A History of Vancouver Chinatown’s Restaurants
by Paul Nitafan
Vancouver Chinatown’s restaurants have historically been a mainstay in the city’s Chinese community as places of civic engagement and cultural exchange. The roles of these Chinese restaurants evolved as the experiences of the city’s Chinese residents changed throughout the years. They started off as a place that supported a persecuted population and evolved into a pillar of a vibrant community and entertainment centre. Despite their reduced significance in the present, the history of Vancouver Chinatown’s restaurants show their important place in supporting not only the city’s Chinese residents but also forming an integral part of Vancouver’s cultural and culinary spheres.
Formation of Chinatown
As with many migrant stories, racial tensions and issues played an initial significant role in how Chinese migrants settled in Vancouver. Vancouverites were hostile to the arriving Chinese migrants, accusing them of stealing jobs and disrupting the local social harmony [1]. They were often despised for offering their labour for much less than a local would and was thought of as an unclean and inferior race. Even while facing such hostile sentiments, many Chinese labourers were still migrating to British Columbia by the 1880s [2]. As such, Vancouver’s Chinese population was steadily increasing at the start of the 20th century.
As the Chinese population in Vancouver increased, so did the local pushback against their integration to the community. This would result in Chinese residents forming their own insular communities. This urban paradigm led to the establishment of many small businesses, particularly restaurants and groceries that catered to the Chinese population. Predictably, many of these businesses were concentrated in Chinatown. These businesses facilitated imports of Chinese food ingredients into Vancouver. They also adopted local ingredients to their cuisine. Primary Chinese foods were listed as fish, poultry, barbeque pork, beef, noodles, vegetables, Chow Mein and Chop Suey [3]. Initially, these retail establishments primarily served the constantly increasing Chinese population in Vancouver. However, they would come to grow in prominence as important cultural and gastronomic parts of Vancouver.
The Rise of Chinatown and its Restaurants
By the 1930s, Vancouver’s Chinese population was steadily becoming integrated into the city and participating in civic engagements. In 1936, Chinatown held its own events to commemorate Vancouver’s Jubilee year. A pamphlet describing Chinatown louded its restaurants as must-visit attractions. It noted that they served authentic Chinese fare, uncommon outside major cities, that went beyond the typical Western Chinese foods such as Chop Suey [4]. These Chinese restaurants became prominent local institutions that would cater to both Chinese and Western residents. Their menus reflected this as they included Western dishes alongside Chinese ones [5]. Chinatown turned into an exciting area with its thoroughfares being easily identifiable by the neon signs of its businesses, including many restaurants. Chinese restaurants would host many of Vancouver’s prominent residents and contribute to a vibrant nightlife. By the 1970s, Chinatown had become officially recognized as a commercial hub and a historic and cultural centre.
As the involvement of Chinese migrants increased in Vancouver’s economic and cultural sectors, so did their political and civic engagement. Restaurants, as one of the primary conduits of cultural exchange between Chinese and Western culture, played a prominent role in this. In the 1970s a federal plan was made that would raze Strathcona, a neighbourhood adjacent to Chinatown, for redevelopment. Many residents were opposed to this plan and lobbied against it. Chinese restaurateurs participated in these efforts by inviting public officials to their restaurants for events and celebrations [6]. While officials were served authentic and diverse Chinese food, many of which were unavailable outside Vancouver, they were lobbied to help prevent the implementation of the Strathcona redevelopment plan [7]. For officials, many of whom were experiencing “authentic” Chinese food for the first time, this would have been an exciting and new experience. Ultimately, this would prove effective and helped lobbying efforts as the redevelopment plan did not succeed.
By the mid-20th century, Chinatown’s restaurants have risen in prominence, a reflection of the increasing acceptance and success of many Chinese immigrants in the city.
