Business Spotlight: Chinatown Legacy Tours
Bernice, co-founder of Chinatown Legacy Tours
Blog by Cadence Tan, Photos by Griffin Ong
Chinatown Legacy Tours
Launched in February 2025, Chinatown Legacy Tours is a community-rooted walking tour business that offers immersive storytelling experiences led by longtime residents. With guides who personally witnessed the neighborhood’s evolution, the tours uncover Chinatown’s rich cultural heritage and community resilience.
Roger, co-founder of Chinatown Legacy Tours
It started with two childhood friends, Bernice and Roger, who grew up in the tight-knit community of Chinatown. Like so many of us who were raised in the neighborhood, they saw how much it changed over the years. But rather than letting those memories fade, they decided to do something bold: preserve and share them. That’s how Chinatown Legacy Tours came to life.
Roger, a five-time Emmy-winning TV producer, knows the power of storytelling. Born and raised in Chinatown, he went to NYU before building a career as a TV producer working on shows like World News Tonight and Good Morning America.
“Growing up here, you see things others don't. You live through them. That perspective is what we wanted to share, something deeper than the surface-level version of Chinatown tourists usually get,” Roger told me. The goal wasn’t to glamorize Chinatown’s darker past, but to show a more honest picture of its history.
Bernice studied advertising and graphic design at FIT and now works as a social media specialist at a law firm. But her heart has always been tied to Chinatown. “I grew up here during the ‘70s and ’80s, I remember the gang activity, the family restaurants, the shopkeepers who watched us grow up. Many of those places are gone now,” she shared. “This is my way of giving back, of keeping those stories alive.”
Chinatown Legacy Tours offers a unique experience with real stories shared by those who grew up in the neighborhood. Their signature Chinatown Underworld Experience guides guests through the rich and sometimes gritty history of Chinatown. What makes the tour truly impactful isn’t just the history, it’s the voices telling it.
I recently took the Chinatown Underworld Experience tour, and even though I grew up in the neighborhood, I walked away learning so much I never knew. Hearing these stories from people who lived them made it feel less like a tour and more like an honest, heartfelt conversation. It was refreshing, even a bit emotional, to learn more about a place I thought I already deeply knew..
“My favorite part is seeing people’s faces react when they hear something new about Chinatown,” – Bernice
Running a tour business isn’t easy, especially when you’re doing it with full-time jobs on the side. Roger juggles his work as a TV producer while handling everything from outreach to hotels and agencies to booking tours, aiming for at least one tour per day. Meanwhile, Bernice manages the behind-the-scenes logistics such as updating routes, meeting with partners, and keeping everything organized. Both of them lead the tours personally, making sure each experience feels genuine and personal. They also invite guest speakers who have played key roles in Chinatown’s history, whether former police officers or ex-gang members, adding even more authenticity to each tour.
“We chose the word ‘legacy’ for a reason. It’s about resilience. Chinatown has been through so much, from discrimination to displacement to change, but it’s still here. We want people to see that, to feel it.” – Roger
Their plans for the future are ambitious and exciting. They’re launching the Flavors of Asia Experience, a food tour that mixes sit-down tastings with grab-and-go bites from some of Chinatown’s best spots. It's another way to honor the neighborhood while supporting its businesses.
If you haven’t been on a Chinatown Legacy Tour yet, I can’t recommend it enough. Whether you’re a local like me or just visiting, it’ll open your eyes to stories that deserve to be told and remembered.