Chinatown, Montreal
Encyclopedia
Chinatown in Montreal
is located in the area of De la Gauchetière Street
in Montreal. The neighborhood contains many Asian restaurants, food markets, and convenience stores as well being home to many of Montreal's East Asian community centres, such as the Montreal Chinese Hospital
and the Montreal Chinese Community and Cultural Center.
The first Chinese that created Montreal's Chinatown belonged to the Chan, Hom
(Tam), Lee
, and Wong
clan groups. Many Taishan
Chinese settled (all following the Leung
Family) in the area because they worked for the railways and it was convenient for these occupations. Over the years, Hong Kong Chinese and ethnic Chinese refugees from Vietnam also set up shops and restaurants in the area.
From the 1970s onwards Montreal's Chinatown was subject to many of the cities' redevelopment plans, reducing the size of Chinatown and its expansion. This saw to the expropriation and demolition of over 6 acre
s of private properties in the construction of the Complexe Guy-Favreau
and a city block of Chinatown for the construction of Palais des congrès de Montréal
, even as community consultation and negotiations were still on-going. Rezoning of areas to the East of Saint Laurent from Chinatown in the 1984's has further prevented the growth expansion of Chinatown businesses.
Much of Montreal Chinatown is located on La Gauchetière Street and around Saint Urbain Street and Saint Lawrence Boulevard
(boul. Saint-Laurent), between René Lévesque Boulevard
and Viger Avenue (Place-d'Armes Montreal metro station
), occupying roughly the area of a city block. The part of La Gauchetière that crosses through Chinatown is a pedestrian walkway, making it more inviting for a stroll. On several weekends during the summer, the street becomes a lively outdoor fair. Prior to 1970, a significant part of Chinatown extended west to Jeannes-Mance Street.
Montreal has the most paifang
of any Chinatown in Canada, with 4 gates in the:
Montreal's Chinatown is a vibrant nightspot for locals and tourists alike thanks to a special regulation by Montreal's city officials which slates the sector as a tourist area, thus allowing it to continue operations well into the evening. Cantonese
seafood, barbecue and dim sum
restaurants and Vietnamese Phở
eateries are featured in Chinatown. Many local Asian-Canadians frequent the area since the shops offer products directly imported from Mainland China
or Vietnam
that are difficult to find elsewhere in town. During lobster
season, restaurants there are so crowded that it can be difficult to get a seat without a reservation.
Aside from its economic importance in the sector, Montreal's Chinatown actively participate in numerous community activities. The offices of many Chinese newspapers, organizations and associations are located in the surrounding buildings. Moreover, the Chinatown houses the biggest Chinese school of Montreal (over 1500 students) as well as the Montreal Chinese Catholic Mission. Over the years, the Canadian government has continually sought to invest in the area by funding the construction of the Montreal Chinese Hospital
and the Montreal Chinese Cultural and Community Center.
Like many other Chinatowns, Montreal also has the annual Miss Chinese Montreal Pageant, where the winner goes on to compete at the Miss Chinese International Pageant, which is usually held in Hong Kong or in mainland China.
. Some parts of Chinatown were redressed with English-language signage to recreate the atmosphere of Chinatown, Manhattan
.
There are Four Chinese language
weekly newspapers operating in Montreal: La Grande Époque Montréal, Les Presses Chinoises
, Sept Days
, and the Luby.
in the last fifteen years, particularly along Sainte Catherine Street between Guy Street
and Atwater Avenue. It caters primarily to the growing mainland Chinese and East Asian student and immigrant population in the area. As of 2006
, 22.9% of the area's population were of Chinese origin.
in the south shore
suburb of Brossard, where a significant portion of the population is of Chinese origin. The provincial government of Quebec actually enticed Hong Kong
millionaires to settle and invest in the province, particularly in Brossard. The shopping centres were largely funded by Hong Kong Chinese immigrant investors, many of whom have since returned to Hong Kong or have relocated to larger Chinese immigrant centres such as Toronto
and Vancouver
. A wide range of Chinese restaurants, grocers, and services can still be found in Brossard.
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
is located in the area of De la Gauchetière Street
De la Gauchetière Street
De la Gauchetière Street is a street in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, running through downtown Montreal, the Quartier international and Chinatown....
in Montreal. The neighborhood contains many Asian restaurants, food markets, and convenience stores as well being home to many of Montreal's East Asian community centres, such as the Montreal Chinese Hospital
Montreal Chinese Hospital
The Montreal Chinese Hospital is a long-term care hospital located on Viger Avenue, just east of Chinatown in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The hospital primarily serves as s a long-term care Hospital and Reception Center. Its primary mandate is to serve the Chinese Canadian community residing in the...
and the Montreal Chinese Community and Cultural Center.