Chinatown’s Decline and Future
In 2009 Foo’s Ho Ho which opened in 1954 closed down [8]. The restaurant had previously earned the designation of being the last Chinese restaurant left open in Chinatown and its closing marked the end of an era. Similar prominent Chinese restaurants with rich histories had closed down in the years and decades prior due to redevelopments and demographic changes. In 1997, after the handover of Hong Kong to the People’s Republic of China, many Hong Kong residents migrated to Vancouver. This influx of new migrants started a process that would shift the concentration of Chinese residents and establishments to Richmond [9]. The new migrants established their own restaurants which would leave many Chinatown restaurants with less patrons. Furthermore, the expansion of the nearby Downtown Eastside, an area with prevalent illicit activities, would only contribute to the deterioration of Chinatown and its restaurants. However, it has been announced recently that Foo’s Ho Ho would reopen amidst a revival of sorts in the area as other restaurants have also started to move back in [10]. Efforts are also being made to restore the iconic neon signs that used to define Chinatown to help return the neighbourhood, and its restaurants, to their former glory.
Connections to Migrant Marketplaces
Multiple similarities can be pointed out with the Chinese experience in Vancouver and the Italian migrant experiences detailed in Elizabeth Zanoni’s Migrant Marketplaces. Like the Italians, early Chinese experiences in Vancouver were defined and limited by racial tensions. However through cultural exposure, helped facilitated by Chinese restaurants, Vancouver became more accepting of migrants leading to a flourishing Chinese community. In fact, similar to the Italian experiences in Argentina, Chinese businesses such as restaurants helped involve Chinese residents in their city’s commercial, social and political spheres.
References
[1] Government of Canada. 1883. “Chinese Immigration in British Columbia.” L. Chung Textual Materials. p. 1-2
[2] Ibid. p. 1-2
[3] Yip, Q. (1936, August 25). Vancouver Chinatown pamphlet [K]. p. 41
[4] Ibid. p. 41
[5] Mandarin Garden Cabaret. 1929. “[Menu for Mandarin Garden Cabaret].” M. Chung Textual Materials. p. 3
[6] Lee, Jo-Anne. 2007. “Gender, Ethnicity, and Hybrid Forms of Community-Based Urban Activism in Vancouver, 1957-1978: The Strathcona Story Revisited.” Gender, Place and Culture : A Journal of Feminist Geography 14 (4): p. 397
[7] Ibid. p. 397
[8] Phung, Wendy, Rosanne Sia, Rhys Lloyd Morgan, and Dan Warran. 2011. I. CCS – INSTRCC
[9] Ibid.
[10] Robinson, Kristen. “Iconic Ho Ho Restaurant Set to Reopen in Vancouver’s Chinatown Early next Year.” Global News. August 9, 2021.
Bibliography
Government of Canada. 1883. “Chinese Immigration in British Columbia.” L. Chung Textual Materials. March 29.
Lee, Jo-Anne. 2007. “Gender, Ethnicity, and Hybrid Forms of Community-Based Urban Activism in Vancouver, 1957-1978: The Strathcona Story Revisited.” Gender, Place and Culture : A Journal of Feminist Geography 14 (4): 381-407. (primary source interviews taken from source)
Mandarin Garden Cabaret. 1929. “[Menu for Mandarin Garden Cabaret].” M. Chung Textual Materials.
Natural color productions. 1950. “Chinatown at Night, Vancouver, B.C.” P. Chung Photographs. Unknown.
Phung, Wendy, Rosanne Sia, Rhys Lloyd Morgan, and Dan Warran. 2011. I. CCS – INSTRCC.
Robinson, Kristen. “Iconic Ho Ho Restaurant Set to Reopen in Vancouver’s Chinatown Early next Year.” Global News. August 9, 2021.
Yip, Q. (1936, August 25). Vancouver Chinatown pamphlet [K].
Zanoni, Elizabeth and ProQuest (Firm). 2018. Migrant Marketplaces: Food and Italians in North and South America. Urbana, Chicago: University of Illinois Press.