Barcelona's Chinatown grows and integrates into the Fort Pienc quarter

From http://www.elperiodico.cat/ca/noticias/barcelona/chinatown-barcelona-creix-sintegra-barri-fort-pienc-2319886 (in Catalan)

[caption id="attachment_2006" align="alignleft" width="225"] Chinese restaurant in the Fort Pienc district, Barcelona[/caption]

It is a miniature Chinatown, a small-scale reflection of the quarters that the Chinese community has formed in big cities such as New York or London, but that because of the moderate dimension of Barcelona it becomes easy to spot and colorful. More than a decade ago, it started to grow in the commercial area of Trafalgar Street, where textile sellers established. But in the recent years it has blossomed and diversified on the other side of the Passeig de Sant Joan, in the heart of the Fort Pienc quarter, in the Eixample of Barcelona. It is formed by more than one hundred shops and small businesses, from Chinese bakeries to beauty centers and travel agencies. But they have a special feature: for the first time the community is devotedly integrating into the commercial association of the neighborhood thanks to the work of a mediator. This is just one of the aspects of the pilot plan promoted by the Barcelona City Council and the associations of the area, in a joint effort to promote intercultural social harmony.

The colonization by the Chinese immigrants on the right side of Eixample created a complex situation between the traditional neighbors and the newly arrived ones. Local residents had the impression that they did not adapt to local customs and complained about the Chinese commercial monoculture in Trafalgar Street. Later, the Chinese population moved gradually towards the Fort Pienc quarter, where they not only have opened shops, but where they also live, as explained by Mr. Gerard Ardanuy, Councillor for the Eixample District. This new reality, that accounts for one thousand registered people among the total 32,000 residents, prompted the District to try to establish a connection between both communities through two key elements, the school and the commercial association. During the recent months, the mediator has been bridging the gap between these communities by starting several projects.

For instance, Fort Pienc needed a commercial association and one was created at the end of 2011, and by now is already on the way to become one of the official commercial areas of Barcelona. Its President, Mr. Joan Farré, points out that they are already over 70 members "full of passion to work in this area". Thanks to the work of the mediator, 12 of these members are Chinese shop owners. Recently, a dinner was held and everyone was able to explain their projects and their worries, and Mr. Joan Farré does not doubt that the little Chinatown will keep on growing. He insists that the area is not a ghetto. "They are part of a very young and dynamic community and we want to help them to integrate here".

The Xeix program represents a help for the almost 100 Chinese shops in the area to have a proper interpretation of the rules of Barcelona's commercial activity and they see the importance to improve the aesthetics of their shops. By means of this program, 50 Chinese businessmen have been approached and 12 have accepted to become active members of the Merchant's Association of Eix Fort Pienc. As an example, for the first time 8 Chinese businesses took part in the recent exhibit of body care and beauty organized in the Passeig de Sant Joan.

The Chinese footprint is evident in almost the whole neighborhood, but Alí Bei Street is one of its main centers. There are supermarkets, travel agencies, photography shops, furniture shops, with signs in two languages. Even many shops that display the information of their items in Catalan language they are run by oriental people. In terms of total population, there is a larger Chinese population in other areas of the city (i.e., in the so called Nova Esquerra de l'Eixample), but their commercial activity is bigger and more diverse in Fort Pienc than in any other area in the city.

Parallely, the Ramon Llull School has developed a project to promote their adaptation from the childhood. It is not the only project of this kind, since the Chinese kids attend other schools in the area too. Moreover, a high school, the IES Pau Claris, has become locally famous for their teaching of Mandarin Chinese every Saturday morning, followed by hundreds of students of different ages coming from all over the city of Barcelona.

The mediators explain that the Chinese population has been very open to take part in the improvement of the commercial activity in the district. The young Chinese businessmen speak in Spanish and they have brought some new ideas to the work plan. They point out that dialogue breaks down myths and barriers. And they emphasize that their shops are not only for their community, but to the whole neighborhood, and for them they represent the way to become prosperous in the city that embraced them.

To read some information in Chinese about the content of this article, visit the following link - 巴塞社区举办商会推介会和华人农历年活动