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The Lion Dance & History of Honolulu's Chinatown

Chinese New Year is on February 7, 2008 and the festivities have gone on all week to celebrate the Year of the Rat.

Hawaii is so diverse with many cultures and it is always a unique experience when different festivities pop up for different ethnic cultures.

We missed yesterdays "Night in Chinatown Festival and Parade" so we hurried to the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet today (flea market) to catch the Chinese Lion Dance and wishing well wishes on each of the vendors for a year of prosperity.

Everyone stopped shopping to take pictures and feed the lion dollars. When the lion opened his mouth I slipped a dollar in and boy did I get a wonderful bow and a couple of squirmy moves!

Chinatown has a variety of shops, fish, meat and vegetable markets, wares, restaurants and anything and everything you can think of coming from the orient. Our Chinatown is not only Chinese shops but Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean and Filipino and more.

The Chinese & Chinatown's History in Hawaii:

The Chinese arrived on two ships back in December of 1788.
In the 1800's the Chinese set up shops in Chinatown to sell their wares.
Between 1852 and 1876 over 3900 Chinese came to Hawaii as import laborers to work in the fast growing sugar cane industry. The made up 49% of our work force for the plantations.
By 1884 the number working in plantations declined due to many wanting to be self employed with their own shops and selling their wares.
In 1886 the big Chinatown fire destroyed 7,000 Chinese homes and 350 homes of the Native Hawaiians. Most of Chinatown was destroyed with over eight blocks burned.
In 1900 the Board of Health deliberately set fires to buildings built not under code but mainly to wipe out the Bubonic Plague spreading through Chinatown.

Kung Hee Fat Choy! (Happy Chinese New Year to One and All!!)

Posted by Celeste "SALLY" Cheeseman (RA), Hawaii Real Estate & Hawaii Relocation on 02/03/2008 09:32 PM

Comments (38)

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38 Comments on The Lion Dance & History of Honolulu's Chinatown

Hi Sally, it must be fun to live in such a diverse culture. There's always so much to learn from each other.

02/03/2008 09:51 PM

by Linda Scanlan (The Real Estate Referral Company)

Photos and history. Sally, you really go the extra mile to make your posts interesting, and you engage your readers. Thanks.

Mike in Tucson

02/03/2008 09:52 PM

by Mike Jones (Tucson Mortgage Company, LLC)

Linda: It is fun Linda! No matter what...there's something different going on :)

Mike: Thanks Mike....I'm glad!

02/03/2008 10:02 PM

by Celeste "SALLY" Cheeseman (RA), Hawaii Real Estate & Hawaii Relocation (Century 21 Liberty Homes -Mililani, Hawaii)

Sally, I would have LOVED to feed the dragon! What a fun thing to go to and experience. I love the little shops they have and the diversity there is wonderful. I was sad reading about the fires and burning but I see that nothing stops them. Our Chinatown in New York is so large now it has taken over other areas of the City!

02/03/2008 10:13 PM

by Carole Provenzale Owner, Feng Shui Long Island (Feng Shui Long Island)

Sally that lion has a great job! Easy to make $$$ for sure. Your Chinatown looks like a teriffic place to have a memorable vacation. Reminds me of NYC. Love it!

02/03/2008 10:25 PM

by Lizette Fitzpatrick, Kentucky Real Estate (Central Kentucky - Prudential Don Foster)

Carole: It was so cute Carole! They open the mouth...you stick in on the tongue looking part and they close their mouth...bow a thank you and do a bunch of dance moves...that was neat! I tell you what...though it burned ...it was rebuilt and rebuilt and there are still many OLD buildings, newer buildings and so forth :) Our business district is a few blocks down too.

Lizette: I think it was a club or something. Pretty neat. In Mililani they have them go around to the businesses as well.

02/03/2008 10:28 PM

by Celeste "SALLY" Cheeseman (RA), Hawaii Real Estate & Hawaii Relocation (Century 21 Liberty Homes -Mililani, Hawaii)

Sally,

Looks like a fun event and your pic's are really cool! I think my year is the monkey.....;)

02/03/2008 11:01 PM

by Suzanne Sands-Somerset, MA Real Estate (Century 21 Associates Realty)

Sally, Looks like such a fun day.. I was wondering....If they had a dancing RAT would you have fed it? LOL?

