Chinatown

One of North America’s great Chinatowns

Vancouver’s Chinatown grew up in the 1880s around Pender, Keefer and Main Streets, as Chinese workers who helped build the Canadian Pacific Railway settled in the city. Despite decades of discriminatory laws, the community built family associations, businesses and cultural institutions that still shape the neighbourhood today. In 2011 it was designated a National Historic Site of Canada.

Walking its streets, you will see recessed balconies, decorative cornices and society buildings that are unique to Vancouver’s Chinatown, alongside herbal shops, bakeries, barbecue counters and a growing number of modern cafés and bars.

Gardens, museums and landmarks

The Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, opened in 1986, was the first full-scale classical Chinese garden built outside China, and is a calm escape in the middle of the city. Next door, the free public park offers a taste of the same design. The Millennium Gate spans Pender Street, and the Chinese Canadian Museum, in the historic Wing Sang Building, tells the story of Chinese Canadians across the country.

Food from old to new

Chinatown is a destination for food lovers, from long-running bakeries and dim sum to modern restaurants that reinterpret family recipes. Many independent businesses have been here for generations, and supporting them is part of the experience.

Getting there

Chinatown sits just east of downtown and south of Gastown. Stadium–Chinatown and Main Street–Science World SkyTrain stations are both a short walk away, and the flat streets make it easy to explore on foot.