A small group of Windermere Business students went on a walking tour of Chinatown, specifically Shanghai Alley, Dr Sun Yat Sen garden, Pender Street, and Strathcona social housing. Shanghai Alley offered huge contrast between new and old in the area (it’s a mix of early 2000s condos, two old tenement buildings, and the 1990s S.U.C.C.E.S.S. seniors housing centre).

Old building in the Alley. 25+ story condos flank the other end of the Alley (formerly the whole block consisted of these Victorian multi-unit buildings)

We spent about 20 minutes in the Jack Chow building, exploring its spectacular basement. We met the building owner’s son, Rod Chow, dressed in an exuberant yellow suit, and his colleague Sylvia. We learned from her that the two buildings across the street had “half floors”, which were 5 feet high! They were designed to avoid paying city taxes based on how many floors were in a building, a long time ago. Sylvia was so hospitable to our group and we got to see a custom light and sound show in the basement (visible in the glass blocks on the sidewalk above). They are trying to win an award for best light display – please vote below.

http://livedesignonline.com/2016-excellence-awards-voting

Main floor is 4 feet 10 inches wide! It’s a world record!

We got to see first-hand Chinatown’s mix of traditional Chinese-oriented and newcomer (non-Chinese) shops / condos / art (see Ken Lum’s Vancouver Special photo below). In my opinion, this mix is what makes the area so attractive in which to spend time: it is vibrant, authentic, and diverse. Let’s keep it that way!