Chinatown Herbalists and Grocers

The Chinese Tea Shop features a narrow, understated storefront tucked away along Pender Street, often marked by the scent of roasted oolong drifting onto the sidewalk. Daniel Lui opened this shop to teach locals about the nuanced craft of…

A red and gold sign hangs above the entrance to New Town Bakery and Restaurant on Pender Street. Inside, steam rises from metal trays packed with baked pork buns, a recipe that arrived with the Leung family when they opened these doors in…

The building housing Guo Hua Enterprises features a faded, hand-painted sign that lingers on the brick exterior, echoing a time when this storefront anchored the neighborhood’s daily life. It functioned for decades as a community market…

Hang Loong Herbal Products displays a distinct, weathered wooden storefront with gold-leaf lettering that stands out against the brick buildings on East Pender Street. This shop has operated in Vancouver’s historic Chinatown area for…

Kam Wai Dim Sum occupies a simple, low-slung building with a distinct faded blue sign featuring gold Chinese characters. For decades, the Yee family operated this space as a primary supplier of handmade dumplings and siu mai for local…

The Dollar Meat Store on East Pender Street displays rows of roast ducks and pork hanging in the window behind a sign that reads Yuen Cheung. This shop has supplied Cantonese-style cured meats to the Strathcona neighborhood since the…

The brick building on the corner of East Georgia and Heatley displays a faded, hand-painted sign for the Continental Herbal Company. In the nineteen twenties, this space served as a manufacturing hub for traditional Chinese medicines.…

The brick building at the corner of East Georgia and Heatley displays a faded, hand-painted sign for Zhao Mah Bakery. For decades, the smell of pork buns and baked goods drifted through the neighborhood, signaling the morning shift for…