China Pearl

Chinese American food and restaurants are embedded in our national culture. While many original Chinese settlements have disappeared across the country, no major American city lacks a Chinese restaurant. But that popularity was hard won. Chinese restaurants in Boston contended with police raids and enduring stereotypes well into the 20th century, often being labeled as raucous establishments. The clientele included Chinese, Jewish, and Syrian neighbors, as well as outsiders, with sometimes gaudy décor to highlight the restaurant as an exotic destination. The Daily Advertiser in 1900 described Chinatown’s restaurants as “a visiting place for the curious.” By the 1940s, restaurateurs reported that three-quarters of the customer base was non-Chinese.

The rise of Chinatown as a cultural cornerstone of the city owes much to the diligence, ingenuity, and spirit of its residents, business owners, and workforce. Restaurants have served as significant employers

One of Boston Chinatown’s oldest establishments is the China Pearl, opened in 1960 by Yoke Soon “Billy” Chin, whose family roots in the neighborhood date back to the 19th century. Located at 9 Tyler Street, it occupies the same space as its predecessor, Hon Loy Doo, a Chinese restaurant operating since 1935. Chin and his partners would go on to open eighteen different Chinese restaurants and eateries in Boston during the 1970s and 80s.

At the beginning, it wasn’t smooth sailing. Chin once joked that the stillness and quiet in the restaurant made a passerby think it was a funeral home. “In the first three months, we almost failed,” he recalled. Relentless effort turned the China Pearl into not just a bustling restaurant but a destination. Alongside his brother Frank, Billy made the China Pearl a hub for political fundraising activities to increase the influence of Chinese Americans in Boston.

Ricky Moy, who had worked in the dining hall, took over the business in 1989. The Moy family continued China Pearl’s legacy as not just a restaurant but a space to connect the community to the world. The large event space hosted wedding parties as well as New Year banquets for non-profits, neighborhood associations, and politicians. Brian Moy, Ricky’s son, described it as a gathering place. “The community really banded together…around…China Pearl, doing the fundraisers, getting to meet the politicians and having their voice be heard.” Brian and his sister Patty continue to own and operate the China Pearl, now with a second location, making it an intergenerational venture and maintaining its legacy to the spirit of community and entrepreneurship in Chinatown.