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SCMP Lifestyle Series

Chinatowns around the world

Chinatowns are often portrayed as gritty underworlds riddled with prostitution, gambling and drug trafficking. Some of this is rooted in truth, but that unfair depiction is largely the result of rampant xenophobia and cultural ignorance, especially in the West.  

Updated: 11 Dec, 2025
London Chinatown: Photo: Shutterstock
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[1]

50 years of growth and cultural change in London’s Chinatown

Early Chinatown was a place of restaurants, underground gambling dens and brothels, but it has grown more affluent and diverse over time.

25 Mar, 2025
Wardour Street, Chinatown, London. The area, which dates back to the 1970s, has evolved over time to become the multicultural enclave it is now. Photo: Getty Images
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[2]

Seoul and Incheon’s Chinatowns tell stories of Chinese immigration to Korea

The history of South Korea’s two main Chinatowns also reveals the complex relationship between Korea and China over the past few centuries.

01 Apr, 2025
The main entrance gate to Incheon Chinatown, South Korea’s oldest Chinese enclave. Photo: AP
[3]

The turbulent history of San Francisco’s Chinatown, North America’s oldest

From the Chinese Exclusion Act and 1906 earthquake to sex-trafficking rings and ‘paper son’ system, this Chinatown’s story is a bumpy one.

08 Apr, 2025
Large crowds fill Grant Avenue in San Francisco’s Chinatown in the US state of California for the annual Mid-Autumn Festival. Photo: Hearst Newspapers via Getty Images
[4]

Discover the rich history and modern revival of Bangkok’s Chinatown

Thailand’s capital boasts what is one of the largest Chinatowns in the world. We examine its growth from the late 1700s to today.

14 Apr, 2025
Food hawker stalls serve customers during Chinese New Year in Bangkok’s Chinatown in Thailand. Photo: Getty Images
[5]

History of the world’s oldest Chinatown, Binondo, now a foodie paradise

Established in 1594 in the Philippine capital Manila, Binondo has gone from financial hub to culinary hotspot boasting amazing restaurants.

17 Apr, 2025
While Binondo today is known as a foodie’s paradise, it was once better known as a financial hub. Photo: Shutterstock
[6]

The changing faces of New York’s 3 most prominent Chinatowns

From Manhattan’s Cantonese enclave to Flushing, where Mandarin rules, the food and language in city’s Chinatowns tell stories of immigration.

24 Apr, 2025
The Chinatown in Lower Manhattan is New York’s oldest, shaped by immigrants from Hong Kong, and from Guangdong and Fujian provinces in mainland China. Photo: Getty Images
[7]

How Toronto’s Chinatown is fighting back against existential threats

Young Asian-Canadians in Toronto are trying to keep its Chinatown’s heritage alive as downtown development and real estate speculation rise.

07 May, 2025
People attend a Toronto Chinatown Land Trust mahjong fundraising event at the Wong Association of Ontario. Photo: Maylynn Quan
[8]

Melbourne’s Chinatown, born from 1850s gold rush and thriving today

Things to do in Melbourne’s Chinatown, which survived ‘White Australia’ laws limiting non-British migration to become a vibrant cultural hub.

12 May, 2025
A dragon dance troupe perform in Chinatown in Melbourne, Australia during Lunar New Year festivities in 2024. The Chinatown is one of the world’s oldest. Photo: Getty Images
[9]

How Mexico’s oldest and largest Chinatown rose despite terrible xenophobia

America’s Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 saw many immigrants turn to Mexico, but their broad business dominance led to dreadful consequences.

16 May, 2025
A traditional gate marks an entrance to Mexicali’s Chinatown, known as La Chinesca, in the city in Mexico’s Baja California state.
[10]

How Sydney’s Chinatown has evolved with the times, good and bad

Since the early 19th century, Sydney’s Chinese community has overcome Sinophobia, anti-Asian laws and Covid.

21 May, 2025
The gateway to Chinatown, in Sydney. Chinatown is a reflection of the struggles of the Asian community in Australia since the early 1800s. Photo: Shutterstock
[11]

How Singapore Chinatown became a tourist hub with one foot in tradition

The area southwest of Singapore River has evolved through the decades into a multi-faith destination where old and new coexist.

11 Jun, 2025
People take photos in front of a giant golden rooster lantern in Singapore’s Chinatown in preparation for the upcoming Lunar New Year on January 4, 2017. In recent decades the area has become a tourist hub where boutiques stand beside old tea houses and Buddhist temples Photo: Xinhua
[12]

How Vancouver’s Chinatown, plagued by poverty, fights for survival

Vancouver’s Chinatown faces a number of challenges, but its passionate community aims to revitalise and preserve its 140-year-old legacy.

19 Jun, 2025
Chefs and volunteers at Light Up Chinatown, an outdoor event held in the neighbourhood and organised by the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation. Photo: Light Up Chinatown
[13]

Why Japan’s largest Chinatown is unlike any other around the world

More tourist attraction for locals than Chinese enclave, Yokohama Chinatown still boasts a fascinating history full of upheaval and survival.

04 Jul, 2025
Yokohama Chinatown’s transformation from its migrant enclave roots to today’s tourist attraction is one steeped in history and culture. Photo: Getty Images
[14]

How Boston Chinatown overcame constant threats to win its place in history

New England’s last surviving Chinatown, Boston Chinatown has long suffered hostile urban renewal but now its community is stronger than ever.

11 Dec, 2025
A paifang gate marks an entrance to Boston Chinatown. Although at one time or another, Chinatowns existed in other cities in the United States’ New England region, today, Boston’s is the only one remaining. Photo: Hei-kiu Au
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