SLO's Old Chinatown by Ewingjr98
One of the first Chinese to settle in San Luis Obispo was a Cantonese man named On Wong, better known as Ah Louis. He arrived in SLO in 1870 after an unsuccessful attempt at gold mining. He opened his shop at 800 Palm Street to serve the growing Chinese community, and the building still stands at this site today. He later organized labor parties to construct key roads and railroad tunnels in the area. SLO's Chinatown sprang up around Ah Louis' store. Chinese residents called the area "Tong Yun Fow," or Chinese People?s City. The area grew to less than 400 Chinese by 1890, making up some 10 percent of SLO's total population.
Today, besides the Ah Louis building, a chop suey shop called Mee Heng Low, Chong's Candy Store, and a Chinese theater are the only remnants of this community. When the parking garage next to Ah Louis was constructed, students from Cal Poly did an archeology dig at the site, and on display on the back of the first floor are photos, stories, pottery, and foundations of one of the old buildings.