Chinatown, Toronto known also as Downtown Chinatown or West Chinatown is a Chinese
ethnic enclave
In sociology, an ethnic enclave is a geographic area with high ethnic concentration, characteristic cultural identity, and economic activity. The term is usually used to refer to either a residential area or a workspace with a high concentration ...
located in the city's
downtown core
The Downtown Core is the historical and downtown centre of the city-state of Singapore and the main commercial area in Singapore excluding reclaimed lands with many integrated resorts such as the Marina Bay Sands, one of the most expensive build ...
of
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
, Canada. It is centred at the intersections of
Spadina Avenue
Spadina Avenue (, less commonly ) is one of the most prominent streets in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Running through the western section of downtown, the road has a very different character in different neighbourhoods.
Spadina Avenue runs south ...
and
Dundas Street, West.
The present neighbourhood was the result of the government expropriating
Toronto's first Chinatown in the late 1950s to make way for a
new city hall and
public square
A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true square, geometric square, used for community gathe ...
. As a result of the expropriations, a number of businesses and residents based in the city's first Chinatown moved west towards Spadina Avenue during the 1950s and 1960s, later joined by other Chinese immigrants during the 1960s. The neighbourhood is one of several
Chinatowns in Toronto
Toronto Chinatowns are ethnic enclaves in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, with a high concentration of ethnic Chinese residents and businesses. These neighbourhoods are major cultural, social and economic hubs for the Chinese-Canadian communities of th ...
that developed during the latter half of the 20th century.
History
Toronto's present day downtown Chinatown was formerly a Jewish district, although a small Chinese community was already present in this location prior to the 1950s.
![Chinatown Dragon Dance in 1975](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/64/Chinatown_Dragon_Dance_in_1975.jpg)
The creation of this Chinatown was driven by the demolition of
First Chinatown at Bay Street and Dundas Street West, from the 1950-1960s to make way for Toronto City Hall. While a handful of Chinese businesses still thrive there, much of the Chinese community have largely migrated west from there to the present Chinatown neighbourhood, thus its name, "West Chinatown".
Chinatown continued to expand with the influx of Chinese immigrants during the 1960s, many of the wives and descendants of the Chinese men already in Canada due to the lifting of Canada's racial
exclusion act.
With much of Toronto's downtown Jewish population moving north along
Bathurst Street, the businesses in this area became largely Chinese.
In the following decades, students and skilled workers arrived from
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
,
Guangdong
Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...
province and Chinese communities in
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...
and the
Caribbean
The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
further increased the Chinese population, which led to the creation of additional Chinese communities east of Toronto. The neighbourhood has been noted as being a "near complete community" with housing, employment, and commerce, along with schools and social services all located within walking distance in the neighbourhood.
Today, the economic and social centre of Toronto's downtown Chinatown primarily runs north–south along Spadina Avenue to College Street to Sullivan Street and east–west along Dundas Street West from Augusta Avenue to Beverley Street. A mansion that is converted to the Italian Consulate is at the northwest corner of Dundas and Beverley.
Since the 2000s the West Chinatown has been changing from the influx of new residents, businesses from immigrants and second generation Canadians. The neighbourhood has continued to serve as a vital market hub and services, to people from inside the neighbourhood and outside.
The central location of the neighbourhood has also been a draw for property developers, changing the face of the neighbourhood.
Economy
![Toronto- Dundas St, Chinatown (10056398335)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5b/Toronto-_Dundas_St%2C_Chinatown_%2810056398335%29.jpg)
Toronto's downtown Chinatown is one of the largest in North America. It is centred on the intersection of
Dundas Street West
Dundas Street is a major historic arterial road in Ontario, Canada. The road connects the city of Toronto with its western suburbs and several cities in southwestern Ontario. Three provincial highways— 2, 5, and 99—followed long sections ...
and
Spadina Avenue
Spadina Avenue (, less commonly ) is one of the most prominent streets in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Running through the western section of downtown, the road has a very different character in different neighbourhoods.
Spadina Avenue runs south ...
, and extends outward from this point along both streets. With the population changes of recent decades, it has come to reflect a diverse set of East Asian cultures through its shops and restaurants, including
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
,
Vietnamese
Vietnamese may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia
** A citizen of Vietnam. See Demographics of Vietnam.
* Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam
** Overse ...
, and
Thai
Thai or THAI may refer to:
* Of or from Thailand, a country in Southeast Asia
** Thai people, the dominant ethnic group of Thailand
** Thai language, a Tai-Kadai language spoken mainly in and around Thailand
*** Thai script
*** Thai (Unicode block ...
. The major Chinese malls in the area are Dragon City and Chinatown Centre.
