In every city in the world, there is always a Chinatown. Montreal is not an exception. So can we say that a major city in the world is not complete without a Chinatown?
My niece, AnK and I were not in particularly looking for this piece of Montreal, we just accidentally bumped into this neighbourhood during our walk around the city. The place is not that big, perhaps consisting of a few blocks with Saint Laurent Boulevard as its main avenue. The demographic population in Chinatown is of course mainly Chinese, however, the Vietnamese is a growing minority.
A trend these days is that many Chinatowns across the world have become heterogeneous, mixing with other East Asian cultures and population, thereby offering not only Chinese products and services but also other Asian stuff. So in many Chinatowns these days, you can see Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese and Thai restaurants and shops. For the majority of non-Asians, they do not really see much of the difference, especially because people from East Asian origin look very similar to each other. Take a look at the Chinatown in London, which is a good example for this discussion. In Amsterdam as well, which is located just beside the Red Light District, the place is a mixture of all things Asian.
If I am looking for a nice authentic Asian bowl of noodles, I am definitely going here. I am a big noodle fan by the way. This is one of my comfort foods. The shops and restaurants here at Montreal’s Chinatown are also open past the business hours, so this place is a good alternative to late dining.
At the Saint Laurent Boulevard corner Avenue Viger West and Boulevard Rene Levesque West you will find the main Chinese pagoda gates with the lions. They are called ‘paifangs’ which means a traditional architectural arch and comes in a number of styles and forms. These have become the symbol of Chinatowns outside China.
In addition, Montreal’s Chinatown is just a stone’s throw away from the centre of Old Montreal. See the map below:
TRIVIA: Did you know that Chinatown was home to many Jewish and Irish immigrants before the First World War?
Montreal’s Chinatown is also the third largest Chinatown in Canada, following after Toronto and Vancouver. Oh, I would love to visit these cities sometime in the near future as well.
Travel Period: September 2015
Destination: Montreal (Quebec), Canada
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