Victoria’s Chinatown

First settled in 1858, Victoria’s Chinatown is the oldest and most intact Chinatown in Canada and represents an important chapter in the history and heritage of Chinese Canadians. As the major immigrant port of entry on the west coast in the nineteenth century, Victoria had the largest concentration of Chinese Canadians in the country. They established a self-contained and identifiable neighbourhood focused on Fisgard Street that offered a complete range of commercial, residential, and social institutions and was made accessible by a distinctive layout of alleys and passageways. Its cohesive groupings of buildings adapted standard forms and designs found elsewhere in the city, while flared temple-style roofs, inset and projecting wrought-iron balconies, additional cheater storeys, interior courtyard, and brightly hued tiled overhangs gave the area its distinctive character. It remains a richly textured reminder of the early years of Chinese settlement in Canada.

British Columbia · Canada