The essence of Houston’s Chinatown has always been a dynamic mixture of the rich history of the Chinese people and a contemporary charisma of arts and culture.
Thinking of Chinatown might remind us of a magical place, maybe a painting from the Six Dynasties in which firecrackers and dancing lions elope, or perhaps the 1974 film starring Jack Nicholson about the Americanization of Asian immigrants.
What comes to mind upon hearing ‘EaDo?’
‘It sounds a little like Nestle’s ‘Nido’ Milk,’ biology junior Reham Alhussein said.
EaDo, short for east downtown, is the new name for the Chinatown area, chosen after great deliberation over alternatives such as Warehouse District and Saint E.
While it’s great to find that the Third Ward area has some life left, the new name is clich’eacute;. What if South Houston were called SoHo and the Heights referred to as HiHo
Districts in New York actually signify what their names suggest. Midtown is in the middle of Manhattan, Downtown is below 14th Street, and NoLiTa is north of Little Italy.
Why call the Galleria area Uptown and Chinatown East Downtown? The Galleria area is the Galleria area; Montrose is Montrose. No amount of corporate marketing is needed for people to identify with where they live or work.
EaDo is an artificial label created by businesses and real estate organizations. EaDo, according to its Web site, declares a mission of ‘integrating regional and metropolitan commercial development with a stable, desirable residential neighborhood.’
To accomplish this goal, EaDo is leading an effort to grow the area’s commercial base by building and maintaining partnerships with real estate brokers, developers, property managers and corporate and retail tenants.
The allures of EaDo include its close proximity to Downtown and newly constructed condominium complexes and townhomes.
Overgrown lots have been mown and graffiti erased. Promotions of new restaurants, bars and art galleries through social events such as EaDoPalooza are part of the propaganda designed to attract the young and fashionable.
Does this mean that Bellaire will now have the official Houston-area Chinatown?
Bissan Rafe is a biology senior and may be reached at [email protected]