02/03/2008 11:22 PM

by Wilmington NC Real Estate Ginger & Roger Sala Keller Williams (Keller Williams Wilmington North Carolina)

Hi Sally,

Neat photos, I would have loved to see that myself. We had a great time ourselves last week at Aloha Stadium, we made the rounds.

02/03/2008 11:33 PM

by Orange Co. Real Estate~Lynda Eisenmann, Broker-Owner, Brea, CA (Preferred Home Brokers)

Sally- Year of the rat. I'm of the Rat sign in Chinese Zodiac. I should also celebrate.

02/04/2008 12:07 AM

by Mark Horan P.A. "The Resident Chef" at Keller Williams (The Resident Team at Keller Williams At-The-Lakes)

How fun you got to feed the lion for good luck. And how's that swap meet? It must be incredible.

02/04/2008 04:14 AM

by Georgina Hunter Maui Realtor (Jim Sanders Realty Inc. - Maui)

Sally, a Big Kung Hee Fat Choy to you as well. You have definitely educated me on your wonderful state.

02/04/2008 05:23 AM

by Bradenton Florida Real Estate - Dan Forbes ( Masters Referral Services)

Sally,
What a fun Sunday! Is it my imagination or do you guys have more fun there?

02/04/2008 05:43 AM

by Cynthia Tilghman, Realtor® Onslow County NC Home Specialist (Kingsbridge Realty, Inc)

I remember seeing the China town scene on Hawaii 5 'O :)

02/04/2008 06:23 AM

by Neal Bloom-Realtor ® Assoc.-CRS-Weston FL (RE/MAX Premier Associates)

Sally - Those pictures are really cool and I love learning about the cultures and traditions. I have marked my calender for the Chinese New Year and thanks for the reminder !

02/04/2008 06:24 AM

by Crossville TN Real Estate Melissa Grant Cumberland County and Surrounding area's (Third Tennessee Realty and Associates)

Sally, These posts are so cool. I love history. It looks like Hawaii has lots of history that I was not aware of.

02/04/2008 07:23 AM

by My Favorite Mortgage.net - Matthew J Blum

Sally--I never realized that Honolulu had a China Town...I learn so much from you!

02/04/2008 09:02 AM

by Teri Eckholm, Realtor® Anoka County MN (Keller Williams Premier Realty)

Sally - sorry we missed that by a few days. There's never enough time to do all we want to do, see all we want to see, and spend enough time with friends - but that always gives us reasons to come back. Hope we can host you in Florida!

02/04/2008 09:48 AM

by Sharon Simms St Pete Florida CRS CIPS CLHMS (RE/MAX Metro)

Sis - I can't wait to visit!!!!

02/04/2008 10:06 AM

by First Choice Equity Group Inc.

Suzanne: Mine is the Rooster and it sure tells a great story. Our bookeeper is a monkey too.

02/04/2008 10:59 AM

by Celeste "SALLY" Cheeseman (RA), Hawaii Real Estate & Hawaii Relocation (Century 21 Liberty Homes -Mililani, Hawaii)

Ginger: I think so too lol! It is a celebration of good luck and prosperity so yeah....

02/04/2008 11:00 AM

by Celeste "SALLY" Cheeseman (RA), Hawaii Real Estate & Hawaii Relocation (Century 21 Liberty Homes -Mililani, Hawaii)

Lynda: You and Marlene must have been pooped going around the whole place. Good stuff to take back though huh?

02/04/2008 11:01 AM

by Celeste "SALLY" Cheeseman (RA), Hawaii Real Estate & Hawaii Relocation (Century 21 Liberty Homes -Mililani, Hawaii)

Mark: This IS your year! Celebrate!

Georgina: You ever been to the stadium swap meet? Wonderful and huge! Chinatown would have been more fun the night before.

02/04/2008 11:03 AM

by Celeste "SALLY" Cheeseman (RA), Hawaii Real Estate & Hawaii Relocation (Century 21 Liberty Homes -Mililani, Hawaii)

Thanks Dan! Glad you could get some info!

Cynthia: We MAKE our fun haha!

02/04/2008 11:19 AM

by Celeste "SALLY" Cheeseman (RA), Hawaii Real Estate & Hawaii Relocation (Century 21 Liberty Homes -Mililani, Hawaii)

Neal: Of course you do! I believe that you really want to get to Hawaii and have wanted to since childhood...you watched brady bunch, HI 5 O and remember everything. :)

02/04/2008 11:20 AM

by Celeste "SALLY" Cheeseman (RA), Hawaii Real Estate & Hawaii Relocation (Century 21 Liberty Homes -Mililani, Hawaii)

Melissa: So do I .....interesting stuff huh?

