Honolulu Chinatown: 200 Years of Red Lanterns & Red Lights

For over 200 years Honolulu’s Chinatown has been in a constant state of change and metamorphosis, sometimes gradual, sometimes drastic, in a process that continues to the present day. A mixed plate of cultures, it reflects the many waves of human immigration to Hawaii and through the port city of Honolulu. Chinatown has survived plagues, fires, strikes, riots, gambling, drunken sailors, toppled governments, prostitution, opium, adult bookstores, Urban Renewal, homeless vagrants, and even an earthquake.

Here is the history of every building based on 200 years of historical newspapers, photographs, land records, maps, contemporary written sources, and field research. Included are dozens of rare historical photographs plus hundreds of period newspaper advertisements that will bring Chinatown to life through the years. You will meet shopkeepers, merchant princes, Kings, Queens, exotic dancers, builders, architects, prestidigitators, a cat with a gold earring, the inspirations for Charlie Chan, Captain Peasley, and Mamie Stover, plus movie and TV locations.

Includes a self-guided walking tour and QR code links to audio and video