Europe’s biggest Chinatown home to 50,000 people – but hardly any tourists | World | News

Europe’s largest Chinatown has a big permanent population, but tourists often miss it. Paris‘ Chinatown is located in the southeast of Paris‘ 13th arrondissement, and is the biggest cultural and commercial hub for the population of East Asian and Southeast Asian origin in the city.

It’s known in Paris as the the Quartier Asiatique (or Asian Quarter) and sits in a roughly triangular area bordered by Avenue de Choisy, Avenue d’Ivry, Boulevard Masséna, and the Les Olympiades residential disrict. However, it isn’t decked out in lanterns and the red gates you’ll find in Soho, which is home to businesses geared primarily towards tourists looking for authentic cuisine and souvenirs.

Instead, Quartier Asiatique is a densely populated residential area with high-rise buildings that mostly features local shops and restaurants catering to locals, and isn’t among the top destinations for visitors to Paris.

That may be partly due to its location, which is away from Paris’ most iconic tourist destinations like the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame Cathedral, as well as its less-tourist focused local economy.

It reportedly has a permanent population of around 50,000, marking it out as one of the biggest Chinatowns on the continent.

Quartier Asiatique also occupies a much larger area than many Chinatowns around the world, spread out over around 1.7 square kilometers, as reported by MailOnline.

For comparison, London’s Chinatown in Soho centres on Gerrard Street and stretches out only to a few surrounding streets.

Despite primarily being known for its connection to the Chinese diaspora in France, it also has significant populations with roots in other Asian countries including Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.

The community was built following immigration to the area which began around 1970, with large numbers of refugees settling in housing units made available through the “Italie 13” scheme, a major Parisian urban renewal project.

And while it’s not the major tourist draw like the Chinatowns of London and Manchester’s on Faulkner Street, it becomes a focus for Chinese New Year celebrations.

This year, the lunar new year fell on Tuesday, February 17, marked by parades and fireworks in the Asian Quarter and other Parisian neighbourhoods, including the 3rd arrondissement and Belleville.