Matt: Plenty of history all over the world. :)

02/04/2008 11:22 AM

by Celeste "SALLY" Cheeseman (RA), Hawaii Real Estate & Hawaii Relocation (Century 21 Liberty Homes -Mililani, Hawaii)

Teri: Don't all places have some oriental kind of block or something? I see it on tv and stuff :)

Sharon: Haven't been to Florida since the early 80's when we went to Jacksonville.

Jason: I presume soon? :)

02/04/2008 11:24 AM

by Celeste "SALLY" Cheeseman (RA), Hawaii Real Estate & Hawaii Relocation (Century 21 Liberty Homes -Mililani, Hawaii)

Sally- I love your history lessons, they come alive through your experience and your wonderful photos brimming with vivid colors and drizzled with your sweet spirit! I love the Chinatown in Hawaii, in San Francisco, in Chicago and in Vancouver BC. I have been to all of those. Japanese food is my favorite, followed by Chinese, then Thai.

02/04/2008 12:46 PM

by Nestor & Katerina Gasset, Realtors® Wellington Florida Luxury Homes (International Properties and Investments, Inc.)

Hi Sally, Happy New Year! Thanks for sharing some history with us. We had a huge Chinese population where I lived in So.CA and I miss that here in NC. Have a great week!

02/04/2008 03:34 PM

by Lake Norman Real Estate ~ Diane Aurit (RE/MAX at the Lake)

Cheryl: I thank you for your compliments and glad it's helped you. We learn so much here on ActiveRain don't we?

Katerina: It was drizzling and stuff yesterday although I did manage to get a few shots :) We were going to go around the fish and vege markets but it started pouring.

02/04/2008 03:44 PM

by Celeste "SALLY" Cheeseman (RA), Hawaii Real Estate & Hawaii Relocation (Century 21 Liberty Homes -Mililani, Hawaii)

Sally, I had no idea that Honolulu had a Chinese settlement there that long ago. Fascinating history and lovely pictures.....looks like fun! I love reading your posts about the history of your area....and all of your other posts too.

(-:

02/04/2008 04:08 PM

by Jo-Anne Smith-Belleville, Quinte and Prince Edward Region Real Estate, Ont. (Royal Lepage Proalliance Realty, Brokerage)

You always amaze me - I can just picture you waking up in the middle of the night with a new blog idea - keep em coming

02/04/2008 05:07 PM

by Central Oregon Real Estate | Thesa Chambers, Broker (RE/MAX Sunset Realty La Pine)

Sally this would have made a great video. Is the custom of feeding the Lion dollars a Chinese custom or is that something the the Hawaii/American culture has added?

02/04/2008 05:28 PM

by George Souto (McCue Mortgage Co.)

Jo: Thanks Jo...I'm glad you enjoy

Thesa: I actually get an idea and jot it down until I get to it LOL!

George: Chinese custom. I wish I had remembered the Saturday Chinatown festival..that would have really be fun!

02/04/2008 06:07 PM

by Celeste "SALLY" Cheeseman (RA), Hawaii Real Estate & Hawaii Relocation (Century 21 Liberty Homes -Mililani, Hawaii)

Sally- If I closed my eyes I can visualize being there.....now that Lion for the New Year that I missed, but visualizing you with your camera, and all the other shoppers makes me smile......thanks :)

02/04/2008 11:12 PM

by CELLing Realty

Kathy: Ha.... Gary looked more like a tourist :) I have fun taking pics of interesting things :)

02/05/2008 11:26 AM

by Celeste "SALLY" Cheeseman (RA), Hawaii Real Estate & Hawaii Relocation (Century 21 Liberty Homes -Mililani, Hawaii)

I bet not many places have lion dancers in their swap meet. We live in a really wonderful place.

Thank you for the history lesson. I did not know about the extent of the fires in Chinatowns history.

02/12/2008 07:22 AM

by Randy L. Prothero - Hawaii REALTOR® (Century 21 Liberty Homes)

Randy: Yup...we surely do...have some 'different' stuff going on here.

02/12/2008 11:43 AM

by Celeste "SALLY" Cheeseman (RA), Hawaii Real Estate & Hawaii Relocation (Century 21 Liberty Homes -Mililani, Hawaii)

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