II.4.1. EUROPE'S "CHINATOWN"

MENU: 2.4.1. Europe's "Chinatown"

THE LARGEST ASIAN NEIGHBORHOOD IN EUROPE IS ON PARIS'S SOUTHEASTERN FRINGE

(IN THE 13TH DISTRICT)

Zoom

Explore a neighborhood that few associate with Paris 

Symbols: tower and color

• The Asian presence comes from high rises that Gauls reject

• An enclave

• A city within a city

• Harking back to the royal squares

• Historical panels that avoid what counts

• A crossroad for Asian color

• Still more color
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• Tang

• On to the towers 

• Asians enliven a neighborhood of "Gauls" 

• A park that evokes Asians and kings

• Posters on park railings

• An alignment of shops that are small and distinctive

• Restaurants 

• A bustling Vietnamese canteen

• A Thai restaurant whose decor is as refined as its cuisine
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• The Chinese New Year, a Parisian celebration

• At least in the Gauls' part of the 13th 
• Parisians adopt the Chinese New Year parade

• A parade unique in Europe

• Asians emerge from the shadows

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 Towers and a city within a city

THE ASIAN PRESENCE COMES FROM TOWERS THAT GAULS REJECT

"OLYMPIADES," PROJECT APPROVED IN 1966, ABANDONED IN 1977)

"The neighborhood needed cleaning up, 

but not in the way meant for the trenches of World War I.

One could 'renovate' on a human scale,

but this delirious and oppressive gigantism came instead" 

-- Léo Malet, 1978, 

Preface to new edition of Fog on Tolbiac Bridge

(Brouillard au pont de Tolbiac, 1956)

Meant to announce utopia, the towers seemed symbols of soulless

technocracy and their apartments did not sell.

"Will we still find what used to be

the living heart of the neighborhood...

workers and craftspeople, peaceful, humble folk, modest marginals [... ] little whores with flowers in their hair [... ] people who were not very smart, probably, but who were human [... ] they no longer have a place in this technocratic universe." 

-- Continuation

The towers hover over little houses. 

That rebuff let refugees from the Vietnam war find decent, affordable housing. Other Asians followed and "Chinatown" was born.

(From 1975)

                                          Zoom          Poster, Musée national de l'histoire de l'immigration  

 Musée national de l'histoire de l'immigration  

Poster announcing an exhibit on immigration of southeast Asians

Ramsay Casadesus Rawson 

The horizontal roofs were part of the original project, so recall pagodas by a fortunate coincidence. 

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An enclave

AN ENCLAVE

"LES OLYMPIADES" IS DETACHED FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD 

And color reinforces its difference from the sober surroundings:

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An autonomous town

A CITY WITHIN A CITY

IT HAS...

A mall:

The multitude evokes community, as in Black neighborhoods.

And as well as what one would find in a French town (a supermarket, a pharmacy, an optician, fast foods, restaurants, social services)...

"Sixth PRIZE

THE BEST TRADITIONAL BAGUETTE

 City of Paris, 2024

Pottery-making

Gatherings that lack a meeting-room (these activists plan a demonstration for migrants without official papers).

Only a bank and post office

 are missing.

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The royal squares inspired it 

CULTURES INTERTWINE

 

TWO STREETS PIERCE THROUGH THE WHOLE SOUTHEASTERN FRINGE

(THE AVENUES DE CHOISY AND D'IVRY)

Adapted from a Google map

Start at "porte" (gate) de Choisy...

Follow it to the crossroad:

# # #

Come to the "Arch of Fraternity," which thanks France for welcoming the refugees:

Since 2014, The City has allocated 5% of its investment budget (100 million euros in 2018) to projects that citizens propose and vote for, in the fields of health, education, environment, the arts, sports... .  

The Grand Arch of Fraternity by Georges Rousse, 2015

It comes from the neighborhood vote in 2015

Voting in front of the 13th's City Hall, 2024. 

# # #

There and elsewhere, a cultural mix...

A poster in the neighboring French area suggests that some passers-by can read Chinese...

Sign next to a French bookstore on rue de Tolbiac...

Learned through the classes in Chinese given next door? 

On rue Sthrau, around the corner

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A crossroad for Asian color

THE ROYAL SQUARES INSPIRED IT

LIKE THEM, IT IS SET APART...

*For that model, please click here. 

Its architecture is homogeneous and straight lines converge toward the center...  

Where there's — accidentally  — a statue of a king:

 

That king's presence comes

from being at the intersection

of straight lines...

as the royal statues were.

 The design is adapted to the terrain

the royal squares and their adaptations might be:

It is meant to hark back to the past

while announcing the future.

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Historical panels that evade what counts