Vancouver's Chinatown is among the largest and most well-known of all Chinatowns across the globe. Locals and tourists alike flock here to take in its beautiful culture and to challenge each and every one of their senses with colourful sights, smells and sounds. Nonetheless, no matter how many times you have visited this location, there is always something new to see and discover. If you’re checking items off your travel bucket list, a trip to Vancouver’s Chinatown should be near the top. Here are some of the coolest things to do in Chinatown that you’ve never even heard about.

In British Columbia, the Chinese community has a tough history consisting of gruelling labour on the railway and patriotic service in World War II. The Chinese Cultural Centre Museum and Archives features a Ming Dynasty-style layout and is a great place to immerse yourself in history and educate yourself on this great culture. Upstairs, there is an art gallery that shows off exhibits by both Chinese and Canadian artists. The onsite military museum commemorates the Chinese-Canadian community's contributions to both World War I and World War II. Be sure to venture to the Centre and take in the monument in the shape of the Chinese character Zhong, this stands for harmony and really is something not to be missed. 

 

The Chinese Freemasons Building 

 Standing on the northwest corner of Carrall and Pender streets, the historical Chinese Freemasons Building is characterized by two entirely unique and distinct facades. The side of the building that looks down on Carrall Street features the Victorian style that was typical of the British Empire where as the side of the building that faces Pender Street features finely recessed Cantonese balconies. This is pretty unique and really is something you must see. As well as being beautiful the Chinese Freemasons Building is also steeped in history, the Republic of China’s founding father, Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, actually hid inside of this building for a few months while he was being pursued by the Manchu Dynasty's agents. How awesome that all of this history is on our doorstep. 

 

The Sam Kee Office Building

If you think size matters, you really need to get yourself down to The Sam Kee Office Building. This historical building is just six feet across, which is good enough for the people at Ripley's Believe It or Not! to officially designate this building as the narrowest building in the entire world. Today, this building is actually home to an insurance agency, and every day its workers are forced to endure the very narrow office space of just 4 feet, 10 inches. And you thought you had it bad in the workplace! The building is full of character and stands out with it’s glass panes on the sidewalk along Pender Street, these were once used for providing light for the public baths which at the beginning of the 20^th century were located in basement of this building. 

In our opinion these are some of the absolute coolest things to do and see when you're in Chinatown. It doesn't matter if you're a tourist or a local there is something pretty special about taking in these sights and experiencing them up close and personal and we guarantee your visit to Vancouver’s China town will be something that you will not forget. The history of Chinatown in Vancouver is a long and storied one, and you can absorb some of this with our top suggestions.