So much we'll never understand. It's as if our authority ends at Gate Street. 
As with many American cities its size, Gotham City boasts a sizable Chinatown, bustling with immigrants as well as crime. Law-abiding or otherwise, the denizens of Chinatown prefer to keep aloof from the rest of Gotham, and intelligence on the district tends to be scarce for any of non-Chinese descent.
History
Long distrusted by both the authorities (Batman included) and other criminal sects, Chinatown saw its crime skyrocket after plans for the Hong Kong handover were made public. Many triads from Hong Kong and Kowloon - chief among them the King Snake-led Ghost Dragons - emigrated to Gotham to escape Mainland Chinese rule, and saw the district as a natural base of operations. Numerous gang wars resulted, which Batman and the police were only partly able to corral.[1]
For a time, King Snake enthroned himself as Chinatown's premier power, but was driven out by combined pressures from Batman and the Silver Monkey, and replaced by the Ghost Dragons' lieutenant Lynx.[2] While Lynx proved somewhat hardier, her power base was crippled by the No Man's Land, and Chinatown promptly fell to Mr. Freeze, who forced its remaining inhabitants to labor at a nearby power-plant.[3]
After No Man's Land was lifted, and Gotham rebuilt, a new triad quickly took over Chinatown - the Lucky Hand, led by Ekin Tzu. While Tzu was soon dethroned (thanks to machinations from the League of Assassins), his former underlings would dominate Chinatown for many years to come.[4]
Points of Interest
- Gate Street: This street, with its iconic paifang, constitutes the "official" entrance to Chinatown.
- Chong's Tea House: Home and workshop of the gunsmith who built the infamous Holiday killer's .22 pistol.[5]
Residents
- Xanthe Zhou
- Stephie Zhou
- Johnny Khan[6]
- Ghost Dragons
- Lucky Hand Triad
Trivia
- According to Xanthe, this district is one the locations in Gotham the Bat-family visits the least; only Cassandra Cain frequents the area.[7]
See Also
- Appearances of Gotham City Chinatown
- Location Gallery: Gotham City Chinatown
- Catalogued images related to Gotham City Chinatown