Masters Thesis

From Underground Chinatown to Hall of China: Chinese Representation at San Diego’s 1915 and 1935 Expositions in Balboa Park

“From Underground Chinatown to Hall of China” explores the representation of the Chinese and Chinese Americans in San Diego’s two expositions in Balboa Park. The first, the 1915-16 Panama-California Exposition (PCE), degraded the Chinese as the enigmatic “Celestials” and, at the time, the community that composed Chinatown had little agency. The Fun Zone at the PCE featured a demeaning attraction called “Underground Chinatown.” It offered a salacious view of opium users, an imprisoned slave girl, and rampant gambling, all in a maze of vice and subterranean mystery. The attraction was created by out-of-town managers that specialized in admission-pandering attractions. For the second exposition, the 1935-1936 California-Pacific International Exposition (CPIE), the Chinese community exerted more control over their representation. They built their own international cottage as the Hall of China, developed exhibits in the main halls and grounds, and produced the “China Day” festivities. This thesis asserts the Chinese community, both native and foreign born, had built enough economic agency to control their representation at the second exposition. The autonomy and the opportunity to develop better images was also facilitated by overall changes in the relationship between China and the United States. This thesis further argues that a significant Chinese American (second generation) presence was presented along with Chinese culture and traditions. Though discrimination and segregation were still rampant in San Diego and throughout the United States, the economic power that the community had secured between the two expositions allowed the Chinese community to present an image of respectability and build bridges to the white community.  https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/7f1cfde5d5814bf4a8bdcd582963b3d8

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