Chinatowns around the world have a distinct, iconic look, but this is not because they represent what real Chinese cities once looked like. In the 1800s, San Francisco’s Chinese-American population found refuge from anti-Asian hate in an area that became known as Chinatown, which had standard Western architecture. However, the city planners viewed Chinatown as a prime real estate opportunity and wanted to move it miles away from downtown. But in 1906, an earthquake destroyed Chinatown, which the city saw as an opportunity to move forward with their plan. Chinese-American businessmen, however, had a different plan and hired white architects to transform Chinatown into a tourist attraction. This included curved eaves, detailed facades, colorful tiled roofs, and Chinese pagodas, which were typically reserved for religious structures in China. This plan worked, and the city planners backed off, allowing Chinatown to thrive with a template for survival that would be replicated around the world.