Vancouver’s Chinatown is one of the largest historic Chinatowns in North America and largest in Canada. Beginning in 1886 on what is now known as East Pender Street, Chinatown started out with only ninety Chinese residents and by 1890 more than one thousand residents were clustered onto East Pender Street. Chinatown grew quickly meaning many workers had to share single rooms with other people, social problems such as prostitution, hard drug use and gambling were extremely common. By 1900 Chinatown had spread across 4 blocks and the construction of new buildings for residents, grocery stores, tailors, restaurants and many other businesses were underway. During this time Vancouver’s Red Light district had a strong presence in the area and frequently had police checks in an attempt to clean up the area, several brothels and businesses moved to dead end roads and while immigrants became more spread out the area remained highly concentrated. Chinatown developed a poor reputation, due to the concentration of residents, cleanliness was difficult to uphold and the problems with drug use, gambling and prostitutions remain prevalent. Many Chinese residents were faced with hostility and discrimination and as these social problems grew discrimination turned into violence leading to the 1907 riot. As more immigrants came to Vancouver clan societies began to develop, typically based on last name clans offered new comers friendship and a community to be a part of. The Vancouver riots of 1907 developed after an anti immigration rally and resulted in irreversible damage to Chinese homes and businesses as well as physical violence to many residents. In 1979 a streetscape improvement program was sponsored to add Chinese elements to the area to distinguish Chinatown as a destination of heritage tourism. With the growth of Chinatown in the 1900s the community became healthy and lively which began to age as immigrants were no longer as concentrated.  Today Chinatown is an important historic landmark in Vancouver and is often busy with customers, many Asian bakeries, restaurants and bars line the streets making it well worth the visit, if not for the food then for the history. 

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