Description of Historic Place

Victoria Chinatown is located in downtown Victoria, British Columbia. The historic place includes numerous buildings, structures, parks and streetscapes. Many of the buildings date from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The neighbourhood's main cultural assets are concentrated along the Fisgard Street historic corridor; these include protected heritage buildings, Chinese family associations and cultural centres such as the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association and Chinese Public School. The provincially recognized area is bounded by Pandora Avenue, Douglas Street, Chatham Street and Wharf Street.

Heritage Value

Established in the late 1800s at a time when thousands of Chinese were arriving in this port city to work in the mines, railways and forests of British Columbia, Victoria Chinatown grew to become one of the primary centres of Chinese-Canadian culture in British Columbia. Today the neighbourhood has historic, aesthetic, scientific, social and cultural significance for many British Columbians.

Victoria Chinatown is the oldest surviving and continuously used Chinatown in Canada, and has been designated as a National Historic Site. It has historical value as an enduring representation of pioneering Chinese Canadian history during British Columbia's early development. Victoria Chinatown helps tell the story of the robust cultural life and traditions of Chinese Canadians in the early years of the province, including the racial tensions and struggles for equality.

Victoria Chinatown's existence today is a reminder of the importance of Chinese Canadian involvement in all aspects of life in British Columbia from the early years to the present day. Chinatowns were found in virtually every community and region of the province, often made up of a cluster of stores, cafes, tailor shops, laundries and other small businesses. Although bigger and more complex than most Chinatowns in British Columbia, Victoria Chinatown is typical in that it became a hub for Chinese Canadian business, culture and social life within its municipality and region. Victoria Chinatown is an important reminder of the contribution of Chinese Canadians to the economic and cultural life of the province.

Recognized by non-Chinese Canadians as an exotic enclave, Victoria Chinatown is important for its geographical location and physical distinction from the rest of the city. Established on the edge of the city, it occupied a marginal location on the north side of a ravine. This was common practice at the time, when Chinese and other non-European populations were faced with discriminatory practices. Its location is a reminder of the exclusion and discrimination faced by Chinese Canadians in many communities in the early years. Over time, the majority of Victoria's Chinese Canadian population came to live outside of Chinatown, spatially dispersed as farmers, market gardeners, store owners, household servants, and labourers. However Chinatown continued to provide cultural and social amenities to the dispersed community.

Victoria Chinatown has enduring cultural value because of the many voluntary associations formed there to support and protect new immigrants who arrived from China. These enclaves helped to shield Chinese Canadians from the widespread racism that existed across the province. They also provided security, communal living facilities, and opportunities to socialize, as well as being places for important ceremonial and cultural entities such as Freemason organizations and tongs.

Victoria Chinatown is also valued for the diversity and uniqueness of its urban form and aesthetic experience. Its unique sense of place comes from a combination of factors: design of buildings and structures such as the Gate of Harmonious Interest; types of stores, businesses and merchandise; visual references like signage and symbols; ceremonies, traditions and events; and availability of non-Western goods, ceramics, foods and medicines.

The value of Victoria Chinatown is enhanced by its rarity, as a result of the decline of smaller Chinatowns elsewhere in the province (with some notable exceptions). While Chinese Canadian communities in many towns are now represented by one or two buildings, or have left no physical trace, Victoria Chinatown remains a vibrant centre for Chinese Canadian culture. It serves as a reminder of the social, cultural and spiritual value of all British Columbia Chinatowns to the descendants of those who lived and worked in them.

Source: Province of British Columbia, Heritage Branch

Character-Defining Elements

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