Visit an Authentic Chinese Market
Looking for daikon radishes or gourmet chicken feet? How about dried scallops or rare wild ginseng? Even if you’re not buying, a whole day can be spent wandering the aisles of Chinatown’s traditional markets, which showcase a stunning range of exotic produce, meats, herbs and dried goods. Many double as alternative pharmacies, with doctors on hand to prescribe traditional Chinese medicinal cures -- like a generous bowl of bird’s nest soup -- for what ails you. And be sure not to miss Chinatown’s many tea shops, where you can pick up some rare oolong leaves and learn the secrets of gong-fu cha, the fine art of Chinese tea making.
Experience Chinatown’s Parades and Festivals
Every year in late January or February a lavish parade is held in Chinatown to celebrate the Chinese New Year. More than 50,000 spectators and 3,000 performers gather for the event, which includes the largest assembly of traditional lion dancers in Canada. Festivities continue throughout the day, with crackling fireworks, banquets and ceremonies.
If you can’t attend the parade, there are plenty of other events held throughout the year. Among the most popular is the Chinatown Night Market. On weekend nights from May through September, streets are blocked off for a Hong Kong-style outdoor bazaar that lasts late into the night. Vendors sell traditional handicrafts and the latest electronic gadgets from Asia, Canto-pop and Karaoke singers perform, and hawkers serve up a range of delights, from barbecued squid to Japanese takoyaki (fried dumplings).
Sample the New Chinatown Nightlife
With its deep roots and authentic vibe, Chinatown has lately emerged as one of Vancouver’s hippest nightspots. New restaurants, like the Shanghai-Taiwanese bistro Bao Bei, serve modern, Asian-inspired cuisine in chic settings. Meanwhile a new generation of sophisticated bars, like The Keefer Bar, offer handcrafted cocktails in restored historical buildings -- the ideal nightcap after a day exploring one of Vancouver’s most fascinating locales.
