![]() One floor of the restaurant was for general dining, and the upstairs featured an elaborate banquet set-up reserved for larger parties and celebrations such as weddings. It was opened in 1897 by Chu Gam Fai, a Chinese immigrant, and became the first restaurant in Chinatown to receive its liquor license, a major coup. Port Arthur was one of the first banquet halls in New York City, named after a port city in northern China now called Lüshunkou District (in Dalian, Liaoning province). Opened in 1897, closed after “85 years,” give or take (sources vary) Jing Fong is unfortunately neither the start nor the end of this trend: Chinatown was hit particularly hard during the pandemic, with xenophobia playing a part in hurting Asian-owned businesses.īelow, we take a brief survey of some of New York’s most iconic Chinese banquet halls, their tumultuous histories, and the significant role they played in people’s lives. Unionized employees are currently trying to take over Jing Fong’s ownership and save this historic space, while local community members are still holding protests and rallies, as well as boycotts of the landlord’s other restaurants (Jing Fong’s much smaller Upper West Side location is still open). Countless posts lamented the end of an era. Jing Fong, the iconic banquet hall and dim sum restaurant in Manhattan’s Chinatown, closed its palatial dining room on March 7. A still from the movie Yi Yi The Wedding Banquetīut sadly, banquet halls in New York will be harder to find this spring. ![]() ![]() The opposing forces of community and alienation, tradition and spontaneity, are constantly at play. The beauty of these banquet scenes is in the way a whole cast of strangers and family members can come together over food and drink. ![]()
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