Sydney's Chinatown to be revitalised through multi-million dollar transformation
After years of decline, partly due to pandemic restrictions and light rail disruption, Sydney's Chinatown is making a comeback. With new businesses springing-up and the streets bustling again, the city of Sydney has just pledged to spend millions of dollars to give the area a face-lift.
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00:00 The Yamcha trolleys are out, the seafood tanks are back and the kitchen is sizzling.
00:08 Yeah, they're very happy.
00:10 Yeah, they have the birthday party, family party.
00:14 But for two years this site, previously home to the famous Golden Century, sat empty.
00:22 Like many Chinatown institutions, it didn't survive the pandemic.
00:27 Now it's reopened under new management with a new name.
00:31 Our ultimate goal is to create a space where our guests can come together and savour authentic
00:37 Cantonese cuisine, but also immerse themselves in the rich traditions of Chinese culture.
00:43 There are positive signs of a turnaround for Chinatown.
00:47 Businesses are generally recovering pretty well with the end of the pandemic and the
00:50 return of international students and the gradual return of tourists as well.
00:55 So you can see that Chinatown is now quite vibrant.
00:59 The City of Sydney wants to keep it that way, approving a $44 million revitalisation plan.
01:05 Streets will be transformed into tree-lined avenues, there'll be more lighting for night-time
01:10 dining and grants to upgrade tied shopfronts along Dixon Street.
01:15 One of the catalysts for this work too was we've finished the work in George Street and
01:19 it's absolutely buzzing and so it's a logical flow on that they'll move down here.
01:26 For years, Chinatown has been competing for attention with nearby Darling Square and suburban
01:31 Chinatowns like the one in Burwood.
01:33 The Council hopes upgrading this historic precinct will return it to its former glory
01:38 as a tourist destination.
01:40 We have one of the best Chinatowns in the world, but we're going to make it better.
01:45 To ensure prosperity for years to come.
01:47 [BLANK_AUDIO]