Perth Voice Interactive

CHINATOWN may soon stretch down William or James streets under a multi-million dollar revamp of Northbridge.

Chung Wah Association secretary Ting Chen met with WA treasurer Mike Nahan late late year to discuss options for a new Chinatown as part of an overhaul of the suburb.

Dr Chen has tabled two options: closing James Street from William and Lake streets to create an Asian-themed mall, or putting two entrance gates on William Street, at Brisbane and James streets.

He says the latter — making Chinatown, or “Asiatown”, six times bigger — is cheaper, but more difficult to plan because it crosses into two councils: Perth and Vincent.

“It’s not easy to develop the Chinatown where the gate is now because that area is owned by private landowners,” Dr Chen says.

“We are working with the Italian and Greek communities to develop Northbridge because we know we are not the only cultural group here. Northbridge is diverse and it makes sense to develop it as the multicultural centre of Perth.

“The Chinese community would like it to happen as soon as possible. This would be very good for businesses and attract a lot of people.”

There’s talk the Northbridge overhaul will also feature Italian and Greek streets.

Chung Wah staffers have been busy planning their Chinese New Year Fair for this weekend at Lake and James streets, and are planning to meet Perth Liberal state MP Eleni Evangel in coming weeks.

Council of elders member Yit Seng Yow says Chinatown “needs sprucing”.

The community has grown over the past quarter-century and deserves and a bigger and better cultural centre, he says.

The 67-year-old moved to Australia from Malaysia in 1988, when Chinese new year celebrations were small and local news wasn’t available in Mandarin.

Now there are five Chinese language newspapers, three magazines and a 24/7 radio station in Perth.

Chinese immigrants arrived in Perth just four months after James Stirling established the Swan River colony in 1829. Most were labourers, and made the area now known as Northbridge their home early on.

The Year of the Monkey started Monday, and the fair is on noon-9pm on Sunday, February 14. It will include food stalls, lion and dragon dances, and a street parade.

For more information, visit chungwahcac.org.au.

by EMMIE DOWLING