History
The area was once home to Montreal's Jewish community, with thousands of Yiddish speaking immigrants settling in the area from 1890 to 1920, as part of a Jewish quarter centred around Saint Laurent Boulevard.The first Chinese that created Montreal's Chinatown belonged to the Chan, Hom
HOM
HOM, HoM or HOm can refer to:*Hall of mirrors effect, in 3D computer graphics*Hands On Miami, a volunteer community-service organization in Miami, Florida*Heart of Misery, a song by Finnish rock band The Rasmus...
(Tam), Lee
Lee
- Names :* Lee , a unisex given name* Lee , in English-speaking countries, a common family name with several diverse origins* Li , also transliterated as Lee, a Chinese family name...
, and Wong
Wong (surname)
Wong is the Cantonese romanization of two common Chinese surnames; Huang and Wang .The logograph for Wong / Huang consists of the radical characters for "twenty", "fires" and "fields," all representing the colour of these images combined.As a result of late 17th to 18th century colonial...
clan groups. Many Taishan
Taishan
Taishan is a coastal county-level city in Guangdong Province, China. The city is part of the Greater Taishan Region....
Chinese settled (all following the Leung
Liang (surname)
Liang is a Chinese surname common in Taiwan and southern China. Meaning "a beam", "a bridge", or "an elevation", or "a mast", the surname is often transliterated as Leung or Leong according to its Cantonese pronunciation, or Neo / Nio / Niu . It is also common in Korea, where it is pronounced Yang...
Family) in the area because they worked for the railways and it was convenient for these occupations. Over the years, Hong Kong Chinese and ethnic Chinese refugees from Vietnam also set up shops and restaurants in the area.
From the 1970s onwards Montreal's Chinatown was subject to many of the cities' redevelopment plans, reducing the size of Chinatown and its expansion. This saw to the expropriation and demolition of over 6 acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
s of private properties in the construction of the Complexe Guy-Favreau
Complexe Guy-Favreau
Complexe Guy-Favreau is a twelve storey building complex containing Canadian government offices built in 1984. It is located at 200 René Lévesque Boulevard in Ville-Marie, Montréal and extends over a six acre plot of land, formerly part of the Montreal Chinatown...
and a city block of Chinatown for the construction of Palais des congrès de Montréal
Palais des congrès de Montréal
The Palais des congrès de Montréal is a convention center located in the Quartier international de Montréal at the north end of Old Montreal in Montreal's borough of Ville-Marie....
, even as community consultation and negotiations were still on-going. Rezoning of areas to the East of Saint Laurent from Chinatown in the 1984's has further prevented the growth expansion of Chinatown businesses.
Features
Saint Lawrence Boulevard
For the Ottawa road, see St. Laurent Boulevard. For the Gatineau road called "Boulevard Saint-Laurent", see Boulevard des Allumettières.Saint Lawrence Boulevard or boulevard Saint-Laurent is a major street in Montreal, Quebec, Canada...
(boul. Saint-Laurent), between René Lévesque Boulevard
René Lévesque Boulevard
René Lévesque Boulevard is one of the main streets in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.It is a main east-west thoroughfare passing through the downtown core in the borough of Ville-Marie. The street begins on the west at Atwater Avenue and continues until it merges with Notre Dame Street East just east...
and Viger Avenue (Place-d'Armes Montreal metro station
Place-d'Armes (Montreal Metro)
Place-d'Armes is a station on the Orange Line of the Montreal Metro rapid transit system, operated by the Société de transport de Montréal . It is located in Old Montreal in the borough of Ville-Marie in Montreal, Quebec, Canada....
), occupying roughly the area of a city block. The part of La Gauchetière that crosses through Chinatown is a pedestrian walkway, making it more inviting for a stroll. On several weekends during the summer, the street becomes a lively outdoor fair. Prior to 1970, a significant part of Chinatown extended west to Jeannes-Mance Street.
Montreal has the most paifang
Paifang
Paifang, also called pailou, is a traditional Chinese architectural gating style as an archway.The word paifang originally was a collective term used to describe the top two levels of administrative division and subdivisions of ancient Chinese city. The largest division within a city in ancient...
of any Chinatown in Canada, with 4 gates in the:
- North: 45.5086947°N 73.561272°W
- South: 45.5075969°N 73.5588419°W
- East: 45.5084409°N 73.5596922°W
- West: 45.5053243°N 73.5619077°W
Montreal's Chinatown is a vibrant nightspot for locals and tourists alike thanks to a special regulation by Montreal's city officials which slates the sector as a tourist area, thus allowing it to continue operations well into the evening. Cantonese
Cantonese cuisine
Cantonese cuisine comes from Guangdong Province in southern China and is one of 8 superdivisions of Chinese cuisine. Its prominence outside China is due to the great numbers of early emigrants from Guangdong. Cantonese chefs are highly sought after throughout the country...
