Celebrating the people, small businesses, and stories of Chinatown
Our mission is to make Chinese American history and culture more accessible to the public.
By hosting Chinatown walking tours, creating educational social media content, and partnering with community organizations, we strive to preserve Chinatown’s rich cultural heritage, bring business to the neighborhood, and share the stories of our community.
Our Story
We are Chloe and Anna, second-generation Chinese Americans who met through volunteer tour guide training at the Museum of Chinese in America in June 2019. The stories we shared at the museum weren’t the ones we had learned in school. From the dark origins of the Chinese Exclusion Act to the challenges that Chinese Americans continue to face in pursuit of the American Dream, we saw how prejudice and stigma often stemmed from a lack of knowledge and understanding.
Museum Tour Guides
Mott Street Girls aka MSG. We’re named after one of the oldest streets in Chinatown and a flavor enhancer often associated with Chinese food. For years, people associated Chinese food with unpleasant symptoms - headaches, nausea, heart palpitations - known collectively as the "Chinese Restaurant Syndrome (CRS)." CRS is not only scientifically inaccurate but also antiquated and xenophobic. The stigma around MSG is why many still perceive Chinese food as unhealthy and processed. At Mott Street Girls, we seek to reclaim the meaning of MSG and rewrite its narrative.
Meaning Behind Our Name
By hosting Chinatown walking tours, creating educational social media content, and partnering with community organizations, we strive to preserve Chinatown’s rich cultural heritage, bring business to the neighborhood, and share the stories of our community.
Preserving Chinatown
During the COVID-19 pandemic, history repeated itself. Xenophobia and misinformation decimated tourism in Chinatown and threatened the survival of aging residents and immigrant-owned small businesses. We co-founded Mott Street Girls in March 2020 to make Chinese American history and culture more accessible to the public.
COVID-19 Pandemic
Every weekend, we host the “Relive Life Under the Chinese Exclusion Act” tour in Manhattan's Chinatown. As tour guides, education serves as our means to empower and enact change. By telling meaningful stories that bring Chinatown’s past and present to life, we help locals and tourists draw deeper connections to its culture and people. Amid the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes, finding the commonalities between our diverse experiences is how we can close the cultural gap and build empathy.
Chinatown Walking Tours
We believe in giving back to the community and have fundraised over $30,000 to support nonprofit organizations and small businesses in Chinatown. Organizations we have donated to include: Welcome to Chinatown, Send Chinatown Love, Chinatown Mural Project, Chinatown Community Fridge, Apex for Youth, and Heart of Dinner.
Giving Back
Thank You
We are a minority and women-owned business. Our walking tours have been featured on The Today Show, NBC, Thrillist, Culture Trip, Fodor's Travel, TripAdvisor, and more! We have received the Top 50 Unsung Heroes Award and Spirit of Chinatown Award for our work in supporting, amplifying, and celebrating the Chinatown community. Follow us on Instagram to stay updated on our work!
Our NBC Feature
Anna Huang and Chloe Chan launched Mott Street Girls during the pandemic to provide walking tours of Chinatown in New York City to help the community they love while educating people on Chinese American history and culture. For the 3rd Hour of TODAY, NBC News Now anchor Savanah Sellers sits down with the guides to learn about their impact.
