San Buenaventura China Alley Memorial in Downtown Ventura
/The San Buenaventura China Alley Memorial is located on the Figueroa Street Mall at the 200 Block of East Main Street, adjacent to Mission Park.
The memorial is in memory of a Chinese community that was established in this area in the early 1870s. Chinese merchants, laborers, cooks, laundrymen, gardeners and servants conducted business and lived in small homes in the area.
The Chinese immigrants built housing, grew and sold food, and provided a place of worship for the immigrants. Artisans, vegetable gardeners and fishermen plied their trade. Merchants exported marine products and imported Chinese goods. Other contributions of the Chinese immigrants to the community included a water flume above the San Buenaventura Aqueduct along Ventura Avenue and the Chinese Fire Brigade that served China Alley and the surrounding neighborhood.
The population of the Chinese community in Ventura declined in the early years of the 20th century, largely due to the rise of anti-Chinese sentiment and restrictive immigration laws.
The China Alley Memorial honors the lives and history of these early Chinese pioneers in Ventura. The China Alley Historic Area is City of Buenaventura Historic Landmark No. 91.
