China Camp preserves legacy of Bay Area’s Chinese shrimp fishing community

ONCE A THRIVING CENTER of Chinese shrimp fishing, China Camp in present day San Rafael is remembered for its role in the Bay Area’s maritime economy and the community that sustained it.

In the late 19^th century, Point San Pedro became a seasonal fishing village populated largely by immigrants from the Kwantung province of China. By 1890, the settlement swelled to nearly 500 residents who harvested grass shrimp from the San Francisco and San Pablo bays, processing the catch onshore and shipping much of it to China.