New York's Columbus Park doubles as a communal backyard for all of Chinatown.
Frequenters of the park can often "live in distant worlds, separated by language, age and, in some ways, cultural identity. But they share one palpable need: to keep coming back to the same small and crowded patch of green that is Chinatown's communal backyard." Youngsters come of age here; the elderly gather together with fellow immigrants to share games of Chinese chess. Every day, the park cycles through a diverse population, from toddlers on the playground, to men and women practicing tai chi, to employees from the nearby court, to older fortune-telling Chinese women, to opera singers, to schoolchildren. Everyone even knows the names of characters like "Loud Mouth Ming, who earned his nickname with superfluous and unsolicited spectator commentary. When a game turns suspenseful, though, dozens of men press around a table, hurling suggestions at the players."
Thanks to David Gest
FULL STORY: At Play in Chinatown's Backyard

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