Exploring Victoria BC’s Chinatown: A Walk Through History, Culture, and Unexpected Discoveries

One of the best things to do in Victoria, British Columbia, on my recent trip was a walking tour of the city’s historic Chinatown. It wasn’t just a stroll through a neighborhood—it was a time-traveling journey filled with rich stories, complex histories, and a deep dive into one of North America’s oldest Chinese communities.

Chinatown’s Place in History

The Greater Victoria Tourism Board booked me on a walking tour of Chinatown with Discover the Past, run by the father-son duo John and Chris Adams. Chris led my tour, and as someone who grew up in Chinatown, he brought a lived-in perspective that textbooks can’t match.

As we started, Chris handed out listening devices so we could hear him on the busy Victoria streets and wander a bit further or linger a bit longer without missing his evocative stories.

Our tour started at CRD Square, short for Capital Regional District Square, directly across from the colorful gate to Chinatown. In the plaza is a statue called the Bright Pearl, a stainless steel sculpture installed in 2006 that pays homage to the Pearl River Valley region of southern China.

The Pearl River Valley is the ancestral homeland of many early Chinese immigrants who came to Victoria. These settlers, primarily from Guangdong Province, brought their language, customs, and spiritual traditions.

Victoria’s Chinatown is the second oldest in North America, after San Francisco’s. However, while San Francisco was rebuilt after the 1906 earthquake, many of Victoria’s buildings predate the 1900s, offering a rare glimpse into 19th-century Chinese Canadian life.

Starting the Tour: The Gate and Beyond

Our tour began across from the ornate Gate of Harmonious Interest, built in 1981. But as Chris explained, the true historical Chinatown extends far beyond this modern gateway. Red lampposts scattered throughout nearby blocks mark the original perimeter, tracing a community that once made up a quarter of Victoria’s population.

Chris immediately dove into stories about the community’s roots, which were closely tied to the 1858 Fraser Canyon Gold Rush. Victoria became a jumping-off point for Chinese immigrants pursuing wealth in the goldfields.

Connections to China – Sun Yat-Sen

Also in CRD Square is a statue of Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, the revolutionary leader often referred to as the “Father of Modern China.” Sun Yat-Sen visited Victoria multiple times in the early 20th century, and the city played a key role in financially supporting his efforts to overthrow the Qing Dynasty and establish the Republic of China.

The inscription on the back of the statue is “All under heaven are equal”. That may not seem controversial to us, but at the time, it meant that the emperor was no more important than the lowliest peasant. Those are the kind of words that could get you executed in China at the time.

Benevolent Associations

Just across from CRD Square, facing the Bright Pearl sculpture and the Gate of Harmonious Interest, stand two of Victoria Chinatown’s most historically significant buildings: the Lee’s Benevolent Association and the Shon Yee Benevolent Association. These organizations, called tongs, rooted in Chinese clan and regional traditions, played a vital role in supporting early Chinese immigrants who arrived in Victoria during the 19th century. With systemic discrimination blocking access to housing, jobs, and basic public services, groups like these provided essential support, offering shelter, employment connections, and dispute resolution for those who shared a surname or hailed from the same region of China.

The Lee’s Benevolent Association served members of the widespread Lee (or Li) clan, helping new arrivals find footing in a foreign land while maintaining cultural and ancestral ties. Just next door, the Shon Yee Benevolent Association, representing people from the Shunde district in Guangdong Province, functioned similarly as a regional hometown association.

Together, these tongs formed part of a broader network of mutual aid that underpinned the daily life of Victoria’s Chinatown. Though many visitors today pass by these heritage buildings without noticing them, they once served as pillars of community organization, cultural preservation, and quiet resistance during a time when Chinese residents were otherwise shut out of Canadian civil society. They are still active, although it is challenging to keep the younger generations interested in these connections.

Chinese Medicine

In a constantly changing neighborhood, the ground floor of the Shon Yee Benevolent Association is now an Indian restaurant. The ground floor of the Lee’s Benevolent Association, on the other hand, is a family-run shop selling traditional Chinese medicinal herbs. Chris recalled when the grandfather of the current owners ran this shop. It had the same exotic and pungent smells in those days, although much more organizational chaos.

A Family’s Legacy: Lee Mong Kow Family

One story that stuck with me was that of Lee Mong Kow, who became the first person of Chinese origin to work in Canada’s federal civil service. Chris pointed out a mural depicting Lee, his wife, his elderly mother, and five of their fifteen children. It’s located a block east of the Chinatown gate, along Fisgard Street. The mural shows the family in 1905.

Mr. Lee (the family name is first in Chinese names) married a woman born in Victoria, which was a rare catch. At the time, there were far more men than women in the local Chinese community. This was in large part because of the infamous “head tax,” a $500 per-person fee for Chinese immigrants. In the 1800s, an entire house could be bought for $3000, so the head tax often made it too expensive to bring one’s whole family from China.

Lee learned English in Hong Kong before he immigrated to Victoria. After coming to Victoria, he worked as an interpreter and customs official and built a large family. His goal, as with many of the original immigrants, was not to stay in North America, but to return to his home “wearing silks.” He was eventually able to do so, although much of his family eventually left China after the communists took control.

