Retelling the story of St. Louis' Chinatown through the experience of those who lived there
When Peter Tao decided to write about St. Louis’ former Chinatown, often referred to as Hop Alley, he wanted to challenge the harmful and limiting stereotypes that have often surrounded the district, particularly in older news stories.
“They were trying to represent it as a bad story. You know, crime, drugs, lowlifes, undocumented — because remember, this is a society where you had to be undocumented because you were not admitted,” the St. Louis architect and community leader told St. Louis on the Air. “It eliminates all the other people and community and businesses that were very much a part of people's lives.” Read more here.