Chinatown
Vancouver’s Chinatown centers along just a 1.1-kilometre stretch of Pender Street, yet it has emerged as one of Canada’s popular tourist destinations. Counting amongst the largest of North America’s Chinatowns, this neighbourhood has also been declared a historic district. The historic character can be appreciated in the architecture of Chinatown’s buildings featuring unique recessed balconies, decorative parapets, and cornices.
The neighbourhood asserts its identity even more in the impressive architecture of its Millennium Gate. This Chinatown entrance straddles West Pender Street near its intersection with Taylor Street and is immediately striking with its four-pillar, three-story-tall structure built in 2002 to mark the new millennium.
More than this symbolism, the gate pays tribute to Vancouver’s early Chinese settlers who came in during the late 19th century. It depicts a combination of traditional and modern art forms to commemorate Chinatown’s journey in time. The gate’s features include ornate representations of various Chinese folks on top and two stone foo lions below.
The Dr. Sun Yat Sen Classical Chinese Garden is another source of pride for the neighbourhood’s residents. A registered museum, the Ming Dynasty-style home garden is a venue for cultural programs and events, including concerts, exhibits, festivals, and educational programs.
Just across the south of this garden, visitors and locals can also enjoy the wide range of facilities of Andy Livingstone Park. The park’s features include serene trails along lush gardens and a stream, a seating area near a pond, a waterfall, and an open field with lighting and artificial turf suited for soccer, hockey or softball.
Vancouver’s Chinatown is also home to the International Village Mall offering more than 60 retail stores, a convenient underground parking lot, a food court and fascinating LED displays. The mall, previously known as “Tinseltown”, hosts the Cineplex Odeon theatres on its third floor and has been home to several local film festivals.
On the eastern edge of Chinatown, Vancouverites offer a memorial to the First World War in the
0.36-hectare park Victory Square. Its landmark is a 9.14-metre high Cenotaph obelisk of Nelson Island granite with war memorial inscriptions. Vancouver has been holding Remembrance Day ceremonies at this park since 1924.
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