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Millennium Gate marking the western entrance to Chinatown, incorporates both Eastern and Western symbols to commemorate the “Journey in Time” looking both to the past and the future

Chinatown in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, is one of the largest Chinatowns in North America. Its location is centred on Pender Street. It is surrounded by Gastown and the Downtown Financial and Central Business Districts to the west, remnants of old Japantown and the Downtown Eastside to the north and the residential neighbourhood of Strathcona to the east. The approximate street borders of Chinatown’s commercial area are Hastings, Georgia, Gore, and Taylor Streets, although its boundaries extend well into the residential area south of the Downtown Eastside. Main, Pender, and Keefer Streets are the principal areas of commercial activity.

Due to the large ethnic Chinese presence in Vancouver-especially represented by multi-generation Chinese Canadians and first-generation immigrants from Hong Kong, the city has been referred to as Hongcouver (a term considered derogatory by some). Chinatown remains a popular tourist attraction, but was more recently overshadowed by the newer Asian immigrant business district along No. 3 Road in the Vancouver suburb of Richmond. Many affluent Hong Kong and Taiwanese immigrants have moved there since the late 1980s, coinciding with the increase of Chinese-ethnic retail and restaurants in that area. This new area is designated the “Golden Village” by Tourism Richmond.

Vancouver’s Chinatown is one of the largest historic Chinatowns in North America. However, it went into decline as newer members of Vancouver’s Cantonese Chinese community founded a new retail area centred around Victoria and 41st Ave in the 1980s and 90s to cater to a more suburban population. Today this is the largest Chinese Canadian neighbourhood in greater Vancouver.

Chinatown was once known for its neon signs but like the rest of the city lost many of the spectacular signs to changing times and a new sign bylaw passed in 1974. The last of the spectaculars was the Ho Ho sign (which showed a rice bowl and chop sticks) which was removed in 1997. Ongoing efforts at revitalization include efforts by the business community to improve safety by hiring private security; looking at new marketing promotions and introducing residential units into the neighbourhood by restoring and renovating some of the heritage buildings. Current focus is on the restoration and adaptive reuse of the distinctive Association buildings.