Since the 1990s, downtown Chinatown is redefining itself in the face of changing demographics and gentrification of the neighbourhood. As the aging population shrank, revenues of businesses in the neighbourhood also decreased. While the majority of the grocery stores and shops remain, most of the once-famed restaurants on Dundas Street West, especially the barbecue shops located below grade, have closed since 2000.
Competition from commercial developments in suburban Chinese communities also drew wealth and professional immigrants away from downtown. Unlike those newer developments in the suburbs, Chinatown's economy relies heavily on tourism and Chinese seniors. As many younger, higher-income immigrants settled elsewhere in the city, those left in the district are typically from older generations who depend on downtown's dense concentration of services and accessibility to public transportation. With developers changing or resulting in the closure of well regarded businesses, the Chinatown neighbourhood is facing the pressures of gentrification along with many other Toronto ethnic neighbourhoods and communities such as
Greektown
Greektown is a general name for an ethnic enclave populated primarily by Greeks or people of Greek ancestry, usually in an urban neighborhood.
History
The oldest Greek dominated neighborhood outside of Greece were probably the Fener in Istanbu ...
,
Koreatown
A Koreatown (Korean: 코리아타운), also known as a Little Korea or Little Seoul, is a Korean-dominated ethnic enclave within a city or metropolitan area outside the Korean Peninsula.
History
Koreatowns as an East Asian ethnic enclave have ...
,
Little Portugal, and
Little Italy
Little Italy is a general name for an ethnic enclave populated primarily by Italians or people of Italian ancestry, usually in an urban neighborhood. The concept of "Little Italy" holds many different aspects of the Italian culture. There are s ...
.
![Spadina Avenue July 2011](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e1/Spadina_Avenue_July_2011.jpg)
In the early 21st century, downtown neighbourhoods became more attractive to urban professionals and young people who work in the
Financial District
A financial district is usually a central area in a city where financial services firms such as banks, insurance companies and other related finance corporations have their head offices. In major cities, financial districts are often home to s ...
, as well as its proximity to the
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...
and to
OCAD University
Ontario College of Art & Design University, commonly known as OCAD University or OCAD, is a public art university located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus is spread throughout several buildings and facilities within do ...
, leading to the
gentrification
Gentrification is the process of changing the character of a neighborhood through the influx of more Wealth, affluent residents and businesses. It is a common and controversial topic in urban politics and urban planning, planning. Gentrification ...
of surrounding areas and potentially changing the face of West Chinatown.
A key representative of the neighbourhood and its interests is the Toronto Chinatown Business Improvement Area (多倫多華埠商業改進區), also known as the Chinatown BIA. A
non-for-profit
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
organization funded by the commercial property owners of the downtown Chinatown area, it was founded in 2007 and works closely with representatives of the federal, provincial, and city government, the police, as well as community stakeholders to promote and enhance the community as a commercial destination while maintaining its cultural character.
Demographics
![Chinatown public art](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a3/Chinatown_public_art.jpg)
Historically, Toronto's Downtown Chinatown has been represented by immigrants and families from southern China and
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
. Since the transfer of Hong Kong's sovereignty to the
People's Republic of China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
in 1997, immigrants from
mainland China
"Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory governed by the People's Republic of China (including islands like Hainan or Chongming), excluding dependent territories of the PRC, and other territories within Greater China. ...
have greatly exceeded those from Hong Kong. However, at present Cantonese remains the primary language used by businesses and restaurants in Chinatown.
To the east of Spadina Avenue, numerous university students attending the
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...
,
OCAD University
Ontario College of Art & Design University, commonly known as OCAD University or OCAD, is a public art university located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus is spread throughout several buildings and facilities within do ...
(formerly the Ontario College of Art and Design), and
Ryerson University
Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU or Toronto Met) is a public university, public research university located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The university's core campus is situated within the Garden District, Toronto, Garden District, although i ...
live in many of the small houses built as workers' housing.
Neighbourhood features
Both the
505 Dundas and
510 Spadina streetcar routes run through Chinatown, with the latter line have dedicated right-of-way.
The
El Mocambo
The El Mocambo is a live music and entertainment venue in Toronto, Ontario. Located on Spadina Avenue, just south of College Street, the venue has played an important role in the development of popular music in Toronto since 1948. It is best kno ...
live music venue is in the northern end of Chinatown, although this 1940s establishment was there before the neighbourhood became Chinatown.
Bilingual street names
A number of streets in Downtown Chinatown are bilingual, a feature first introduced in the 1970s. The majority of these name are phonetic transliterations through
Cantonese or Taishanese pronunciations into Chinese characters, while streets such as ''College'' and ''Queen'' streets are literally translated:
* Augusta Avenue - 澳吉士打道 (
Jyutping
Jyutping is a romanisation system for Cantonese developed by the Linguistic Society of Hong Kong (LSHK), an academic group, in 1993. Its formal name is the Linguistic Society of Hong Kong Cantonese Romanization Scheme. The LSHK advocates for ...
