CHINATOWN'S BIREF HISTORY

At the end of the 19th century, the area around de la Gauchetière and St-Laurent was populated by English, Irish, French Canadians, and some Jews. St-Laurent was called St. Lawrence the Main, and was a major commercial street. Almost all immigrant groups spent time in this area. Only the Chinese have remained. 

During the 1940s, this was the seamiest side of the city. One columnist wrote "whether you're looking for a gal or gun, haircut or a hustler, a hock shop or a hamburger–you'll find it on St. Lawrence boulevard. The area stagnated for decades. However, there have been many positive changes in the past few years. Vietnamese and new immigrants from Hong Kong have taken over much of St-Laurent between Viger and René-Lévesque. On Sundays, the district has a marvellous bazaar-like atmosphere. Grocers extend their stores onto the sidewalk with fresh fruits, imported canned goods, and crates of thousand-year-old eggs (actually, eggs which have been potted for about a month). On festival days such as the August Moon, there are dragon dances, martial arts demonstrations, games of Chinese chess, and of course, firecrackers."
 

Montreal's chinatown is relatively small but is still interesting.
Just north of Vieux-Montréal, south of boulevard René-Lévesque, and centered on the intersection of rue Clark and rue de la Gauchetière (pedestrianized at this point), Montreal's pocket Chinatown is mostly restaurants and a tiny park, with the occasional grocery, laundry, church, and small business. For the benefit of outsiders, most signs are in French or English as well as Chinese. Community spirit is strong-it has had to be to resist the bulldozers of commercial proponents of redevelopment-and Chinatown's inhabitants remain faithful to their traditions despite the encroaching modernism all around them. Concerned investors from Hong Kong, wary of their uncertain future as part of mainland China, have poured money into the neighbourhood, producing signs that its shrinkage has been halted, even reversed.