2007-03-05 08:24:56 · 5 answers · asked by crkim38 1 in Travel ➔ Canada ➔ Vancouver
If you got on a boat, travelled from Canada to China, and tried to settle in Beijing, would you decide to live anywhere, or would you try to find a neighborhood that had a few other English-speaking people?
It is common practice for people of ethnic minority to try and find homes near others of the same race. This is how we end up with Chinatown areas in various cities. It is not a bad thing, it is simply a practice anyone who is moving in to a unknown community would try to make.
By the way, it is not just asians that think this way and group together. Take a look at East LA or Compton in Los Angeles. How about Harlem in New York?
2007-03-05 08:38:49 · answer #1 · answered by SteveN 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not only just Chinese immigrants but also Korean, Japanese, Thai, etc. it's because Vancouver is the closest Canadian city to Asia with many direct flights over the Pacific, at times very lenient immigration laws (once you are here you can sponsor extended family members), many ESL schools, foreign ownership of housing is allowed, investments in local businesses and building complexes, etc. It's true that Vancouver has been influenced by the Asian migration over the last 10-20 years. There are many malls, restaurants, newspapers, tv stations, festivals, government services, etc all geared towards the Asian population. You can easily live here now without speaking a word of English or French but, that would be a shame because then you are missing out on a load of other things happening here.
2007-03-09 08:07:04 · answer #2 · answered by Patricia 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not so much Chinese but Hong Kongers in particular. When Hong Kongs lease by the British was expiring tons of people there were freaking about their fortunes (large and small) that they had made under British free market law. No one was sure what the communist govt was going to do once the handover was complete. Being a commonwealth with ties to the Crown, Canada, Britain, Australia, New Zealand were natural choices to get their loot, or at least part of it, out of there to secure nations. Vancouver has a ton of things going for it and isnt as cold as the rest of the country, is on the Pacific ocean, like Hong Kong and the Westside is nice, low crime and most importantly is good real estate investment territory. Lots of Cantonese speakers and a pile of good restaurants in the city too. Close to downtown. Lots of old houses to knock down and erect those hideous, ice cold monsterbox houses with perpetually closed drapes and concrete back yards with the obligatory European sedan(s) parked outside, yeah, the Canadian dream. Some got homesick when they found out not much changed back home and went back but as long as the Canadian govt lets people with cash in they might as well keep their investments here.
2007-03-06 03:24:28 · answer #3 · answered by chrisgallo 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Historically Hong Konger immigrated there after Britain lost control over Hong Kong. Now many mainlanders live there and invest real estate...
2016-04-17 13:22:00 · answer #4 · answered by ? 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
why not?
2007-03-05 08:35:48 · answer #5 · answered by duvalicious 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