The Chinatown Heritage Mural Located at Oxford Street and Oxford Place is a replica of Chinese artist Wang Yun’s “Autumn Mountains with Travellers.” The piece is hidden away in an alley among closely clustered buildings. The street used to be one of the most sought after areas to live in Chinatown, because it is a small road that does not allow vehicles. It allowed the small children of the immigrant families to have somewhere to play near their homes. There are numerous activities offered through the community organizations, but sometimes a kid just wants to play outside. The area also does not have any parks or grass, so this road was appreciated. Now like much of Boston’s Chinatown, the area has been left in need of repairs. The mural is not very publicized and visitors would not know about it unless informed by a local. 

When the Chinese first populated the area, there were very few women and children. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 restricted the total number of Chinese immigrants allowed in the United States. The Chinese laborers first populated the area after replacing workers on strike at the Sampson Shoe Factory in North Adams during the late 1870s. Once the strike was over and there was no more work for the immigrants they moved into the Boston area. With little support and little money, the immigrants set up tents along what they called Ping-On Alley. Even though the population of Chinese immigrants continued to increase, the Act was not repealed until 1943. After its repeal, the population sky rocketed. The families of the workers joined the laborers in Boston. With the complete family, the Chinese culture took on different dimensions and shaped Boston’s Chinatown.

By: Jessica McKenzie

Credits and Sources:

O’Connor, Thomas H. Boston: A to Z. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2000.

Boston Chinatown. “Chinatown History.” Boston Chinatown. Accessed September 13, 2016. http://boston-chinatown.info/chinatown-history/

Seen Around Boston. “Chinatown Heritage Mural.” Seen Around Boston. Last modified May 5, 2016. Accessed September 13, 2016. http://seenaroundboston.com/chinatown-heritage-mural/