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Bakersfield, located in California's southern San Joaquin Valley, once had the distinction of having two identifiable Chinatowns. A 1933 city map shows the boundaries of the area known as Old Chinatown as between K and N Streets and between 20th and 23rd Streets. Settled mainly by people from the Sanyi region of Guangdong Province, it began to take shape in the early 1870s, starting with some wooden structures along 20th Street, between K and L. Between 1890 and 1900, the population of Old Chinatown was reportedly as high as 3,000. The area bustled with activity, with stores, restaurants, rooming houses, laundries, herb shops, temples, fraternal organizations, gambling parlors, two banks, and a theater where Chinese opera was performed. For several months, Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the founder of the Chinese Republic, was a resident of Old Chinatown when he was eliciting support for the revolution that eventually overthrew the Qing dynasty in 1911.

A smaller Chinatown, known as New Chinatown, sprang up in 1889 when several Chinese businesses moved to an area on Q Street, between 17th and 18th Streets, and Chinese bought nearby property. The inhabitants of New Chinatown were later arrivals who originated mainly in the Siyi region of Guangdong Province. After New Chinatown was completely destroyed by fire in April of 1896, it was rebuilt with brick construction replacing the old wooden structures.

After 1925, the number of Chinese in Bakersfield steadily decreased but a Chinese presence continued in what remained of the two Chinatowns. One year after the end of World War II, Chinese markets, restaurants, gambling parlors, herb shops, and other businesses were still open, along with organizations including the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association, the Kuomintang (the Chinese Nationalist Party), the Suey On Association, and the Bing Kong Tong. The earthquake of 1952 brought about the destruction of most Chinatown buildings. However, a small number were rebuilt to serve the needs of Chinese residents; these included the Ying On (formerly Suey On) Association at 2110 L Street and the Let Sing Gong Temple at 18th and R Streets. A new Chinese school and headquarters of the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association, also known as the Confucius Church, was established in 1949 and survived the earthquake.

A plaque in China Alley, between 21st and 22nd Streets at the center of Old Chinatown, commemorates the alley’s 1992 inclusion on the Register of Historic Places by the Bakersfield City Council.

In 2017 the entire contents of the Let Sing Gong Temple, one of the last remnants of New Chinatown, were relocated to the Kern County Museum. The altar and other furnishings were placed on display in the Chinese joss house that is part of the museum’s Pioneer Village.