Vancouver’s Chinatown

Favourite shots of Vancouver’s Chinatown over the years…

1973. This is the year I made my first trip to Chinatown in a photo class. Chinese herbalist preparing a prescription. The exotic smells of the shop were intoxicating.

Ever since then Chinatown is where I go when I have the urge to travel and can only get away for a day…

1985. Misbehaving camera but it sort of captures the feel of all the fireworks going off at the Chinese New Year’s Parade.1999. Longan for sale in Chinatown. Seaweed for sale. For me, exotic produce and smells are all part of the thrill of Chinatown. 2004. Abandoned garage, since torn down.2006. Steamy noodle shop that served my favourite wonton soup. Won Ton & BBQ Pork Soup with chile oil, soy sauce and Chinese green tea. The noodle shop is no longer there so I have had to come up with my own version of this soup – and regularly make trips down to Chinatown to obtain the elusive BBQ pork and dumplings.2012. The Chinese Tea Shop was giving out warming samples of some unusual herbal teas.
2013. I’m not sure what these characters on this drum mean, but it was very important to the man standing next to me that I photograph them and then repeat them with the proper Chinese intonation until I got the pronunciation down pat!At the International Village there was a stage set up, and some guys were demonstrating their karate moves, breaking pieces of plywood with well-placed kicks.2015. This is the year I went to the New Year’s Parade with a borrowed camera and telephoto lens, and had so much fun using that lens that I went out and bought a point and shoot with a telephoto and aperture controls. A masked character from the 2015 Chinese New Year Celebration.Caught sneaking a photo with the telephoto. 2016. As it was pouring rain on the parade, I took cover in the Chinatown Parkade and had a whole new view of the parade from above. The most athletic of the Chinese New Year Dragon Dancers – these guys had just jumped on each other’s shoulders and swirled around all without tying the dragon up in knots.2018. This lady was on the other side of the street standing up through the open roof of a car that just sat there for ages. Perhaps she was waiting to go on and was practicing her moves. A golden fish floating in a jade pool in the Sun Yet Sen Garden. The fish are no longer there courtesy of a hungry otter!