In Chinatown you can buy almost anything - Port Louis, Mauritius | #steemexclusive / 10 photos

Port Louis is the capital and the economic centre of commerce on the island of Mauritius. On week days it is busy, crowded and full of life. I took the photos in Chinatown, one of the neighborhoods in the centre of the city. This neighborhood covers an area of only 500 meters of Royal Rd., one of the main streets. It might be small, but it still has an old fashion charm to it. You will find the small, family run shops, street vendors and some good Chinese restaurants.

“Friendship gate”

When the Chinese immigrants arrived, they settled along Royal Rd and started trading. This small neighborhood between the two “Friendship gates”, became the heart of the Chinese settlers. You can buy almost anything in Chinatown. There are still phamasies that sells traditional Chinese medisine, spices, preserved insects, teas etc. Fruit and vegetables are still sold in the streets. Street vendors are found everywhere in the centre of Portl Louis though. You will still find a Chinese school the children are tought Mandarin.

Over the years Chinatown has sufferd from neglect. Many of the young generation leave to study abroad, mainly to Canada and Australia. Because many of thse studens don't come back to live in Mauritius, many of the family businesses have closed. Many Chinese have instead invested in, or got into the food distribution. In recent years a group of young people still here, the have taken an initiative to preserve Chinatown because it's part of their heritage and a place of historical interest. Some of the houses have been renovated.

Shop closed!

The streets have been cleaned up. Only a few years ago, artist were invited to decorate the streets. Today Chinatown definitive is the place to go if you want to see street art. Since 2015/2016 Port Louis got a lot of street art, but it's Chinatown that's the place you will find the most. As you can see from the photos, there are still some of the old shops left, making it a very charming place to wander around. But this time I have also seen that some buildings have vanished. That makes me realize that Chinatown will change too.

Please do follow if you want to keep up with my next travel post. Any upvotes or resteems are hugely appreciated!

Latest travel post, check out :
My Weekly Powerup | #club100 | An amazing cathedral, with an amazing history - St.James Cathedral in Mauritius | #steemexclusive / 15 photos

U.J

Kristiansand, Norway

All the photoes are mine, Ulla Jensen (flickr, Instagram and facebook)

Read about us? // Main page!
Latest content: Travel, Art, Food, Article, Photo