A cluster of Chinese restaurants does not make a "Chinatown", much as some people might wish it to be so. An attempt to brand a part of Dominion Rd in this manner has not found favour with the Balmoral Chinese Business Association, and not just for the fact that, as the association points out, an authentic Chinatown also has Chinese markets, theatres and shopping centres. Those may come in time but even then, the wishes of Auckland's Chinese and the opposition of Dominion Rd's Chinese business owners and shoppers to a "Chinatown" tag should be heard and heeded.
The issue has been highlighted in an Auckland Council study, Understanding the Role and Function of the Balmoral Shops. It found that it was non-Chinese business owners and customers in the precinct who favoured it being called Chinatown. Their case is based, in part, on the ethnic makeup of businesses there. Just over six in 10 are Chinese owned and operated. Undoubtedly, non-Chinese also see the potential for the precinct to become a tourist drawcard if it were Auckland's Chinatown. Backing for that view, and the prospect of significant economic gain, is provided by the likes of Sydney and San Francisco.
A few years ago, the concept won a measure of support from Massey University researchers who suggested "a themed or branded precinct" to reflect the Asian/Chinese character. At its most modest, this might involve decorations or signage. Most boldly, it would see it labelled as a Chinatown. That nothing has come of this says much about the attitude of the Chinese community and the council's justifiable reluctance to push that barrow.
What has occurred so far in Dominion Rd has been of its own accord. What happens next should be up to the Chinese community. They reject a Chinatown on a couple of grounds aside from the lack of the usual markets, theatres and suchlike. According to the council study, Chinese shoppers, in presenting an almost totally united front against the idea, said it would "problematically mark Chinese people as different". That fear is probably overstated. Auckland today has surely moved beyond that. More on the mark, however, may be the Balmoral Chinese Business Association's concern that the linking of Chinatowns with triads and crime could deter visitors.
It wants the precinct to be promoted as a Chinese food hub. That, in fact, is what it is. The council's research has shown that its authenticity draws diners from throughout Auckland every evening. During the day, however, it acts as a local service centre just like any other similarly sized suburb. Adding a few cultural markers such as dragons and red pagodas, as sought by non-Chinese business owners, will not change that. It will simply create something that has more of the trappings of a theme park than an authentic Chinatown.
