Find A Small Piece of China in Busan China Town
Feel like traveling around the world during the pandemic!
Managing Editor Kang Hyun-gi
kangcandace@naver.com
When you get off the train at Busan Station, numerous tourists are there. Shanghai Gate, a red door, can be seen in front of Busan Station. The Shanghai Gate was built and installed in China town to commemorate the sisterhood relationship between Busan and Shanghai, China.
Chinatown refers to a place where Chinese people living abroad collectively live in a country. It is a well-known concept around the world and it also creates a wide Chinese network. Busan Chinatown Street was designated as a special regional development zone in 2007, since the Qing consulate had been established in Choryang-dong in 1884. This street often appears as a filming location for movies. Due to the Korean War, overseas Chinese from all over the country moved to Busan. In 1954, Busan Chinese Middle School and Busan Chinese Kindergarten were established there. It is the largest Chinese residential area in Busan and is also the only Chinatown special zone in Korea.
Since 2004, the Busan Chinatown Cultural Festival has been held every year in October, attracting a lot of tourists. As Chinese merchants formed residential areas, including many stores, Shanghai and Busan formed a sisterhood relationship in 1993 to create Shanghai Gate and Shanghai Street. Chinatown street, filled with red lanterns, was very crowded with tourists before the pandemic. People can feel the atmosphere of the China Special Zone even at the entrance gate of this street.
The street is divided into the Chinatown area, where Chinese restaurants are gathered, and a street called Texas Street. Texas Street refers to a street that was built by the U.S. military during the Korean War. There are many Russian and Central Asian people who came to Busan Port, an international port in the past, and there are also many Central Asian and Russian restaurants. For this reason, Busan's Chinatown is not just related to China. There are Russian restaurants and grocery stores here. It can be said that Busan's Chinatown is a little different from other regions' Chinatowns. Because there are Southeast Asians such as Filipinos, Indonesians, and Thai people and there are Southeast Asian restaurants serving traditional foods from countries such as Mongolia, Turkey, Indonesia, Thai cuisine, and Filipino cuisine, so it has a somewhat complex atmosphere. Plus, there are many restaurants that sell Russian cuisine, including Uzbek cuisine from the former Soviet Union. At this time, when it is not easy to travel abroad due to COVID-19, visiting Busan China Town would be one way to make people feel like they are traveling abroad. This Chinatown feels like a mix between Itaewon or Dongdaemun, which are seen as international towns, rather than a pure Chinatown.
People can taste the local Chinese cuisine that was introduced in the movies 'Old Boy' and 'Shinsegae'. You can enjoy authentic Chinese dumplings and food and there are many things to see. Inside Chinatown, there is Choryang Modern History Gallery that shows the modern history of Busan. You can enjoy the modern history of Choryang at a glance by looking at the display of images of Choryang, showing how it has changed throughout the years. People can learn about Busan's modern history and even can make memories at Choryang Chinatown in Busan.