Victoria’s Chinatown National Historic Site

Victoria’s Chinatown is the oldest surviving Chinese settlement in Canada, taking shape in the late eighteen fifties during the Fraser River Gold Rush. It is recognizable by its cohesive cluster of two and three-story brick buildings, many of which feature flared temple-style roofs, wrought-iron balconies, and brightly colored tiled overhangs. This neighborhood served as the primary port of entry for thousands of Chinese immigrants arriving in British North America, acting as a gateway for miners headed to the Cariboo and, later, for the laborers building the Canadian Pacific Railway.