Vancouver Chinatown BIA Society
508 Taylor Street, Vancouver, BC, V6B 6M4
604-632-3808 | Website
Immerse yourself in Asian culture at Vancouver’s Chinatown, the second largest in North America.
Category:
Shopping & Services
What:
| Store Type | | Shopping Areas |
Where:
| Neighbourhood | | Vancouver |
| Getting There | | Take bus #22 Knight or bus #19 Metrotown from Downtown Vancouver. Disembark at the stop after the Millennium Gate. There are plenty of buses heading up and down East Hastings Street., Main Street. and East Pender Street that can bring you to Chinatown as well. |
When:
| BIA office open Monday – Friday 9AM – 5PM |
Profile Last Updated: July 25, 2008
The East Meets Western Canada
Vancouver’s Chinatown has been around since the late 1800s, when Chinese immigrants were first setting up in Vancouver. They formed two alleys in the city called Shanghai and Canton. By 1890, Shanghai Alley was home to more than 1,000 Chinese residents. For a long time, Vancouver’s Chinatown was an unofficial neighbourhood. Chinese people lived there and there were Chinese shops all around the area, but no support was coming from the province or the city. Then, in the early 1990s, the Chinatown business community, through the Vancouver Chinatown Merchants Association, began to search for an effective vehicle to fund and implement projects to revitalize the area. In 2000, they implemented the Vancouver Chinatown Business Improvement Area. The focus is on improving Chinatown’s safety and cleanliness, expanding and strengthening its promotions and events and working with the media and external partners to improve Chinatown’s public realm, public perception and relations.
What’s There?
Vancouver’s Chinatown is home to several great attractions. One is the Vancouver Chinatown Millennium Gate. This physical structure that is symbolic of both past and future was planned to commemorate this "Journey in Time." You can also visit the historical alleys on which Chinatown was created. There are also several shops and restaurants crammed into Chinatown, servicing your every shopping and dining need. During the summer, on weekend evenings, Keefer and Pender Streets turn into an open-air night market. If you have time for a leisurely meal, try dim sum at one of the many small restaurants. It is an inexpensive, multi-course culinary adventure.
Events and Stuff
This is the place to be in Vancouver for unique events! Check out the food fair every year, where people can sample various types of cuisine, watch cooking demos and even participate in the cooking contest.
Vancouver’s Chinatown has been around since the late 1800s, when Chinese immigrants were first setting up in Vancouver. They formed two alleys in the city called Shanghai and Canton. By 1890, Shanghai Alley was home to more than 1,000 Chinese residents. For a long time, Vancouver’s Chinatown was an unofficial neighbourhood. Chinese people lived there and there were Chinese shops all around the area, but no support was coming from the province or the city. Then, in the early 1990s, the Chinatown business community, through the Vancouver Chinatown Merchants Association, began to search for an effective vehicle to fund and implement projects to revitalize the area. In 2000, they implemented the Vancouver Chinatown Business Improvement Area. The focus is on improving Chinatown’s safety and cleanliness, expanding and strengthening its promotions and events and working with the media and external partners to improve Chinatown’s public realm, public perception and relations.
What’s There?
Vancouver’s Chinatown is home to several great attractions. One is the Vancouver Chinatown Millennium Gate. This physical structure that is symbolic of both past and future was planned to commemorate this "Journey in Time." You can also visit the historical alleys on which Chinatown was created. There are also several shops and restaurants crammed into Chinatown, servicing your every shopping and dining need. During the summer, on weekend evenings, Keefer and Pender Streets turn into an open-air night market. If you have time for a leisurely meal, try dim sum at one of the many small restaurants. It is an inexpensive, multi-course culinary adventure.
Events and Stuff
This is the place to be in Vancouver for unique events! Check out the food fair every year, where people can sample various types of cuisine, watch cooking demos and even participate in the cooking contest.
