Inaugural Chinatown Block Party
Midtown, Detroit
July 26, 2025
Greektown and Mexicantown are two of Detroit’s most well-known ethnic neighborhoods, but few may know the city also used to have a Chinatown – two actually – which faded away in 2000. Since 2023, there’s been a movement to bring Chinatown back. The community got a taste of what that might be like with Saturday's inaugural Chinatown Block Party.
Located on the corner of Peterboro Street and Cass Avenue in Detroit’s Midtown neighborhood – the site of the most recent Chinatown – the day-long festival was part cultural celebration and part marketing to attract new Asian businesses. Hundreds of people came out to enjoy a series of performances, vendors, and classes, plus a book discussion with local Chinese American author and activist Curtis Chin and screenings of “Big Fight in Little Chinatown,” a documentary about the struggles of North American Chinatowns.
I started the day with a community Qigong class. Similar to tai chi and yoga, the Chinese practice focuses on breathwork and movement, balancing one’s “qi,” or inner life force. I had never heard of it before. I enjoyed the slow, repetitive motions that gently calmed the body while focusing the mind. One middle-aged man in particular spoke with the teacher after class, saying he’d never done anything like this before and loved it, wanting to know where he could go to do more.
The star of the show was the food. Around a dozen stalls and trucks offered a range of Asian fare that included Chinese, Lao, and Thai dishes. I visited three, indulging in delicious pork and shrimp dumplings, a honey mandarin jasmine tea and mango sticky rice, which alone was a highlight of my week.
Later, huddled under the main tent to avoid a spot of rain, we watched a Chinese Dragon Dance demonstration. A select group of audience volunteers got to learn the basics of the movement and performed for us.
Dragon Dance Demonstration from Golden Tiger Kung Fu Academy
Afterward, I visited a small exhibit about the history of Detroit’s two former Chinatowns inside the the former home of Chung’s, a staple restaurant. The building has been recently renovated and is now seeking restaurant tenants. The exhibit featured a series of placards that covered the earliest arrival of Chinese immigrants to Detroit in the late 1800s and the rise and fall of its two Chinatowns. It featured historic photos of the former neighborhood and highlighted prominent Chinatown business leaders.
While I’m pretty familiar with the history of Detroit, I hadn’t been aware of its former Chinatowns, which I’m sure is the case for many others. It was interesting to learn about what seemed like a rather bustling neighborhood in its heyday, how it was shaped and declined through racial prejudice, which was, unfortunately, not unusual for many immigrant communities in the United States.
I ended up staying at the festival for nearly five hours, enjoying a leisurely afternoon eating, meeting up with friends and perusing the offerings. While it’s still in its beginning stages, this first glimpse at a new Chinatown was promising, and I look forward to what looks like an exciting neighborhood ahead.
