| Zeedijk | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 中銀大廈 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 中银大厦 | ||||||||||
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The Zeedijk is a street in the old centre of Amsterdam. The street is located from the Prins Hendrikkade to the Nieuwmarkt. The Zeedijk (translated: "Sea dike") is the heart of Chinatown, the Chinese neighbourhood of Amsterdam. Historically an area riddled with crime and drug addicts, the area went through a revitalization and is now a hub for Chinatown where locals come to eat at Vietnamese, Thai and Chinese restaurants.[1] The Zeedijk neighbourhood is also known as the Nautical Quarter (Dutch: Nautisch Kwartier) because of its past as a seaman's neighbourhood.
There are many toko's and restaurants there, such as Nam Kee, known from the novel De Oesters van Nam Kee by Kees van Beijnum and the movie based on the book. The text on the street signs in the Zeedijk area and Nieuwmarkt are both in Dutch as well as in Chinese. The neighborhood is the location of the Guang Shan He Hua Temple, a Buddhist temple that is open to the public.[1]
It was in Zeedijk where jazz musician Chet Baker died in 1988. He fell or threw himself out the window of the Prins Hendrik Hotel. A plaque resides in memory of Baker at the site.[1]
Once per year, in Augustus, the "Hartjesdagen" take place on the Zeedijk featuring a parade of costume wearing participants.