Unlike it's sprawling big brother across the bay, Oakland's Chinatown manages to maintain its intimate dignity. Both Oakland and San Francisco's Chinatowns continue to be commerce centers for their relative populations, but Oakland still doesn't get the same tourist draw that makes San Francisco infamous. Instead of window after window filled with flimsy tchotchkes and a vital artery of local commerce, Oakland's Chinatown is chock full of grocery stores, restaurants, and people going about their business.
Like a lot of Oakland, Chinatown is absolutely covered in graffiti. It didn't always look this way, and one non-profit group is taking back the area by painting elaborate dragon murals wherever they are welcomed. The Dragon School movement is a progressive part of Oakland's history that is celebrated by the community.
Oakland's Chinatown is not without it's problems. Gentrification threatens it just as it threatens Chinatown in San Francisco. In the face of rising rents, anxiety, and change, Chinatown still thrives.
Photos shot 4/1/2017, December 17, 2016, and June 25, 2016