Montreal Chinatown's Secret

Did you know that today’s Chinatown was once Jewish?
" From 1890 to 1920, thousands of Yiddish-speaking Jews came to Montreal from Eastern Europe and settled in the streets around St. Lawrence and Dorchester (now René Lévesque). If Chinatown’s Jewish heritage isn’t obvious, it’s probably because it has been erased by time and redevelopment, swept away like Chenneville St. and its quietly imposing synagogue. Makom: Seeking Sacred Space, an ongoing exhibition at Hampstead’s Dorshei Emet synagogue, examines the historical traces of Montreal’s Jewish community with photos of former synagogues near the Main. " ...continuation of article by Christopher DeWolf

Chinatown Today
The establishment of the Chinese district in this central part of the city occupied from the years 1850 testifies the early arrival of first Chinese in Montreal. At the beginning of the XIX century, these Chinese immigrants were working as tailors or launderers. Then they branched out into the restaurant / food industry catering to both the local Chinese population and to the non-Chinese.
Always bustling with activity, today's Chinatown remains very important for people of the Chinese diasporas as well as the descendants of second and third generation. Its abundance in commerce such as restaurants, Asian grocers, gold shops, bakeries and shops of all kinds show an economic strength in this quarter. And, the presence of the Chinese hospital (formerly located on Saint-Denis in Villeray) also shows a will for the community to keep this district active and in the center of the community.

Montreal's main Chinatown basically span the 2 to 3 blocks of the streets of La Gauchetiere Street, St. Urbain and Boul. St. Laurent. Its boundaries are designated by four monumental gates / doors, hand made in China by Chinese workers in the nineteen-nineties. These 4 gates form a quadrilateral shape, framing Rene Levesque Blvd. in the north, Viger St. in the south, Saint-Dominique in the east and Coté Street in the west.... all one-way streets. Also note that Chinatown's principal north/south axis are Boul. St. Laurent and St. Urbain Street...... also one-way streets.
For those of us Montrealers who frequent this area, we know that traffic in Chinatown can be a big nuisance and parking is difficult to come by. Therefore, getting there by Metro is your best bet; Place D'armes or Place-Des-Arts station.