The Underground
Monday, November 26th, 2007
Recently, a group of archaelogists visited the old, abandoned buildings of Fresno’s Chinatown, on the lookout for ceramics that had been abandoned by their owners nearly a century ago. While searching the basement, the explorers came across a boarded up crawlspace that led to — where? The discovery of this underground doorway has rekindled the belief that under every Chinatown, there is an elaborate series of tunnels connecting every home and business. Thought to be an urban legend, or a racist belief according to some, this new discovery has sparked everyone’s imagination. The city is currently using a ground penetrating radar to discover if there really is a network underground.
While some are excited by this find, others, especially Chinese-Americans, are not. They believe it will reignite certain racial prejudices that were prevalent during the 1900s, such as the widespread belief that all Chinatowns were built above tunnels so that its residents could sneak into brothels and speakeasies unnoticed, and commit other crimes hidden from the light of day. This belief was fairly commonplace after Chinese immigrants had helped build the railroad lines the country so desperately needed, but then were considered unwanted and scorned because they were different.
I don’t really think of it that way, though. I’m just excited that there are tunnels in California, period! I’m still shocked when I hear about a basement or anything below ground, and I’ve lived here my whole life. Then again, I’m probably more scared of earthquakes than the average Californian. Anyway, this Chinatown in Fresno would appear to be the first one to have a series of tunnels in California, at least as far as my memory serves. The old L.A. Chinatown was rumored to have tunnels, but during the construction of the Metro tunnels, no evidence was found. I’ve also heard that rumor regarding San Francisco’s Chinatown, along with plenty of other unsavory rumors (including some present-day gang tales), but so far no real evidence. So in a way I think that proves that the Fresno Chinatown is an exception to the rule, rather than proof of the rule. What do you think?
You can read more about the ongoing discovery of the tunnels here.
