It's Time For A Chinatown Adventure

In the morning, we went to Carrall Street in Vancouver’s Chinatown to learn about the Carrall Street Greenway and to observe the greenways on Carrall Street. The greenways are very convenient for cyclists since they is a bike lane for them to bike along the same street as cars. Also, the greenways provide broad streets for pedestrians to walk. Furthermore, there are many greenery on the greenways which slows down drivers.These shows that the greenways are suitable for pedestrians and bikers.

    When we finished observing the greenways, we went on a tour that was based on the history of Vancouver’s Chinatown. The origin of Chinatown in Vancouver was at Shanghai Alley. In Shanghai Alley, there were many tailor shops, restaurants, and dormitories because majority of the population was men. Outside the alleyway, there were iron gates that were used to protect the alleyway. However the gates were not able to shield the Chinese. One day, a group of white men went to City Hall and made speeches about their hatred toward Asian communities. Later on, they rallied ten thousand men and charged to Chinatown, their first target. When the white men arrived, they destroyed building and injured Chinese civilians. Eventually, the men moved on their second target and failed to attack Japantown.
   
    Once the tour ended at Dr. Sun Yat Sen Garden, we went to Gastown to listen to the neighborhood plan and economic revitalization strategy that city planners made to help improve Chinatown. Helen and Wesley heard about how many businesses in Chinatown were struggling since majority of their products were available in other places. Also, they noticed that new residential development was growing in Chinatown which changed the historic neighborhood. Based on these problems, the city planners created a plan to revitalize Chinatown by thriving businesses district and restoring heritage buildings and historic sites.
   
    After we heard about the plan, we walked to a bakery to meet up with Doris. She is trying to form a youth organization in Chinatown. In order to fulfill her goal, she wants us to give her information about the different youth programs in Chinatown Community Development Center and advices to get a better knowledge about youth programs. The first advice that I would give to Doris is to make the youth in the organization have the motivation to build strong bonds with the seniors. My second advice is to connect with the youth in the program in order to discover their unique sides. The final advice is to make the organization have a vibrant, fun  atmosphere.

-Stephanie Chan