Booming Chinatown has no public loos, car park a mess

Saturday, 26 August 2023

Regular customer David Hsia points out a large pot hole in the car park by Christchurch’s unofficial Chinatown.

Large potholes, growing footpath cracks and no public toilets - the infrastructure in Christchurch’s unofficial Chinatown has not kept up with rising visitor numbers.

Shop and eatery owners frustrated by the lack of action, some who have people use their toilets when they are not customers, say the situation, parking in particular, is “a mess”.

There are three significant potholes in the parking area in front of West Plaza arcade.

“[It is] just nuts. The parking and driveway are full of potholes, cracks, and no parking lines,” said one shop owner, who did not wish to be named for fear of reprisal. .

Cracks on the footpath in front of Sunson Asian Supermarket, one of the most popular stores in Chinatown, Church Corner.

There are three “significant” potholes in the parking area in front of West Plaza arcade, which is home to seven Asian eateries and food stores. The shopkeeper said they’d been there at least two years.

One had become a “deep hole”, which filled with water when it rained and was a fall risk for elderly people. Missing or fading car park lines were “another real headache”.

The car park at Church Corner Chinatown was full and bustling on Friday lunchtime.

“I don’t think anyone is looking after the parking spaces. It’s not unusual for a car to take 1.5 parking spaces, or park on the driveway blocking others from both sides.

“I kind of wish someone would issue tickets to the cars parked poorly and tow them away… It’s such a mess.”

Shopkeepers say Chinatown is a mess with potholes, no toilets and bad parking.

Store owners have reported the issues to their landlords “so many times”, but were recently told there was “no need to fill the potholes as they will pop up again”, the shop owner said.

There are 12 parking lots at Chinatown, a hub for Asian people at the junction of Yaldhurst and Waimairi roads in Upper Riccarton. Four parking lots are Christchurch City Council-owned. The rest are privately-owned.

Roy Zeng runs ZY Joy Asian Grocery Store with his wife, Nancy.

Nancy Yang has been operating Zy Joy Asian Grocery Store with her husband since 2008.

They sell Asian groceries, and dietary supplements and products made of deer horn, bee propolis and royal jelly. A face cream made with sheep placenta is popular with tourists.

The number of shops and visitors at Chinatown has grown over the years.

Yang says the number of customers in Chinatown had increased rapidly, “at least tripled, especially after the earthquake”.

In contrast to nearby Bush Inn mall, every store was open and there was “almost no vacancy” for new ones, Yang said.

Visitors gather outside a business in Chinatown, Church Corner.

Yang had to tell customers - most of them tourists from Asia - to either go to Countdown Church Corner store across the road, or Bush Inn mall, to find toilets.

“It is not easy to find [the toilets] for those who were new to Christchurch.”

Customers leave China Town Market after shopping.

Yang said public toilets and better parking were “desperately needed” at Chinatown.

Steve, the owner of several Asian fusion restaurants and who’d run businesses at Chinatown for more than 26 years, said business had tried for years to get public toilets installed.

He had let “hundreds of visitors” use the toilets in his restaurants, including those who never dined there.

Night falls at Christchurch’s unofficial Chinatown.

“It’s for people’s basic needs… It’s a real shame that it has been ignored for such a long time,” he said.

“We business owners are even fine with a couple of pay-per-entry toilets … just like those in any tourist attractions in Europe,” Steve said.

He said he was advised to get all the other shop owners to sign a plea for public toilets, but eventually gave up to focus on his business.

The private car park owners could either not be reached or did not respond to inquiries.

The council was first asked for a response on Tuesday and, on Friday, responded by email to say maintenance requirements for the area had to be balanced with other requirements. Requests for public toilets should be made to the Waipuna Halswell-Hornby-Riccarton Community Board, it added.

Community board chairperson Helen Broughton says she’d welcome a deputation on the toilet issue. The board had tried to sort out the parking and potholes before, but it was “always very complex in terms of ownership”.

“It's very congested and it's going to get worse. It's almost getting dangerous.”

Chinatown to stay an unofficial ethnoburb

About two years ago, Chinatown business owners were asked for their views on a proposal to make the area an official Chinatown by putting two pailou in the area, similar to the Chinatown Gate in Chicago, to attract tourists. A pailou is traditional style of Chinese architectural arch or gateway structure.

“But an official Chinatown was not necessary, as we have already had a large number of visitors,” Steve said.

Most business owners did not like the proposal, Steve said, as concerns about being an “easy target” for racist attacks had risen since the March 15 terror attack.

“We prefer to keep it low profile. We Asians are hard working, run small businesses, to make a living for our families,” Steve said.

Raymond Su, president of the Taiwan Business Association of South Island, said Upper Riccarton was “a great melting pot” for Asian migrants and cultures, not just people from mainland China.

The opinions of nearby residents should be taken into consideration when deciding whether to make the area an official Chinatown for tourists, he said.

“The area is different from Chinatown in other countries. People run stores and restaurants, but don’t live there.”