: ''ou3 gat1 si6 daa2 dou6'')
* Baldwin Street - 寶雲街 (Jyutping: ''bou2 wan4 gaai1'')
*
Beverley Street - 比華利街 (Jyutping: ''bei2 waa4 lei6 gaai1'')
* Bulwer Street - 寶華街 (Jyutping: ''bou2 waa4 gaai1'')
* Cameron Street - 卡梅隆街 (Jyutping: ''kaa1 mui4 lung4 gaai1'')
* Cecil Street - 施素街 (Jyutping: ''si1 sou3 gaai1'')
*
College Street - 書院街 (Jyutping: ''syu1 jyun2 gaai1'')
* D'Arcy Street - 達士街 (Jyutping: ''daat6 si6 gaai1'')
*
Dundas Street West
Dundas Street is a major historic arterial road in Ontario, Canada. The road connects the city of Toronto with its western suburbs and several cities in southwestern Ontario. Three provincial highways— 2, 5, and 99—followed long sections ...
- 登打士西街 (Jyutping: ''dang1 daa2 si6 sai1 gaai1'')
* Glasgow Street - 嘉士高街 (Jyutping: ''gaa1 si1 gou1 gaai1'')
* Grange Avenue - 固連治道 (Jyutping ''gu3 lin4 zi6 dou6'')
* Grange Place - 固連治坊 (Jyutping: ''gu3 lin4 zi6 fong1'')
* Grange Road - 固連治路 (Jyutping: ''gu3 lin4 zi6 lou6'')
* Henry Street - 亨利街 (Jyutping ''hang1 lei6 gaai1'')
* Huron Street - 曉倫街 (Jyutping: ''hiu2 leon4 gaai1'')
*
John Street - 約翰街 (Jyutping: ''joek3 hon6 gaai1'')
* Kensington Avenue - 京士頓道 (Jyutping: ''ging1 si6 deon6 dou6'')
* McCaul Street - 麥歌盧街 (Jyutping: ''mak6 go1 lou4 gaai1'')
* Nassau Street - 拿素街 (Jyutping: ''naa1 sou3 gaai1'')
* Oxford Street - 牛津街 (Jyutping: ''ngau4 zeon1 gaai1'')
* Phoebe Street - 菲比街 (Jyutping: ''fei1 bei2 gaai1'')
*
Queen Street West
Queen Street is a major east-west thoroughfare in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It extends from Roncesvalles Avenue and King Street in the west to Victoria Park Avenue in the east. Queen Street was the cartographic baseline for the original east-w ...
- 皇后西街 (Jyutping: ''wong4 hau6 sai1 gaai1'')
* Renfrew Place - 温富坊 (Jyutping: ''wan1 fu3 fong1'')
* Ross Street - 羅士街 (Jyutping: ''lo4 si6 gaai1'')
* Saint Andrew Street - 聖安德魯街 (Jyutping: ''sing3 on1 dak1 lou5 gaai1'')
* Soho Street - 蘇豪街 (Jyutping; ''sou1 hou4 gaai1'')
*
Spadina Avenue
Spadina Avenue (, less commonly ) is one of the most prominent streets in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Running through the western section of downtown, the road has a very different character in different neighbourhoods.
Spadina Avenue runs south ...
- 士巴丹拿道 (Jyutping: ''si6 baa1 daan1 naa4 dou6'')
* Stephanie Street - 史蒂芬尼街 (Jyutping: ''si2 dai3 fan1 nei4 gaai1'')
* Sullivan Street - 蘇利雲街 (Jyutping: ''sou1 lei6 wan4 gaai1'')
Other Chinatowns in Greater Toronto
Although the present downtown Chinatown is one of the more well known Chinese
ethnic enclave
In sociology, an ethnic enclave is a geographic area with high ethnic concentration, characteristic cultural identity, and economic activity. The term is usually used to refer to either a residential area or a workspace with a high concentration ...
s in Toronto, the city has a number of other neighbourhoods that have a high concentration of Chinese businesses, and people. Other Chinese ethnic enclaves in Toronto, and the
Greater Toronto Area
The Greater Toronto Area, commonly referred to as the GTA, includes the City of Toronto and the regional municipalities of Durham, Halton, Peel, and York. In total, the region contains 25 urban, suburban, and rural municipalities. The Greater T ...
include:
*''
East Chinatown'', Toronto (1970s–Present): Centred at Broadview Avenue and Gerrard Street East (). Formed during the expropriation of First Chinatown and the increase of property prices in downtown/west Chinatown. The Chinese community from this neighbourhood originates from overseas communities from the Caribbean, and Southeast Asia, with some of Toisanese Chinese.
*''
Agincourt'', Toronto in (1980s-Present): Centred on Sheppard Avenue between Midland Avenue and Brimley Road (). The first suburban Chinatown in Toronto with its Chinese residents originating from Hong Kong and Taiwan.
