Chinatown, Orlando

Orlando Chinatown
Retail district
Coordinates: 28°24′57″N 81°17′56″W / 28.41583°N 81.29889°W
Country  United States
State Florida
County Orange County
City Orlando, Florida
ZIP Code 32808
Area code(s) Area code 407

The U.S. city of Orlando, Florida has a Chinatown (Chinese: 奥兰多唐人街; pinyin: ào lán duō táng rén jiē) as of 2002 at 5060 West Colonial Drive (located outside city limits). According to the West Orlando News, the Chinatown features a monument of Sun Yat Sen, a donation from his granddaughter Dr. Lily Sun who unveiled it on the 87th anniversary of his death in 2012, making this the first commercial location to hold such a monument.[1] In March 2013, a paifang was unveiled at the entrance to the Chinatown plaza, "... helping legitimize the plaza as a center for Chinese commerce."[2]

History

According to an article by the Orlando Weekly, the location of Orlando's Chinatown was once the Westside Crossing Plaza, which was a Walmart shopping center with a Publix supermarket. In 2003, the old shopping center was converted to house "... 60 pan-Asian businesses and restaurants." Financing for the project came from Chinese investors.[3]

The Orlando Sentinel further states that "... by retrofitting the mostly vacant strip center, which includes a former Wal-Mart discount store and Publix supermarket, a group of out-of-state Chinese investors are hoping to draw more than 60 Asian-owned businesses to the site by the end of the year. " The article states that this is "... creating what the project's developers are calling the region's first Chinatown." The amenities include bakeries, restaurants, and an Asian grocery store. So the article further elaborates by saying "... finally, there's a place to buy cuttlefish and black chicken."[4]

Since the project was a success, its report on its conceptualization and development is used as a reference for the real estate and tourism industries.[5]

References

  1. ↑ "Dr. Sun's Monument Unveiled at Orlando Chinatown".
  2. ↑ "http://www.thedailycity.com/2013/04/orlandos-chinatown-just-got-bit-more.html".
  3. ↑ "First comes 1st in new Chinatown".
  4. ↑ "Asian-Themed Shops, Restaurants to Create Chinatown in Orlando, Fla.".
  5. ↑ "Orlando Chinatown: A New Venture for Chinese Americans".