Talk:Chinatown, Vancouver

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[edit] sam kee building

some say 4'11", others 6'. it would nice if someone could verify the depth of the building, as there is one in Pittsburgh that is 5'2"

I believe the 4'11" measure is street-level; the bay windows on the 2nd floor make it 6'; and/or including the "areaway", the sub-sidewalk space, but that may be even wider than 6'. The city's heritage department probably has the correct figure.Skookum1 20:44, 10 August 2006 (UTC)

I gave Sam Kee its own page, but couldn't find anything definitive on measurements. The Skinny Building, I believe, is 5'2" on the inside. 4'11" looks to be right for the Sam Kee building on the outside on the ends, but the bay windows look to be what takes it up to 6 feet. Online sources vary, but 6 feet is the most common, I'm guessing because that's what Guinness used. Then there's the underground part... Bobanny 01:35, 10 October 2006 (UTC)
The building measures 6' at the ground level. I measured it once. The upper bays add another 2' to the depth and the basement incorporates most of the sidewalk depth to the street. --Lookingatdamascus 01:14, 2 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Hongcouver coined by who?

The article mentions that Hongcouver was coined by Chinese Canadians ... either back this up with a reference or delete it. I personally do not find it offensive, but this info is not relevant. I've read the discussion thread on this, and if kept, wonder if other similar sorts of nicknames should then be applied to Punjabi town, little Italy or our old Japantown etc... as I have heard many other variations on these communities. Flytrap canada 17:10, 22 October 2006 (UTC)

The cite for the creation of the Hongcouver tag was the Nat'l Geographic article of that title, back around 1985-1987 (pre-Expo I think) in which it was explicitly stated that the term had been coined by transplanted teenagers bragging about "taking over" Vancouver; where the NatGeog's source from that came from I don't know.Skookum1 20:01, 22 October 2006 (UTC)
Little India, Punjabi Market and Japantown, like Chinatown, are localized geo-ethnic nicknames; Hongcouver was an epithet applied to the whole city, or rather to the effects of the takeover/migration on the whole city, and is not an area-specific name. Of course lately one comment, re where's Chinatown and where's not, runs "but the whole city is Chinatown". This is one reason I took out the 41st and Victoria "Chinatown" listing on another page (list of CAnadian Chinatowns); if you include that location, you have to include, oh, 1st and Renfrew, 41st and Joyce, Metrotown, Kingsway & Knight and half-a-dozen other areas that qualify under the increasingly loose definition of "Chinatown" (as enhanced and elaborated further on the main Chinatown page, which IMO has gotten incredibly overblown and a-contextual (like the Hongcouver article, altough that's on a lesser scale).Skookum1 20:05, 22 October 2006 (UTC)
Actually I just went and checked UseNet Archives for its first provenance there: alt.peeves item but note also soc.culture.hongkong item, which mentions a 60 Minutes program called "Hongcouver", which I now remember; so maybe my premature Alzheimer's got NatGeog and 60 Minutes swapped all this time. I just checked 60 Minutes on-line archive but of course they don't go back that far; but I'm sure there was something in the Nat'l Geog, too, and I remember it being a cover article with a sunset-lit shot of the West End on the cover, or at least on the lead page for the article.Skookum1 02:44, 23 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Chinatown size

Can only use google search to find proportion of articles saying one thing over another. Searching second largest chinatown in north america gives a big majority of articles saying its vancouver (ignoring wikipedia articles, since that is what's being discussed currently). In any case, google isn't a good "source" of information as much information is incorrect. It's better used as a measure of PROBABILITY that the fact is correct.—Preceding unsigned comment added by 142.150.139.11 (talk)

I don't buy that Vancouver's Chinatown proper is the second largest in North America. Several places, including New York, Toronto, and Oakland make that claim, and pretty much all such claims come from sources with an interest in having the biggest this or that, i.e., tourist bureaus and the like. A million tourist sites claiming Vancouver's Chinatown is the largest won't make it so. In a case like this, where a fact is contested, I think it needs a more reliable, i.e., disinterested source where the original source of information is apparent, i.e., the statistical source that came up with the basis of the claim. What does biggest, or second biggest mean? Population? Area? is this counting Richmond, which many would challenge that that counts as "Chinatown" at all? The population of Chinatown? Does it include Strathcona, or just the "historic Chinatown" area? I suspect this is an old factoid that gets worked into the local mythology just through sheer repetition, like the Downtown Eastside being the "poorest postal code." In lieu of a more convincing source, I'm reverting it to "one of the largest," because as it is, it is unencyclopedic and a dubious claim. Bobanny 01:21, 11 December 2006 (UTC)
If you just consider the physical size of the historic district then Chinatown is one of the largest - and rare for historic Chinatowns Vancouver's has expanded over the years not contracted like others, notably Victoria's - but the number of residents its quite small even taking in account Strathcona. --Lookingatdamascus 01:22, 2 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Chinese New Year?

Did anyone get any quality pictures from the Chinese New Year parade this year? I haven't got mine developed, but if I can find a good one, it might be a nice addition. - TheMightyQuill 04:44, 27 February 2007 (UTC)

Voila. I almost forgot I took some photos til I saw your note here. Bobanny 09:31, 27 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] International Village Clock

Anyone know anything about the clock on the top of the building on international village? It appears to be visable from the air. You can find it on google earth at 49.2802° N 123.1066° W

If anyone has any info, please let me know. Cheers. RichMac (Talk) 17:58, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

I don't know anything about a clock at international village, but the building's visible in the photo taken from Harbour Centre at the Victory Square (Vancouver) article if you want to take a peek. bobanny 18:32, 25 April 2007 (UTC)
Now I see it, and you can sort of see it on the roof in that photo, it's that semi-circle thing with Roman numerals. Maybe it's a jumbo sun dial. The post office roof is kind of whacky too; heliport, basketball court, and a giant postage stamp. bobanny 18:47, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Any historical significance to "Canton Alley"?

Just east of the Millenium Gate is a pedestrian walkway which is currently signed by the city of Vancouver as "Guangzhou Alley (Canton Alley)".

Is there any historical significance to this (now non-functioning) back alley, and was the name changed to the modern pin yin alphabetization due to a request from mainland China (which donated the Millenium gate, back in 1986)?

Pine 22:33, 25 July 2007 (UTC)