The Combat Zone is an area within Chinatown that is legally zoned as an adult entertainment district. Deriving its name from the port-of-call sailors who frequented Boston for centuries, the Combat Zone was codified and moved to Washington Street to make way for Boston’s new City Hall. During...

The Vietnamese Chinese who fled Vietnam significantly altered a part of Washington Street previously untenable for development. They were the only group willing to risk launching businesses near the dangerous, mob-run “Combat Zone”. They brought new vitality to the area, paving the way for...