This Tour Company Is Sharing the Untold Stories of Manhattan’s Chinatown With Local-led Tours

Manhattan’s Chinatown has long been one of New York City’s most coveted tourist stops, with travelers stopping by to grab cheap eats and snap selfies. But many may not realize the storied past of the streets they’re walking on. 

“They miss the depth, the resilience, and the food culture that’s evolved over decades,” Chinatown Legacy Tours founder and CEO Roger Lee told Travel + Leisure. 

So, earlier this year, he and his childhood friend, Bernice Pfluger, launched the company with the intent to help travelers make the connection between the legendary allure of the neighborhood and the people who actually live there. Lee works in TV and digital media and has won six Emmys; Pfluger is a multimedia designer and art director. Together, they’ve combined their creative talents to tell the real stories of Manhattan’s Chinatown.

“I grew up here,” Lee said. “I know the streets, the shop owners, the little details most people walk right past. It’s not just history I read somewhere. It’s my lived experience, and the lived experiences of all our hosts.”

To help foster that connection, Chinatown Legacy Tour groups are intimately sized and are led by people who have lived in the neighborhood for years.

On a Sunday afternoon, I joined the company’s Chinatown Underworld Premium Experience and was surprised to find that one of our guest hosts, Michael Lau, was the former commanding officer of the New York Police Department’s 5th Precinct. He patrolled the area in the 1980s and 1990s, when gang violence dominated the streets. As we walked with him, it seemed like every building was a reminder of something he had experienced there.

“That’s what makes the tours personal and authentic,” Lee says. “That approach has really resonated with our guests. They often say it feels like just hanging out with friends, showing you their neighborhood.”

It definitely felt like that to me, and I instinctively started to empathize deeply with the harsh realities Lau had to face. But then—to my surprise—we met our second host, a former member of the Flying Dragons gang. Hearing his stories brought a completely different perspective to the experience. 

As he recounted his younger years, we stood right on former Flying Dragons territory on Pell Street. I felt completely comfortable asking all the questions I had, from how he got involved with the gang to how his parents felt about it—all the things I never would have had the opportunity to ask on a run-of-the-mill tour.

Next, we visited Chinatown Fight Club—immediately recognizable by its trademark street graffiti—which is run by Carlos and Gayle Ferrer. The boxing gym was once the gang’s headquarters, and you can still see evidence of its past on its walls, floors, and ceilings. 

I’ve frequented Chinatown for more than two decades, and I felt like I knew the area pretty well. But it wasn’t until I took the Chinatown Underworld tour that I realized that my hairdresser was just a few doors down from the former gang headquarters, or how these streets saw some of the deepest and darkest stories of New York City play out.

“When [people] take one of our tours, something shifts,” Lee said. “They see what the neighborhood’s been through, meet the people keeping it alive, and walk away wanting to support local spots and actually be a part of the story moving forward.”

Lee believes that helping travelers make the connection between the stories of Chinatown and its many small businesses can help the neighborhood navigate the lingering effects of the COVID lockdowns, rising rent costs, and drop in tourism. Chinatown was once famed for its many late-night shops and restaurants, but Lee says he often sees the area clearing out by 9 p.m.—and few businesses are open late anymore.

“I wanted to create immersive experiences that bring people in, tell the real stories, and get money flowing back into the spots that keep the neighborhood’s culture alive,” he said.

And Chinatown Legacy Tours is catching on quickly. The company has even had several famous guests participate, including comedian Ronny Chieng (who talked to Travel + Leisure earlier this year about his own Chinatown favorites), Fung Brothers influencer Andrew Fung, and local WABC-TV news reporter CeFaan Kim.

There are a variety of tours to choose from, too. The company also has a shortened version of the Chinatown Underworld tour with just one guest speaker. And, since Chinatown is naturally known for its food, there’s also the Flavors of Asia tour, which is focused on tastings at family-run restaurants and street food that spans the Asian diaspora, including Malaysian roti canai, Vietnamese banh mi, Korean fried chicken, and Japanese desserts. There’s also a premium food tour with Chinatown native and Chopped winner chef Eric Kwan as the guide. No two tours are ever the same, and each speaker offers their own perspectives and love for Chinatown.

But despite this being his home, Lee says he’s well aware that the stories aren’t just his. “They belong to the community,” he said. “I’m just making sure they’re told right.”

For more information or to book a tour, visit chinatownlegacytours.com.