If you are looking for an entertaining walking tour of key points of interest in Victoria you must book a tour with Discover the Past Walking tours. They are excellent story tellers and know their history! I recently went on the Chinatown Tour with guide Chris Adams.
Did you know it’s Canada’s Oldest China Town?
Painting of Lee Mong Kow and his family by artist Jeff Maltby
You’ll get to know the legendary Lee Mong Kow, a prominent Chinese business man who served as chief interpreter for the Immigration department of Canada.
He was the founder of the Victoria Chinese Public School where children learned to speak English in the 1900’s. Today children and adults learn the Chinese language in the same school.
Did you know that the sidewalks in Victoria’s China Town are actually Cantonese characters?
And that an official addresses which include 1/2 as shown here at the Chinese Temple means it is on the second floor. You’ll see all kinds of interesting addresses like this one all over Victoria’s Chinatown.
A trip to China town would not be complete without a walk through of the famous “Fan Tan” Alley, deemed the narrowest street in North America, at it’s narrowest, a child can touch both walls at the same time and at it’s widest an average size man can stretch across on his back, head to toe.
More than 100 years ago is was the known for Opium factories which was legal at the time and in the 1940’s was the hub for Illegal gambling dens to which the alley has been named. Fan Tan.
Do you think these children are laughing at me taking a “selfie”?
Go on this tour and learn all about it and much more. Well worth the $15 admission for this 90 minute tour, oh and an extra treat! Honey Buns!
Yum, Honey buns from Wah Lai Yuen Restaurant, Victoria, BC
Check out their other Tours; Ghostly Walks, Rockland Mansions and Smugglers and Runners to name a few.
Tours start at the Tourism Victoria Information Center
Hard of hearing? No worries they will provide you with an Audio aid so you don’t miss anything important.