Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
A few steps from Chinatown's Millennium Gate, Shanghai Alley was once home to
hundreds of immigrant Chinese men, domiciled in cheap lodgings. With its own shops,
eateries and 500-seat theater, it was designed as a one-way street that could be de-
fended in the event of attack from locals.
The 1990s saw the region become even more multicultural. Prior to the British han-
dover of Hong Kong to China in 1997, tens of thousands of wealthy Hong Kong
Chinese migrated to BC's Lower Mainland area, boosting the area's permanent Asian
population by about 85% and creating the largest Asian population in any North Amer-
ican city. Real-estate prices rose, with Vancouver's cost-of-living figures suddenly
rivaling those of London, Paris and Tokyo. Many of the new arrivals shunned the city
proper in favor of the suburbs, especially Richmond. By 1998 immigration had tapered
off but the city's transformation into a modern, multicultural mecca was already com-
plete. By then, about 40% of Vancouver residents were foreign-born, and an ethnic
smorgasbord of restaurants, stores and cultural activities had emerged, solidifying the
worldly reputation the city earned by hosting Expo '86.
The 2010 Olympics saw a record haul of Canadian medals, but it wasn't just athletes
who were popular with the crowds. Among several merchandise-friendly mascots intro-
duced by organizers, Quatchi the gigantic but ever-cuddly sasquatch, was far and
away the biggest hit.
Going for Gold
In the opening decade of the new millennium, Vancouver became a regular on those
global surveys that designate the best places in the world to live. Seizing the initiative
and recalling the success of Expo '86, the region again looked to the future, winning
the bid to host the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
With events staged in and around the city, and also at Whistler, a global TV audience
of more than two billion gazed admiringly at picture-perfect snow-and-blue-sky vistas,
while athletes from 80 countries competed for gold. And while many locals had
grumbled about the cost of the Games, the entire city exploded in a 17-day mardi gras
of support that surprised even the organizers.
Upwards of 200,000 Maple Leaf-waving partiers hit the streets around Robson and
Granville Sts every night to hang out with overseas visitors, catch LiveSite music
shows and break into impromptu renditions of the national anthem. This all-enveloping
