Vancouver - Chinatown

Vancouver's exotic and interesting Chinatown, the largest in North America apart from San Francisco's, extends east of Carrall St. as far as Gore Ave. Set among the modern functional buildings are many older ones dating from Victorian times, some with typically Chinese features. E. Pender St. and Keefer St. (the main shopping streets) are crowded with restaurants.

At lunchtime these serve "dim sum", a sort of Chinese brunch which can sometimes include less familiar Chinese dishes. Many of the shopsn in Chinatown describe their wares only in Chinese and some of the foodstuffs on display are to say the least unusual to European eyes. Vegetables and fruit are sold on the streets. Even the telephone kiosks are shaped like pagodas. Running between the streets proper are narrow alleyways such as the Truance or "Blood" Alley. These are used for deliveries to the shops and also give access to the flats and habitations. Every year the Chinese New Year festival is celebrated with a procession and fireworks.

The first Chinese came to western Canada in the 19th c. during the gold-rush and most of the laborers hired in the 1880s to build the railway were also Chinese coolies. Those who survived the rigors of such a hard life settled mainly in the Vancouver area. With their alien ways the Chinese were generally looked down upon and their preparedness to work for low rates of pay led to friction with white workers. As a result they suffered numerous attacks. With its opium cellars and secret societies the Chinese quarter used to be regarded with the utmost suspicion and was long considered a place to be avoided. Not only were the Chinese population denied Canadian citizenship, they were also made to pay additional taxes and had special conditions of employment imposed. They were only granted the right to vote in 1949.

Today Vancouver has a large Chinese population, only a few of whom live in Chinatown.