As a kid, I knew Chinatown was the place my family would come to for yum cha, Chinese baked goods, and roast duck. While my parents bought groceries from Burlington and Yuen's, my siblings and I would rattle the change from my parents' pockets and dunk them into the ever mildewed goldfish pond.
This is, I assume, what killed all of the fish and prompted the local council to put together blue prints for a cleaner, more open Chinatown, and in many ways they've succeeded. Just like King George Square was cleaned out and flattened, Chinatown's received a similar treatment.
The main area resembles a futuristic temple entrance, the area is open, and feels slightly sterile. (Cleaners come by every night and buff the floors.) But it does create more dining space for restaurants, as well as space for the Chinatown markets that take place here, with many goods like jewelry, toy's, plants, and bags imported from Asia being sold here for cheap.
There is also now ample space for a hundred lion dances, though the celebrations during Chinese New Years at Chinatown nowadays are depressingly few. Yes it's cleaner and more modern, and the renovations made to the driveways up to the parking lot are a welcome change, but as Chinatown ages, there's less and less about it that's actually Chinese.
The old pagodas have been torn down, there are no volunteers handing out moon cakes at Lunar Year celebrations, and the 'Chinese Movie Night' they have on offer are only Hollywood Films starring Chinese people. There's definitely less to see and less going on here, but it's still a pleasant place to have a rest. It's just a little bit soulless and sparse; if you're after the real Chinatown, head to Sunnybank. read more