New York, NY — When the pandemic and incidents of anti Asian hate crimes took a heavy toll on Manhattan’s 160 year old Chinatown, two young women chose to step up and do something about it. Chloe Chan and Anna Huang saw how history was repeating itself so they began leading tours of of the community as a way to help struggling small businesses stay afloat and make Chinese American history and culture more accessible to the public through education, social media and by partnering with local organizations.

Known as the Mott Street Girls (MSG), named for Chinatown’s largest street, Chan and Huang met as tour guides for the Museum of Chinese in America and have been leading their popular tours since March of 2020. Although hate crimes continue to plague the community, Chan stated, “The Chinatown community has been vigilant in trying to prevent them through improved lighting, a community block watch and offering self defense training.”

Chan and Huang are both second generation Chinese Americans. Born in New Jersey, Chan often visited Chinatown as a child with her parents to buy groceries and take piano lessons. She leads the tours while Huang who operates from her Boston home, deals with the logistics and business side.

The 90 minute tours are on Sundays and include stops at the Chinese Opera House, the Mott Street Fish Market, funeral row, the first tenement building and stores that date back to the 1890’s. You can book a walking tour with the Mott Street Girls through Air BNB Experiences: https://www.airbnb.com/experiences/1649022.