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{{Chinatown}}

[[Image:San Francisco Chinatown.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Chinatown in San Francisco]]

This article discusses '''Chinatown patterns in North America'''. For the purposes of this article [[North America]] is defined as [[Canada]] and the [[United States]]. For a broad survey of individual Chinatowns in the region, see [[Chinatowns in North America]].  For information on [[Chinatown]]s in [[Mexico]] and [[Central America]], please refer to [[Chinatowns in Latin America]].  The common features of Chinatowns and social problems common to Chinatown are covered in the main Chinatown article. 

In general, there are three types of Chinatowns in North America: [[frontier]] and [[rural]] Chinatowns, [[urban area|urban]] Chinatowns, and [[suburb]]an Chinatowns.

==Frontier and rural Chinatowns==
Several small towns in the western United States and Canada have or once had a Chinatown that sprang up as a result of early Chinese settlement during the late 1800s and early 1900s.  Many of the Chinese that formed these Chinatowns were from the primarily rural [[Sze Yap]] ("Four Districts") region of [[Guangdong]] province of China, including speakers of Toisan (台山台山, [[Pinyin]]: Taishan) and Chung San (中山中山, Pinyin: Zhongshan) Chinese (these are various subdialects of [[Cantonese (linguistics)|Cantonese Chinese]]). Experiencing hardships, especially discrimination and prejudice in the big cities, the Chinese banded together and established their own distinct communities in the frontier areas. In many cases, Chinese were forbidden either through explicit laws or implicit agreements from purchasing land or residing outside of their enclaves.

===Origins===
Between the periods when the [[gold rush]]es on ''Gum shan'' ("Gold Mountain", 金山金山, Pinyin: Jin Shan) went bust and the [[First Transcontinental Railroad (North America)|transcontinental railroads]] were completed, the Toisan-speaking Chinese farm laborers, many of whom already had expertise in farming techniques, worked in the [[agriculture|agricultural]] industry of [[California]]'s [[Central Valley]], and there they formed small rural Chinatown enclaves in white farming and mining communities.

===Locations and layout===
(contracted; show full)

Many of the new quasi "Chinatowns" also have several retail chains and branches and this represents a relative interconnectedness  between them.  Several examples of well-known urban and suburban Chinese retail and restaurant chains include [[99 Ranch Market]] (
大華超級市場), [[Lollicup]] (樂立杯), [[China Trust Bank]] (美國中信銀行), [[Hong Kong Supermarket]] (香港超級市場), [[Tapioca Express]] (品客多), [[Sam Woo Restaurant]], [[Q-Cup]], [[Ten Ren Tea Time]] (天仁茗茶), and [[Ajiichiban]] (優之良品大華超級市場), [[Lollicup]] (樂立杯), [[China Trust Bank]] (美國中信銀行), [[Hong Kong Supermarket]] (香港超級市場), [[Tapioca Express]] (品客多), [[Sam Woo Restaurant]], [[Q-Cup]], [[Ten Ren Tea Time]] (天仁茗茶), and [[Ajiichiban]] (優之良品) in the United States and [[T & T Supermarket]] in Canada.

In many urban and some older suburban Chinatowns, many Chinese seniors can be seen performing daily [[Tai Chi]] exercises in recreation parks in the early morning hours.

===Locations and landmarks===
(contracted; show full)|Los Angeles, Houston, Oakland, Toronto
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Sources: United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, Citizenship and Immigration Canada

[[Category:Chinatowns|North America]]
[[Category:Chinese American history]]