Where do the local Chinese in Vancouver like to spend time?
Dec 30, 2015, 7:34 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 269
Where do the local Chinese in Vancouver like to spend time?
I'll be visiting Vancouver for the first time in over 20 years, and I've read repeatedly that Vancouver has quite the chinese population (immigrant and canadian born chinese). Are there neighborhoods/ shops that are favorites of the local chinese? I'm not interested in buying chinese trinkets, just getting a taste of the local favorite spots.
If the chinatown in Vancouver is anything like the Chinatown in other cities, then it's more of a tourist attraction than functional cultural center for the local chinese community.
Is cantonese still widely spoken in Vancouver?
If the chinatown in Vancouver is anything like the Chinatown in other cities, then it's more of a tourist attraction than functional cultural center for the local chinese community.
Is cantonese still widely spoken in Vancouver?
Dec 30, 2015, 7:50 pm
#2
Join Date: Mar 2014
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Posts: 194
Chinatown in Vancouver is less of a tourist attraction, and more of a market type of neighborhood known for its proximity to low income housing and drug use. There are some great eateries and shops in the district. Maybe a few small gardens as well.
If you venture out to Richmond (the city in which the airport is situated), you will encounter virtually a whole Chinese/Hong Kong feel in which there are restaurants galore, billiard halls, gaming stores, and people driving flashy cars around town. Make sure to visit at night because Richmond is a ghost town in the early mornings, especially on weekends.
Cantonese is widely spoken, yes. You will not have a problem speaking it in the areas I just mentioned.
If you venture out to Richmond (the city in which the airport is situated), you will encounter virtually a whole Chinese/Hong Kong feel in which there are restaurants galore, billiard halls, gaming stores, and people driving flashy cars around town. Make sure to visit at night because Richmond is a ghost town in the early mornings, especially on weekends.
Cantonese is widely spoken, yes. You will not have a problem speaking it in the areas I just mentioned.
Dec 31, 2015, 1:59 am
#3
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Vancouver, BC
Posts: 1,552
The Chinese population in Vancouver has evolved with different waves of immigration of the years. There's still a lot of Cantonese spoken due to the waves of immigration from HKG but you're hearing a lot of Mandarin nowadays due to the immigration from mainland China.
Chinatown isn't the central hub that it used to be as Chinese markets/stores (T&T, Chong Lee, etc) have sprouted up throughout the lower mainland so the need to head to Chinatown to shop for Chinese groceries has diminished. While Chinatown is still a functional Chinese marketplace it's a bit of a shadow of its past with a bunch of trendy/hipster type restaurants and condos sprouting up around its fringe.
The largest Chinese community nowadays is likely in the suburb of Richmond with a few high concentration areas of Chinese businesses and restaurants (eg Aberdeen Mall vicinity/along #3 Road). In fact, local news publicized that the city is looking to hire a signage coordinator to encourage businesses to include English in their signs. Richmond isn't really a pedestrian friendly so it's a different experience from Chinatown. The closest experience IMO would be visiting Aberdeen Mall and larger shopping centres like Yaohan Centre (or even just the "regular" malls like Landsdowne or Richmond Centre).
Also, as mentioned, Chinese markets/restaurants are fairly distributed with pockets in East Vancouver along Victoria Drive, Fraser, Kingsway, etc.
Chinatown isn't the central hub that it used to be as Chinese markets/stores (T&T, Chong Lee, etc) have sprouted up throughout the lower mainland so the need to head to Chinatown to shop for Chinese groceries has diminished. While Chinatown is still a functional Chinese marketplace it's a bit of a shadow of its past with a bunch of trendy/hipster type restaurants and condos sprouting up around its fringe.
The largest Chinese community nowadays is likely in the suburb of Richmond with a few high concentration areas of Chinese businesses and restaurants (eg Aberdeen Mall vicinity/along #3 Road). In fact, local news publicized that the city is looking to hire a signage coordinator to encourage businesses to include English in their signs. Richmond isn't really a pedestrian friendly so it's a different experience from Chinatown. The closest experience IMO would be visiting Aberdeen Mall and larger shopping centres like Yaohan Centre (or even just the "regular" malls like Landsdowne or Richmond Centre).
Also, as mentioned, Chinese markets/restaurants are fairly distributed with pockets in East Vancouver along Victoria Drive, Fraser, Kingsway, etc.
Dec 31, 2015, 4:14 am
#4
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+1 to all the above-mentioned observations. You'll be able to communicate in Cantonese in most Chinese establishments throughout the lower mainland though as mentioned, more mandarin is becoming more used especially in Richmond with resulting incidents such as this one.
Neighbourhoods in Vancouver proper that are very Cantonese (I used to live in one) are broadly Victoria Drive between 30th and 43rd avenues, Fraser between 41st and 51st avenues. Lots of Viet intermingled however. I think Kingsway is more Viet and Korean these days. And yes, Chinatown is very much a shadow of its former self these days and has been so for a decade since the lower mainland's Chinese population dispersed out of east Vancouver.
If you leave the lower mainland, there seems to be quite a Chinese presence in Nanaimo that surprised me.
Neighbourhoods in Vancouver proper that are very Cantonese (I used to live in one) are broadly Victoria Drive between 30th and 43rd avenues, Fraser between 41st and 51st avenues. Lots of Viet intermingled however. I think Kingsway is more Viet and Korean these days. And yes, Chinatown is very much a shadow of its former self these days and has been so for a decade since the lower mainland's Chinese population dispersed out of east Vancouver.
If you leave the lower mainland, there seems to be quite a Chinese presence in Nanaimo that surprised me.
Dec 31, 2015, 1:41 pm
#5
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: YOW
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When are you coming to Vancouver? If you hold off until May you can visit the Richmond Night Market, which is an attraction unto itself, and runs the length of the summer. Tons of vendors and stalls of all different things, although I suppose now it is a bit more "touristy", albeit with a strong Asian flair.
Haven't ventured down to Chinatown recently myself, since it's not necessarily the nicest part of town, but as mentioned above Victoria Dr and Kingsway do have strong Chinese influences. The majority of the North part of Richmond is very very Chinese influenced, but not sure about favourites of the local Chinese down there.
Haven't ventured down to Chinatown recently myself, since it's not necessarily the nicest part of town, but as mentioned above Victoria Dr and Kingsway do have strong Chinese influences. The majority of the North part of Richmond is very very Chinese influenced, but not sure about favourites of the local Chinese down there.