seafood, barbecue and dim sum
Dim sum
Dim sum refers to a style of Chinese food prepared as small bite-sized or individual portions of food traditionally served in small steamer baskets or on small plates...
restaurants and Vietnamese Phở
PHO
PHO may refer to:* Primary Health Organisation* Potentially hazardous object, an asteroid or comet that could potentially collide with Earth...
eateries are featured in Chinatown. Many local Asian-Canadians frequent the area since the shops offer products directly imported from Mainland China
Mainland China
Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...
or Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
that are difficult to find elsewhere in town. During lobster
Lobster
Clawed lobsters comprise a family of large marine crustaceans. Highly prized as seafood, lobsters are economically important, and are often one of the most profitable commodities in coastal areas they populate.Though several groups of crustaceans are known as lobsters, the clawed lobsters are most...
season, restaurants there are so crowded that it can be difficult to get a seat without a reservation.
Aside from its economic importance in the sector, Montreal's Chinatown actively participate in numerous community activities. The offices of many Chinese newspapers, organizations and associations are located in the surrounding buildings. Moreover, the Chinatown houses the biggest Chinese school of Montreal (over 1500 students) as well as the Montreal Chinese Catholic Mission. Over the years, the Canadian government has continually sought to invest in the area by funding the construction of the Montreal Chinese Hospital
Montreal Chinese Hospital
The Montreal Chinese Hospital is a long-term care hospital located on Viger Avenue, just east of Chinatown in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The hospital primarily serves as s a long-term care Hospital and Reception Center. Its primary mandate is to serve the Chinese Canadian community residing in the...
and the Montreal Chinese Cultural and Community Center.
Like many other Chinatowns, Montreal also has the annual Miss Chinese Montreal Pageant, where the winner goes on to compete at the Miss Chinese International Pageant, which is usually held in Hong Kong or in mainland China.
Media
Chinatown was the filming location of the 2008 film release Punisher: War ZonePunisher: War Zone
Punisher: War Zone is a 2008 comic book action film directed by Lexi Alexander; based on the fictional Marvel Comics vigilante/anti-hero the Punisher. It is the third film to depict the Marvel character Frank Castle...
. Some parts of Chinatown were redressed with English-language signage to recreate the atmosphere of Chinatown, Manhattan
Chinatown, Manhattan
Manhattan's Chinatown , home to one of the highest concentrations of Chinese people in the Western hemisphere, is located in the borough of Manhattan in New York City...
.
There are Four Chinese language
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
weekly newspapers operating in Montreal: La Grande Époque Montréal, Les Presses Chinoises
Les Presses Chinoises
Les Presses Chinoises is a weekly Chinese newspaper in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The other main Chinese paper in Montreal is Sept Days.-Controversy:...
, Sept Days
Sept Days
Sept Days is a weekly Chinese newspaper in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Other Chinese newspapers in Montreal include Les Presses Chinoises and the ....
, and the Luby.
Chinatown West
A new Chinatown has begun to develop in the area west of Concordia UniversityConcordia University
Concordia University is a comprehensive Canadian public university located in Montreal, Quebec, one of the two universities in the city where English is the primary language of instruction...
in the last fifteen years, particularly along Sainte Catherine Street between Guy Street
Guy Street
Guy Street is a north-south street located in downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Concordia University's Integrated Engineering, Computer Science and Visual Arts Complex is located on this street, as is the John Molson School of Business building. The street is home to the Guy-Concordia metro station...
and Atwater Avenue. It caters primarily to the growing mainland Chinese and East Asian student and immigrant population in the area. As of 2006
Canada 2006 Census
The Canada 2006 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 16, 2006. The next census following will be the 2011 Census. Canada's total population enumerated by the 2006 census was 31,612,897...
, 22.9% of the area's population were of Chinese origin.
Brossard
Various Asian-themed malls have arisen along Taschereau BoulevardTaschereau Boulevard
Taschereau Boulevard is a major suburban boulevard located on the south shore of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is a section of Quebec Route 134 and runs from Longueuil to Candiac . It is named after the prominent Quebec family that included former premier Louis-Alexandre Taschereau. At , it is one...
in the south shore
South Shore (Montreal)
The South Shore is the general term for the suburbs of Montreal, Quebec located on the southern shore of the Saint Lawrence River opposite the Island of Montreal. The South Shore is located within the Quebec administrative region of Montérégie....
suburb of Brossard, where a significant portion of the population is of Chinese origin. The provincial government of Quebec actually enticed Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
millionaires to settle and invest in the province, particularly in Brossard. The shopping centres were largely funded by Hong Kong Chinese immigrant investors, many of whom have since returned to Hong Kong or have relocated to larger Chinese immigrant centres such as Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
and Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
. A wide range of Chinese restaurants, grocers, and services can still be found in Brossard.