's Chinatown. Instead, there has been a large increase in the influx of Fuzhou immigrants moving into Brooklyn's Chinatown on 8th Avenue in Sunset Park and the Fuzhou population in Brooklyn's Chinatown is increasing more rapidly than in Manhattan's Chinatown. Currently the Fuzhou community established on East Broadway and Eldridge Street portion within Manhattan's Chinatown, which is now hardly growing, is the largest Fuzhou Community/Population establishment in NYC, however with the rapidly increasing Fuzhou population in Brooklyn's Chinatown, it is very quickly becoming the New Little Fuzhou and is replacing the Little Fuzhou on East Broadway and Eldridge street portion within Manhattan's Chinatown as the largest Fuzhou population/community in NYC. Brooklyn's Chinatown becoming the New Little Fuzhou will be more like Fuzhou Town(福州埠) than Little Fuzhou because not only is it emerging within most of Brooklyn's Chinatown, but also beyond the current borderlines of the Chinese Community and will soon become the first Fuzhou community to not be surrounded/neighbored and/or mixed with other large Chinese populations such as the Cantonese and/or other Chinese groups like in Manhattan's Chinatown and Flushing's Chinatown.

Also See

Brooklyn's Chinatown transforming into Fuzhou Town(福州埠)

External links

• East Broadway Storefronts - photographs of buildings and stores along East Broadway from Chinatown through the Lower East Side.