For many years the Chinatown/International District has served as the cultural hub for Asian Americans in the Seattle area. As one of the city's oldest neighborhoods, it is rich with history and culture that spans across three different centuries. Betty Lau gives us a brief look at the Chinatown/International District and diverse history.

Chinese settlement in Seattle can be traced back as far as 1860, with the arrival of Chin Chun Hock, who first worked as a houseboy. Just eight years later, he opened a general store in the first Chinatown on Seattle’s waterfront (Chew 126). By then, most Chinese laborers, originally recruited from Southern China to work on the railroads, branched into canneries, fishing, mining, agriculture and lumber industries (A. Chin 23)...

For the complete document, please download the 'A Brief History' Brief.