Nestled among shops selling furniture and traditional Chinese medicine in Vancouver’s Chinatown is a curious-looking storefront on Main Street. The shop sign reads “Happy Valley Turf Club”, calling to mind the Hong Kong neighbourhood of the same name that is known for its racecourse. The shop, as it turns out, is not a shop at…
Lunar New Year is a time when former Hong Kong residents, like myself, miss the city and rekindle memories of past celebrations. The beginning of the Year of the Snake will be no exception. Many of the traditions, from temple blessings to fortune telling, are lost on us Westerners. But there is still much to…
File photo of Chinese New Year celebrations at Melbourne’s Chinatown | Image credit: Alpha, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons As the Lunar New Year approaches, a travel itch strikes many. Booking.com’s survey reveals that nearly a third (32 percent) of Hong Kong residents are eager to explore global Chinatowns, seeking cultural experiences beyond their…
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Vivian Chang works on a narrow Philadelphia street that would have been consumed by a Phillies stadium had Chinatown activists not rallied to defeat the plan in the early 2000s. Instead of 40,000 cheering fans, the squeals of young children now fill the playground at Folk Arts-Cultural Treasures Charter School, which opened…