CHINATOWN, AMSTERDAM - first impressions

On our first visit to the site, on Friday, the 9th of February, we found the Chinatown to quite accessible. The main street of Chinatown is the Zeedijk, just a few minutes walk from the Central Station. It is located between the Red Light District and Geldersekade, to the south-east of the station. We were surprised at the diversity of the area. There were Indonesian, Malaysian, Japanese, British, Vietnamese, Thai, and Dutch restaurants as well as Chinese restaurants. The area was very quiet in the morning, with only a few deliveries to the shops and restaurants, and a few visitors. By lunchtime, there was more activity along the Zeedijk. There were tourists spilling over from the Red Light District and the Nieuwmarkt, and a lot of people, Chinese or otherwise, coming there for lunch. According to people working in one of the restaurants that most Chinese in the area are from the South of China. Also, a local told us that we were not actually in Chinatown, that Chinatown was an area to the southeast of the Nieuwmarkt, where most of the Chinese lived, the Zeedijk was just the commercial centre. The Chinese see it as an advantage of being beside the Red Light District. The highlight of the street seemed to be the temple. It is apparently very busy on Sundays.