Calgary's Chinatown and its 100 Years

Dragon City
Provided by George

I have been here for almost two years and I still remember the second day I came to Canada, my cousin showed me around Calgary by taking C-train and buses. The first place she showed me was the Chinatown in downtown. At that time I was so curious what did the first Chinese group do when they came to Calgary a hundred years ago and why it was located in the very center of this city.

An eastbound CPR freight at Stoney Creek Bridge in Rogers Pass.
 Photo by David R. Spencer.

According to chinatowncalgary.com, the present location at Center Street has been its third location since 1883. At that year, the first group of Chinese pioneers arrived in Calgary after the Canadian Pacific railway (CPR) was completed. They were the CPR workers came from B. C., who came across the Rocky Mountain to here looking for job opportunities. According to the source from the Census of Canada, the total population in Calgary in 1911 was 43,704, and Chinese were 485.

The first Chinatown began around Stephen Avenue (8^th Avenue) with around 50 Chinese immigrants living together. During that time, most of the Chinese worked in laundries, restaurants or cooks and housekeepers. However, the “Great Fire” of 1886, Calgary’s first major fire roared to life at 9^th Avenue and Center Street, including Chinatown.  Hotels, barns and warehouses burned to the ground.

After the “Great Fire” occurred, because a part of Chinatown was destroyed, the Chinese moved to other location, which was along 10^th Avenue and 1^st Street SW.

The second Chinatown was forced to relocate in 1910. At that time, some wealthy Chinese purchased a site at the corner of Center Street and 2^nd Avenue South to build their houses and develop their businesses. That is where the exist Chinatown located. The small group of Chinese people joined together to protect their personal safety and property, because they has understood the importance for them to be united and take care of each other.

Calgary's Chinatown-Centennial Celebration
Provided by Aaron Liang

In 2010, Calgary’s Chinatown community held its Centennial Celebration, including a parade in Chinatown and entertainments in the morning, the clan meeting in the afternoon and a centennial banquet in the evening.

Now, Calgary’s Chinatown is the fourth largest in Canada after those in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal. I feel so proud to be a Chinese, and the existence of Chinatown makes me not feel that lonely when living in a foreign country.