19th Street comes alive after dark. Pic: Aung Tun Win

THE streams of people flowing along Mahabandoola Street are seemingly in a hurry to reach their destination, hustling and bustling into each other as rush hour passed through Chinatown. Some of them stopped at the stalls sprawled across most of the road to purchase required items

The large, noisy and colourful impromptu shopping mall fills the reclaimed street, rivalling the permanent stores that sit quietly behind on the footpath. As vendors and shoppers mingle and bargain over produce, the stream of people continues to drown the area in atmosphere, the same atmosphere one can expect in Chinatown areas the world over.

“Chinatown has been an important part of Yangon for a long time. I was born, raised and still spend my days here,” said 93-year old U Kaut. A trustee member of the Guangdong Chinese Temple, U Kaut speaks lovingly about this area. “It’s a place where we Chinese have been living as a community for many, many years — sharing our culture with the people of Myanmar. It is our and is accordingly named Chinatown.”

Wedged in the area between 18th and 24th streets, Chinatown is located in Latha Township. To the west of Sule Paya, it is one of the busiest areas of Myanmar’s former capital. Crowded with people from dawn until well into the night, asides the mentioned street markets, the area is an exciting blend of shopping, bars, restaurants serving Chinese cuisine and numerous food and alcohol street stalls, particularly down 19th Street.

Here you will find large groups of people sharing stories and laughing over mugs of beer and mouth-watering barbequed delights, cooked in front of you on charcoal flames. A great place to observe the passing population, a cold beer in this area is a true experience of downtown Yangon

Gold and jewellery shops line the main road, emblazoned with striking Chinese calligraphy – some of the finest gold products in the city can be found here. There are numerous game centres and cyber cafes where young ones can surf away at their leisure, taking time out to buy snacks and drinks at one of the many mini-marts located nearby.

Alternatively, traditional Chinese sweets, such as peanut-flavoured sticky rice cakes, can be found throughout the area. For those looking for a healthier snack, the fresh food markets stock a diverse range of fresh fruit and vegetables.

Of course, for Chinatown to exist a population is required and here a large Chinese community resides. The community has created several organisations including the Chinese Traditional General Medical Association Myanmar, Chinese National Library Myanmar and Chinese Trade Association which operate in Yangon.

For the back-street explorer, two Chinese Temples can be found that offer a completely different spiritual experience to that found at Yangon’s more famous religious sites.

The Guangdong temple can be found at the corner of Latha Street and Mahabandoola Street and the Fujian temple is located at the corner of Sint Oh Dan Street and Strand Road. The temples are often crowded with Chinese paying their respects.

“I come to the temple whenever I pass nearby. Mostly I pay respect to Buddha and pray in front of Mother Guanyin,” a Chinese woman told me as I wandered through the yard.

The world over, Chinatown districts act as an important hub of culture, food and way of life. Yangon is no different.