In the Courtyard
Text and Photographs by Robert O'Malley
Betty Wong of Newton sits with her two young sons on a bench in the courtyard of Tai Tung Village. It's a warm summer day in 1994 and the courtyard is quiet.
 Fannie Kwan (left) talks in the Tai Tung courtyard with Betty Wong and her son. |
At least three times a week Wong and her children make the trip from suburban Newton to Tai Tung Village. She comes here to visit her husband's parents who have lived in the Chinatown housing complex for almost a quarter century. Like many residents of this clean, well-kept housing development, Wong's parents-in-law have lived here for many years. Wong's husband has a business nearby, so it's easy for him to drop in on his Asia-born parents during the work week.
Life at Boston's Tai Tung Village revolves around family. Parents and grandparents can often be seen caring for their children and grandchildren in the courtyard; grownups from the suburbs regularly make trips to the city to visit their elderly parents. It's the stability of family life, says one community worker, that contributes to the stability of the housing complex.
Wong says life at Tai Tung Village continues to improve. You only have to look at the well-kept trees and bushes, she says. The building and yard are always spotless; the elevators are always working. "I feel more safety also," she says, adding that she never feels afaid when she comes into Chinatown.
Wong says she often brings her children to Chinatown because she wants them to know more about Chinese culture and tradition. She brings them here to have their haircut or to attend community events. She wants her son to "know his roots," she says.
And while her children are happy to visit Tai Tung Village, she says they're less enthusiastic about the Chinatown commercial district. Tai Tung Village is bright and clean, but the commercial area is crowded and dirty, they say.
A Life in Restaurants
 Soo Lee takes a break in the Tai Tung courtyard. |
On a shaded bench a short distance away from the Wongs, 80-year-old Soo Lee sits under a tree in the courtyard. A bag of groceries from nearby Ming's Market sits on the bench beside him.
Lee is wearing a baseball cap and looks much younger than his 80 years. Lee came to Boston from Hong Kong in 1941 and has lived in Tai Tung Village since 1978. Until his retirement, he was a cook for many years at the former Cathay House Restaurant in Chinatown.
Lee says he likes the convenience of living in Chinatown. There are shops and restaurants close by. "Everything is taken care of here," he says. "I get up early and walk to Boston Common for exercise." He says he walks almost an hour a day to keep fit.
You're still so young, says an acquaintance who overhears him talking. Lee nods and smiles, happy to receive the compliment.
In the Chinese world longevity is an important value and something to aspire to!
Throughout the complex today, the residents seem buoyant, inspired by the warm summer weather.
In a storefront marital arts club inside the complex, a group of elderly women talk and play mah jongg at a table. The afternoon light and a warm summer wind flow through the open door, cooling and brightening the cavernous club. Swords, drums, and lion heads are scattered around the room. The women don't want to have their pictures taken; they don't want anyone to see them playing mah jongg.
Every day in Chinatown, many people pass the hours playing mah jongg in the neighborhood's family associations and social clubs, though most prefer not to talk about it because of its association with gambling.
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