Chinatown is a 1974 novel only.
A Chinatown is an ethnic enclave of Chinese or Han people located outside mainland China or Taiwan , most often in an urban setting . Chinatown is an ethnic enclave in Downtown Toronto , Ontario , Canada , with a high concentration of ethnic Chinese residents and businesses extending along Dundas Street West and Spadina Avenue west of the centre of the city . Chinatown is a 1974 American neo-noir mystery film , directed by Roman Polanski from a screenplay by Robert Towne , starring Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway . Chinatown in Washington , D.C. , is a small , historic borough east of downtown consisting of about 20 ethnic Chinese and other Asian restaurants and small businesses along H and I Streets between 5th and 8th Streets , Northwest .