*''
Milliken'',
Markham Markham may refer to:
It may also refer to brand of of clothing which originates from South Africa which saw it's establishment in 1873.
Biology
* Markham's storm-petrel (''Oceanodroma markhami''), a seabird species found in Chile and Colombia
* ...
and Toronto (1990s-Present): Centred near Steeles Avenue and Kennedy Road (). One of the first Chinese ethnic enclaves to extend into Greater Toronto, largely developed during the 1990s. The Chinese residents of the city originating from China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.
*''
Thornhill'', Markham, and
Richmond Hill (1990s-Present): Straddling the municipal boundary near Leslie Street and Highway 7 (). One of the first Chinese ethnic enclaves to develop in Greater Toronto, largely developed during the 1990s. The Chinese residents of the Richmond Hill originating from China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.
In popular culture
The 1999
Chow Yun-fat
Chow Yun-fat (born 18 May 1955), previously known as Donald Chow, is a Hong Kong actor. He is perhaps best known for his collaborations with filmmaker John Woo in the five Hong Kong action heroic bloodshed films: ''A Better Tomorrow'', ''A Be ...
film ''
The Corruptor
''The Corruptor'' is a 1999 American action film directed by James Foley, starring Chow Yun-fat and Mark Wahlberg. The film was released in the United States on March 12, 1999.
Plot
NYPD Lieutenant Nick Chen is head of the Asian Gang Unit. Hi ...
'' was set in the
New York City Chinatown, with scenes filmed in the Chinatowns of New York and Toronto.
The television series ''
Kung Fu: The Legend Continues'' was filmed in Chinatown at Spadina Avenue and Dundas Street West for many episodes of its 1993–97 run. Filmed in Toronto, it portrays the Chinatown of an unidentified major U.S. city.
On an episode of the 1990s series ''
Due South
''Due South'' is a Canadian crime comedy-drama television series created by Paul Haggis, and produced by Alliance Communications from its premiere on April 26, 1994, to its conclusion after four seasons on March 14, 1999. The series starred Pau ...
'' entitled "Chinatown" (Season 1, episode 6), Toronto's Dundas and Spadina Chinatown stood in for Chicago's Chinatown.
Toronto's Chinatown is featured prominently in the 2008 collection of short storie
''The Chinese Knot and Other Stories''by Lien Chao.
Toronto band
Do Make Say Think
Do Make Say Think is a Canadian instrumental band formed in Toronto, Ontario in 1995. Their music combines jazz-style drumming, distorted guitars and wind instruments, and prominent bass guitar.
Biography
The band formed in 1995 as a recording ...
have a song titled "Chinatown" on their 2002 album ''
& Yet & Yet
''& Yet & Yet'' is the third album by Canadian post-rock band Do Make Say Think. It was released on March 18, 2002 by Constellation Records.
"Chinatown" was featured on the soundtrack for Stephen Gaghan's ''Syriana''.
Track listing
All tra ...
''.
The film ''Suite Suite Chinatown'', directed by Aram Siu Wai Collier, was screened at the 14th
Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival The Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival is a charitable cultural film festival organization located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that advocates Asian representations through media arts. Works include films and videos by East Asia, Southea ...
.
The
Pixar
Pixar Animation Studios (commonly known as Pixar () and stylized as P I X A R) is an American computer animation studio known for its critically and commercially successful computer animated feature films. It is based in Emeryville, Californi ...
animated short, ''
Bao'', was set in Toronto, and included scenes from Toronto's Chinatown.
See also
*
Chinatowns in Toronto
Toronto Chinatowns are ethnic enclaves in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, with a high concentration of ethnic Chinese residents and businesses. These neighbourhoods are major cultural, social and economic hubs for the Chinese-Canadian communities of th ...
*
Chinese Canadians
, native_name =
, native_name_lang =
, image = Chinese Canadian population by province.svg
, image_caption = Chinese Canadians as percent of population by province / territory
, pop = 1,715,7704.63% of the ...
*
List of Chinatowns
Chinatowns exist in many cities around the world. Lists of Chinatowns include:
* Chinatowns in Africa
* Chinatowns in the Americas
** Chinatowns in Canada
** Chinatowns in Latin America
** Chinatowns in the United States
* Chinatowns in Asia
* C ...
*
Chinese Canadians in the Greater Toronto Area
The Chinese Canadian community in the Greater Toronto Area was first established around 1877, with an initial population of two laundry owners. While the Chinese Canadian population was initially small in size, it dramatically grew beginning in th ...
*
Standard Theatre
References
External links
Chinatown Business Improvement Area
{{authority control
Chinese-Canadian culture in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
Ethnic enclaves in Ontario
Neighbourhoods in Toronto
Kensington Market