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National Geographic : 2005 Jul
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READ ABOUT IT, THEN... Do ItYourself CHINA'S GREAT ARMADA (SEE PAGE 28) GO THERE Chinatowns of the World Zheng He represents just one facet in a long history of Chinese exploration and migration. Chinese immigrants have created a rich array of Chinatowns where restaurants and myriad shops attract locals and visitors. Below are some of the world's best. San Francisco, California Renowned for its exotic ambience, the district dates to the gold rush years of the mid-19th century. Kept out of the mines by racism, many Chinese men established laundries and restaurants to serve the growing city. Singapore In a city where Chinese predominate, a "Chinatown" may seem redundant. But this is one of the world's most vibrant, drawing thousands to celebrate traditions like Chinese New Year (above). New York City Its two square miles in lower Manhat tan are crammed with restaurants and shops selling everything from fresh fish to teapots to high fashion. Melbourne, Australia Also dating to a mid-19th century gold rush, the enclave is famous for its Victorian architecture embellished with archways, Chinese characters, and other Asian accents. Toronto, Canada The city's metro area counts six Chinatowns. Sam Ching's Chinese laundry, down town, launched the oldest of them in the 1870s. 51EVERAYMEH(ABUOV);MICHAELYAMASHIIA China Online Well before the first Smiths, China had Zhengs. Chinese lore credits a legendary emperor with introduc ing the world's first surnames more than 4,000 years ago. Later they were listed in the poem "Baijiaxing" "Hundred Surnames" (there are actually 438 of them). See the names and learn more at geo cities.com/tokyo/3919/ hundred.html. Or go to www.mandarintools.com /chinesename.html to create your own Chinese name derived from your birthday, sex, Western name-and the essence you want the name to reflect. PICKS 3 exports Photo editor Elizabeth Krist, who worked on the armada story, found that many of the goods traded along Zheng's route are still popular today. Here are her top three: * Silk China's most famous export, silk has long been used to craft shimmering clothing and intricate decorations. But before the Chinese invented paper, callig raphers used rolls of it for official documents. * Medicinal products Traditional Chinese heal ing uses plant and animal products like sage and deer antlers. Some items, made from endangered animal parts, are no longer traded legally, but others can be found at Chinese herbalists' shops. * Spices Prized in the West since at least the early Roman Empire, aro matic spices were heavily traded by European and Chinese explorers. Spices remain hot commodities at open-air markets like this one in Yemen. A NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC * JULY 2005 WEBSITE EXCLUSIVE Photographer Mike Yamashita followed in the wake of Zheng He's journeys. View his online gallery with photo tips at nationalgeographic.com/magazine/0507.8
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