City of Vancouver - Chinatown Revitalization Program

Photo Credits:

Chinese Arch on C.P.R. dock at foot of Howe Street (Sept. 14, 1896)
City of Vancouver Archives,
Arch P25

Exterior of Yick Lung Jin, Merchant Tailors' Shop at 426 Carrall Street (1897 or 1898)
City of Vancouver Archives,
Bu P3.2

Children marching in a Victory parade in Chinatown (Aug 1945)
Jack Lindsay photo,
City of Vancouver Archives,
CVA 1184-3052

Victory celebration parade in Chinatown (Aug 1945)
Jack Lindsay photo,
City of Vancouver Archives,
CVA 1184-3043

Vancouver's Chinatown is a community with a long history. The first Chinese immigrants to British Columbia arrived in 1858 from California where they had worked for more than a decade. From California, they followed the stream of fortune seekers that came to BC searching for gold. When the gold rush ended many of those that had traveled up the coast found work stringing telegraph wires or working in canneries. The building of the Canadian Pacific Railway sparked the next large influx of immigrants as 17,000 Chinese came to Canada between 1881 and 1885.

Chinese Arch on C.P.R. dock at foot of Howe Street (Sept. 14, 1896)

The completion of the CPR put hundreds of Chinese out of work and their employment options were typically limited to housework, laundry service, tailoring, or vegetable delivery. Discrimination from certain occupations also limited the Chinese to living around 1st Street in Vancouver, which was shortly thereafter named Shanghai Alley.

In 1885 the Canadian government introduced a "head tax" on Chinese immigrants, which cost $50, and was eventually increased to $500 in 1903.

As the economy went into recession at the turn of the century, the discrimination and resentment against Chinese rose to new levels. Many argued that Chinese labourers undercut the employment of white men by working for extremely low wages. In 1907, a white protest turned into a riot as crowds swept through Chinatown breaking windows and causing general destruction of any Chinese businesses. For several days, crowds returned to destroy property and businesses were closed and boarded up until repairs could be done without the threat of more damage.

In 1923, the Canadian government introduced the Chinese Exclusion Act, in a move to restrict immigration from China. Until it was repealed in 1947, only 44 people from China entered Canada legally.

By the 1930s, the first generation of Chinese that came to Canada had children, but neither them nor their offspring were considered Canadian citizens. In the Chinese community the Second World War gave rise to great debate among this second generation. Some believed that the Chinese community should demand citizenship before going to fight in the war, while others thought that they should fight in the war to prove their right to citizenship and enfranchisement. After long discussion the Chinese community in Vancouver lobbied for admittance to the army and in 1947 the Chinese Exclusion Act was repealed for Chinese dependants. The following spring, provincial legislation was amended to include Chinese in the provincial vote, which also allowed them to vote federally.

In spite of these positive changes the years following continued to exclude Chinese from a number of professions although many were well educated with university degrees. See an example of this in a video about Modernize Tailors.


Merchant Tailors' Shop (1897 or 1898)	Victory Parade in Chinatown (Aug. 1945)

It took another ten years before discrimination began to disappear and Chinatown took on a new image. During the late 1950s Chinatown and the residential neighbourhood of Strathcona had expanded so much that they became associated as the same community. However, when proposals were made by the City to put a third crossing freeway through the heart of Chinatown, the government was in for a surprise. The Chinese community joined together with white supporters to prevent the freeway from being implemented and by 1971 Chinatown was declared a historical area.

In the 1970s and 80s immigration patterns began to change as the majority of the Chinese coming to Canada were from Hong Kong and Taiwan. In general these new immigrants were much wealthier and more independent than earlier Chinese immigrants. They had more freedom in choosing where to live and many were not interested in Chinatown. Businesses and services soon followed this residential shift out to the suburbs, such as Richmond, and Chinatown began to lose its role as the sole provider of Asian goods and services in the region.

By the late 1980s, in addition to the loss of businesses, the increasing drug problems had a detrimental effect to the neighbourhood.

In 2000, the Chinatown Revitalization Program began as part of the Downtown Eastside Revitalization Program, bringing together community members to address the issues of community safety and economic revitalization. Chinatown is also faced with the challenge of repositioning itself within today's diverse, global community. The City has worked closely with the community on building a common future for Chinatown. The Chinatown Vision adopted by Council in 2002 is a major milestone document towards the revitalization of Chinatown.

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	Learn more about the history of Chinatown in these videos by GVTV: Take a brief tour of Chinatown's history. Milton Wong shares his memories of growing up in Chinatown and his commitment to revitalizing the neighbourhood. Find out how east meets west in Chinatown's architecture. The residential pattern of the Chinese Canadian community has shifted from a single population centred in Vancouver's historic Chinatown area to several populations settled around a number of urban and suburban clusters throughout the Greater Vancouver region. Shifts in commercial activities have followed the residential settlement changes. As a result, Chinatown is no longer the only place in the Lower Mainland that provides Asian goods and services. These developments in the Vancouver area parallel those experienced in many other North American jurisdictions and demonstrate the need for a new approach to the revitalization of urban Chinatowns. However, what keeps Vancouver's Chinatown unique is its rich history, distinct architecture and the fact it was the original home of Chinese migrants in the area.