Chinatown School

Across Fisgard Street from the mural of the Lee family stands a building that represents both hardship and resilience in Victoria’s Chinatown: the Chinese Public School. Established in 1909, the school was created in response to discriminatory policies by the Victoria School Board, which had barred Chinese children from attending public schools unless they could speak English—a standard not applied to children from other immigrant backgrounds. When that exclusionary policy was enforced in 1907, the Chinese community responded by creating its own educational institution. Mr. Lee was one of the benefactors of the school.

Scottish-born architect David C. Frame designed the school in what would become known as the Chinatown architectural style.

The school became a cornerstone of Chinatown life, offering classes in both English and Chinese. It wasn’t just a place to learn reading and arithmetic—it was a place where children could preserve their cultural heritage while gaining the tools to navigate Canadian society. Operated under the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association (CCBA) leadership, the school reflects the broader community’s long-standing commitment to self-reliance and cultural continuity.

Chris recalled when his friends from the neighborhood resented spending their afternoons and weekends learning Chinese at the school, but these same friends now send their kids there.

A Glimpse of the 1800s

As we headed back towards the Chinatown gate, we paused to see a mural on our right depicting Chinatown in the late 1800s. Note the Way Sang Yuen shop selling traditional Chinese medicine. If you look closely, you will see some of the Lee children playing in the street. Although they are pictured wearing their best clothes, this is, at best, artistic license.

Hidden Above: The Tam Kung Temple

One of the most unexpected and fascinating stops on our tour was the Tam Kung Temple, perched atop a nondescript building near the mural. From street level, you wouldn’t guess it existed. We climbed a flight of stairs, opened a door, and stepped into a different world. Incense filled the air, and hand-embroidered banners lined the walls.

Chris explained that this is the only Tam Kung Temple outside of Asia. The original statue of Tam Kung, a sea deity worshipped by the Hakka people, arrived with a gold miner in the 1860s. When the miner went off to the goldfields, the statue was left behind and eventually enshrined here. What began as an outdoor shrine grew into a purpose-built temple in the 1870s, later relocated to this current building in 1911.

This isn’t a Buddhist or Taoist temple. It falls under what scholars awkwardly call “Chinese folk religion.” There’s no priest, no regular congregation. Mr. Liang, the caretaker, makes sure everything is clean and organized. Worshippers come individually to light incense, offer offerings like fruit, and leave wishes. When we visited, Mr. Liang was already preparing for Tam Kung’s upcoming birthday, which promised a full day of prayers and visitors.

Chinatown Food

The Chinatown walk is not just about history. Chris also picked up some local buns from Wah Lai Yuen to try some local cuisine and pointed out some of his favorite restaurants in Chinatown. Not all of these are Chinese. There is a great Mexican restaurant there now, for instance. Read my review of the best restaurants in Victoria for Chris’s recommendations.

Gambling and Opium

As we continued the tour, we explored Fan Tan Alley, one of Chinatown’s most iconic landmarks. Narrow and mysterious, this alley was once a hub for gambling and opium. The alley’s charm is undeniable today, lined with boutiques and art galleries, but its past is less polished.

Chris pointed out that while gambling was illegal, opium was not—at least not initially. A fire map hanging near the alley lists legal opium dens, a surreal reminder of different societal norms. The opium trade eventually fell under prohibition, and many of the Chinese community’s enterprises were criminalized, further entrenching negative stereotypes.

Fan Tan Alley in Victoria’s Chinatown gets its name from the Chinese gambling game Fan-Tan, which was once commonly played in the alley’s illicit gambling houses. As Chris demonstrated, the game of Fan-Tan itself is simple and based on chance. Players bet on whether the number of small objects under a bowl—often coins or beads—will leave a remainder of one, two, three, or four when divided into groups of four. Once bets are placed, the dealer reveals and counts out the pieces, and those who guessed the remainder correctly win. It was an easy-to-learn game that could be played casually with just a few items, making it a favorite activity in Victoria’s early Chinese community.

Practical Tips: Making the Most of Your Visit

If you’re planning a trip to Victoria, especially its Chinatown, here are a few practical tips based on my experience:

Booking a Tour:

I highly recommend booking this Historical Chinatown walking tour. Their daytime Chinatown history tours offer layered perspectives of the neighborhood. This write-up only scratches the surface of what I learned on the tour. Booking ahead is wise, especially during weekends or the summer high season. Chris and John also offer a Historical Victoria Walking Tour and ghost tours.

Where to Stay:

I split my time between the Delta Hotels Victoria Ocean Pointe Resort (see review) and the Oswego Hotel (see review). The Delta offers sweeping harbor views, while the Oswego provides apartment-style suites great for longer stays. The Delta is a quick walk over the drawbridge from Chinatown.

What to Bring:

Comfortable walking shoes are a must. Many sidewalks in Chinatown are narrow or uneven, and you’ll want to explore side alleys and hidden courtyards. Bring a camera too—between the murals, temples, and vintage architecture, there are plenty of photo ops.

Final Reflections: More Than Just a Tourist Stop

Chinatown has a fascinating and sometimes challenging history. You could easily walk through it and be oblivious to it. Most of its visitors are. But a tour with Discover the Past Walking Tours will broaden your knowledge of and appreciation for this amazing neighborhood.

If you’re visiting Victoria, don’t skip Chinatown. Take the tour, ask the questions, walk slowly, and let the past whisper its stories as you step forward through one of Canada’s most vibrant, layered neighborhoods.

Also, check out the podcast Travel to Victoria, British Columbia – Amateur Traveler Episode 945

Disclosure: Destination Greater Victoria sponsored this trip, but all opinions are my own.