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Tickets at WBEZ.org slash events.

It's Curious City, where we take your questions about Chicago and the region.

And investigate.

Report.

Explore.

From WBEZ.

What's up, Chicago?

I'm Erin Allen.

You know when you go to Chinatown in Chicago, you're going to find a lively neighborhood with popular restaurants, bakeries, and shops. Chinatown was established more than 100 years ago, and a lot of what

you see today is thanks to family associations that have helped shape and anchor the neighborhood.

Mindy Kong and Amy Chin joined up to find the answer to this week's question.

When you go to Chinatown, you're probably not looking up. But if you do, you might notice

dozens of large signs hung above the sea of restaurants and businesses all around the neighborhood.

They're easy to miss. They're written mostly in Chinese. They're several feet wide, and they're often placed at the very tip top of various buildings.

These signs are owned by Chinese family associations, groups whose members share a last name or ancestral hometown.

In the early days of Chinatown, they were a cornerstone of the neighborhood's civic and social life.

But is that still the case today?

That's what one curious city listener asked us.

Turns out, the answer led us on a bit of a journey through Chinatown's history itself.

...