Chinatown Chinatown ( zh, t=唐人街) is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, Asia, Africa, O ...

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, also called Adelaide Chinatown ( zh, 阿德雷得唐人街) or Moonta Street Chinatown, is located on Moonta Street, within the large Adelaide Central Markets precinct between Grote and Gouger streets in the

Adelaide city centre Adelaide city centre () is the inner city locality of Adelaide, Greater Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia. It is known by locals simply as "the City" or "Town" to distinguish it from Greater Adelaide and from the City of Adelaide l ...

. Two large

Paifang A ''paifang'', also known as a ''pailou'', is a traditional style of Chinese architecture, often used in arch or gateway structures. Etymology The word ''paifang'' ( zh, c=牌坊, p=páifāng) was originally a collective term for the top two le ...

, which were erected by the

city council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough counc ...

, are guarded by the

Chinese guardian lions Chinese guardian lions, or imperial guardian lions, are a traditional Chinese architectural ornament. Typically made of stone, they are also known as stone lions or shishi (). They are known in colloquial English as lion dogs, foo dogs, or fu ...

. They mark the entrances at either end. Adelaide Chinatown consists mainly of Chinese restaurants, grocery stores and markets but also consists of many non-Chinese Asian restaurants offering cuisines of Indian, Japanese, Korean, Malaysian, Nepali, Thai and Vietnamese origins.

History

The first dozen Chinese labourers arrived from

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

in Adelaide in 1847 to work as indentured shepherds. Many Chinese people disembarked in the port towns of South Australia before travelling overland to the

Victorian goldfields The Goldfields region of Victoria is a region commonly used but typically defined in both historical geography and tourism geography (in particular heritage tourism). The region is also known as the Victorian Golden Triangle. Description ...

due to immigration restrictions in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

. Chinatown in Adelaide began to grow in the 1970s and 1980s with the influx of Asian migrants particularly from

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

. Produce was sold at the Central Market by market gardeners and this began the growth of the Asian food shops and cafés in the area. Pagoda style roofs, red lanterns, restaurants and grocery stores are found on Moonta Street, which is the centre of Chinatown. Paifang, which is a type of traditional Chinese archway, are at the opposite entrances of Moonta street and are guarded by Chinese lion statues which were donated by the Adelaide city council and by the Chinese government.

Lunar New Year Celebrations

Chinatown Adelaide has hosted the official Lunar New Year Celebrations in Moonta Street since 2003. In 2013 the celebrations were expanded with the assistance of the Adelaide City Council and major sponsors to also include

Gouger Street Gouger Street ( ) is a major street in the centre of Adelaide, South Australia.Map
of the Adelaide ...

. Gouger street was closed to accommodate a street party with traditional performances, market stalls and a pop-up street restaurant.

Gallery

File:Chinatown, Adelaide paifang 1.jpg, Another

paifang A ''paifang'', also known as a ''pailou'', is a traditional style of Chinese architecture, often used in arch or gateway structures. Etymology The word ''paifang'' ( zh, c=牌坊, p=páifāng) was originally a collective term for the top two le ...

at southern entrance File:Chinatown, Adelaide 1.jpg, Main street view on Moonta Street File:Chinatown, Adelaide at night.jpg, At night File:Adelaide Chinatown.jpg, Grote Street entrance

References

External links

* Asian-Australian culture in South Australia Culture of Adelaide

Restaurant districts and streets in Australia Tourist attractions in Adelaide {{adelaide-stub