A single block in downtown Hanford that has somehow survived intact from the late 19th century, China Alley is the best-preserved rural Chinatown in California. Chinese workers settled here after finishing the Southern Pacific Railroad in the 1870s, and at its peak the Alley housed shops, a temple, an herbalist, a school, and the famous Imperial Dynasty restaurant. Most of the buildings still stand and many retain their original interiors.
The China Alley Preservation Society offers guided tours by appointment that cover the Taoist Temple, the L.T. Sue Tea Room, and the Chinese-language school. Without a guide you can still walk the Alley and read the interpretive plaques. It is the most concentrated, unusual block of history in the Central Valley.