Chan Is Missing - Montage 1
A number of times during the movie director Wayne Wang takes us on a tour of Chinatown by way of a succession of images of people and places - windows, as it were, into the community.
Then … This first montage, lyrically set to a Chinese pop song about someone wandering without a home, plays out as Jo, hoping to see Chan Hung, waits outside his residentional hotel, the St. Paul at 935 Kearny (map).
… and Now, across the street the Chinatown service station at 900 Kearny on the corner of Jackson Street has been replaced by a modern building attached to the venerable Sentinel building seen at far left. Across Jackson on the right the empty lot that was the site of the International Hotel is now a low-income residential and community building.
Then … We next see a visual feast of Chinese language signs and banners along the 900 block of Grant Avenue. Even in black-and white it’s a colorful peek into the heart of Chinatown.
… and Now, here it is today in full color. The ever-popular Li Po lounge at 916 Grant on the right is still there. Its distinctive sign has survived, as has another directly above it, just out of the frame (it’s seen in the next image).
This recent image of the cave-like entrance and glowing neon signs hints at why Li Po has been a magnet for the thirsty since it first opened on February 10, 1937 (Chinese New Year's Eve), making it one of the first post-Prohibition bars in Chinatown. (Photo by Will Charczuk).
Then … On the corner of Grant Avenue and Clay Street a decorative street lantern aligns with a building built after the 1906 fire in a style, like many others in Chinatown, that met American preconceptions of traditional Chinese architecture.
… and Now, Grant Avenue’s ornate lanterns have been there since the 1939 Golden Gate International Exhibition. (Note Then and Now the cut-out that enabled the store awning to extend way out). 815 Clay Street in the background has long housed the Chin Wing Chuen Benevolent Association: Chinatown has many such tax-exempt organizations created for the benefit of community interests.
Then … Three generations of Chinatown residents gather outside New Maxim’s Bakery at 1249 Stockton Street. The Kum Yuen Restaurant at 1247 Stockton was next to it on the left.
… and Now, Both storefronts have since been modified but there’s still a restaurant, New Moon, at 1247 and a bakery, Little Swan, at 1249.
A little related history: New Maxim’s bakery at 1249 and its neighbor to the right at 1251 Stockton replaced a movie theater, the Times, after it was closed down in December 1976. Here’s a 1976 photo of the Times Theater. (The boarded-up store on the right would soon open as Hing Lung Barbecue which stayed in business there until closing in 2024 to the dismay of its many fans).
The theater, originally named the Acme Theater, was built in 1909. In this 1918 image its cheap pseudo-rococo frontage was more inviting than the modernized version, above. Check out too that wonderful 5-globe streetlamp.
Then … The background song closes with this shot of Steve and Jo walking on a busy street where a glimpse of an awning with the name Blanco’s is the clue to the location ...
… and Now, … Blanco’s Cocktail Bar was at 905 Kearny when the movie was filmed so this shot looked south along Kearny Street where Jackson Street crossed just ahead.
