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A group of men in military uniforms standing in front of a building with columns. 1
A statue of Confucius on a pedestal with inscriptions. 2
A group of men sitting on benches, reading newspapers. 3
By JYR Tours
Free cancellation available
The previous price was AU$63 and current price is AU$50 per adult

Features

  • Free cancellation available
  • 2h 30m
  • Mobile voucher
  • Instant confirmation

Overview

  • Step into Chinatown’s narrow alleys and crooked lanes, where paper lanterns and neon signs cast their glow over stories that were never meant for daylight.

    On this historical walking tour, we follow the ghosts of tongs, triads, and street gangs through the very streets where opium once drifted from dens in the 1930s and heroin money flowed into gambling halls.

    What you’ll experience:

    • Walk the crime-scene streets: Trace a route from Canal Street into the tight alleys of Mott, Pell, and Doyers, where immigrant boarding houses and secret society clubhouses for the corrupted elite.
    • On Doyers Street, you’ll hear how this crooked lane became a killing ground for tong gunmen. Learn how coded knocks, and windowless rooms fed New York’s appetite for opium.
    • Walk through gang turf claimed by Ghost Shadows, Flying Dragons, and their rivals, how they built multimillion-dollar heroin drug networks

Activity location

  • Statue of Confucius
    • Confucius Plaza, Bowery
    • New York City, New York, United States

Meeting/Redemption Point

  • Confucius Statue
    • 2 Division Street
    • 10002, New York, New York, United States

Check availability

NYC Chinatown History Tour

  • Activity duration is 2 hours and 30 minutes2h 30m
    2h 30m
  • English
Language options: English
Starting time: 2:00 PM
Price details
AU$62.34
AU$49.87 x 1 AdultAU$49.87
Total
The previous price was AU$62.34 and current price is AU$49.87
20% off
Until Thu, 10 Sept

What's included, what's not

  • Inclusions
    Walking tour and great tips and insights to navigating the city

Know before you book

    • Wheelchair accessible
    • Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
    • Service animals allowed
    • Public transport options are available nearby
    • Specialised infant seats are available
    • Transport options are wheelchair accessible
    • All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
    • Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Activity itinerary

Statue of Confucius

  • 15m
Confucius Plaza & Lin Zexu Monument: Moral Order vs. Underworld. The Confucius statue (15-foot bronze) and related monuments emphasise traditional values: family, education, honour, and moral order. These values are especially important in a community that has faced discrimination and been stereotyped as a “criminal” enclave. We will discuss the importance of Lin Zexu and anti-opium symbolism.

Doyers Street

  • 30m
We will walk the crime-scene streets of Old Chinatown Trace a route from Canal Street into the tight alleys of Mott, Pell, and Doyers, where immigrant boarding houses, opium joints, and secret society clubhouses once turned this area into a real-world noir.

Columbus Park

  • 15m
Columbus Park: “The People’s Park” & Shadow Economy: Columbus Park is a vibrant public space: seniors playing cards, martial artists, vendors, and families. It’s a symbol of Chinatown’s resilience. But the same networks that once controlled opium and heroin also used such spaces for informal meetings, gambling, and information exchange among underworld figures.

Canal Street

  • 30m
Canal Street: You’re about to walk through the storey of how a area of excluded immigrants became a global symbol of Chinese culture—and also a hotspot for organised crime in the 1880-1980s.

Location

Activity location

  • LOB_ACTIVITIESLOB_ACTIVITIES
    Statue of Confucius
    • Confucius Plaza, Bowery
    • New York City, New York, United States

Meeting/Redemption Point

  • PEOPLEPEOPLE
    Confucius Statue
    • 2 Division Street
    • 10002, New York, New York, United States

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