Vancouver's Millennium Gate sits at the entrance of Chinatown, and was built to honour the people of China. The name derives from the fact that the gate was constructed in 2002 to mark the turn of the millennium, and honour the role that Chinese people have played in Vancouver's long, colourful history.

The four pillar, three story tall gate is guarded by two stone foo lions, one male with a ball under his paw on the left side, and a female with cub on the right side. Images of Chinese people adorning the gates show different styles of clothing worn across China. One interesting feature of the Millennium Gate is its colour scheme, since it's a blend of traditional Eastern and modern Western motifs. The gates feature the traditional colours of red, yellow, and gold, as well as white, and blue, colours that are traditionally reserved for funerals.

Vancouver's Chinatown is a living symbol of its multicultural heritage. It serves as a place where people of every ethnicity gather to visit shops and restaurants, and its people are an integral part of the community. Nowhere is that more evident than in the design of the Millennium Gate.

The Sam Kee Building is located at 8 West Pender Street in Vancouver, British Columbia, and is noteworthy for being the narrowest commercial building in the world. In 1913, the architects Brown and Gillam designed this narrow, steel-framed building, only 4'11" (1.5 m) at its ground-floor base and 6 feet (183 cm) at the second-story bay windows. The basement extends under the sidewalk and originally housed public baths, while the ground floor was used for offices and shops and the top story for living quarters.

Historical Alley marks the area where Vancouver's earliest Chinese settlers made their home. Originally comprised of Canton and Shanghai alley, this area housed over one thousand Asian-Canadian residents, and was home to stores, restaurants, opera, and cultural activities.

Shanghai Alley was the first part of Historical Alley to be constructed and inhabited. Later, in 1904, Canton Alley was built. Residents constructed a Chinese style courtyard surrounded with residential and commercial buildings in two parallel, southward running rows. The heart of Historical Alley was the five hundred seat theatre built in 1898, surrounded by restaurants and shops. This gave residents of Chinatown a way to enjoy Chinese-language entertainment, food, and company without having to leave their area of Vancouver. This resulted in a tightly woven Chinese-Canadian community that could spend their entire lives without having to leave Vancouver's Chinatown.

The end result of Historical Alley is a Chinatown that's the second largest in all of North America, and one of the most visited by ethnic Chinese from outside of Vancouver. People of all races and nationalities come to Vancouver's Historical Alley for food, shopping, entertainment, and cultural events, as well as to view the Millennium Gate marking the entrance to Chinatown.

The Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden is the first full-size Chinese or "scholars" garden built outside of China, and is located in Chinatown in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is located at 578 Carrall Street and consists of a freely accessible public park and a garden with an admission fee. The garden was built in 1985-1986. The outer park was designed by architects Joe Wai and Donald Vaughan, while the inner garden was conceived by Wang Zu-Xin as the chief architect, with the help of experts from the Landscape Architecture Company of Suzhou, China.

The Monument of Canadian Chinese is a structure created to commemorate the Chinese people's contribution to Canada's history. It is located on the edge of Vancouver's Chinatown area, the second largest Chinatown in all of North America.

The Monument is constructed of light coloured rock, flanked by two bronze statues. One of the statues is a railway worker, to commemorate the many, many Chinese railway workers that helped lay track for the transcontinental railroad, some of whom lost their lives while performing back breaking labour. The other statue is a World War II soldier, to commemorate the Chinese-Canadians that enlisted to fight in the war. Their bravery eventually earned them the right to vote in 1945, and furthered their acceptance in mainstream Vancouver society. This monument also serves as a focal point for Remembrance Day ceremonies in Chinatown.

This monument serves as a reminder of Vancouver's multiculturalism, as well as a testament to the hundreds of Canadian residents of Chinese descent who have paid the ultimate price to help make Canada great. Vancouver would not be the city it is today without the sacrifices of thousands of Chinese people, and the Monument of Canadian Chinese is Vancouver's way of acknowledging their place in Canadian history.

Despite the contributions of Chinese-Canadians to Canada's history, cities like Vancouver were plagued by anti Chinese sentiment for years. It took until 1945 for Chinese-Canadians to be granted the right to vote, despite the fact that many of them slaved to build Canada's transcontinental railroad, and enlisted in World War II. The Chinese Cultural Center and Museum honours their sacrifices, and serves as a means of preserving the historical contributions of Chinese-Canadians. The Museum is home to artifacts and archives dating back to the Gold Rush, when anti Chinese sentiment was at its highest, and many Chinese people sacrificed their lives to make Canada great.

The Chinese Cultural Center and Museum is located in Vancouver's Chinatown, the second largest Chinatown in all of North America. Visitors can call ahead to book a tour of the Museum itself, and can contact the center to ask about workshops, classes, and other programs. The Cultural Center gives visitors the opportunity to learn about traditional Chinese calligraphy, tai chi, and more.

The Chinese Museum and Cultural Center is located near Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden. If you are planning a tour of Vancouver's Chinatown area, no visit can be complete without a stop at the Museum to learn about Chinese-Canadian history, and the Garden for a relaxing walk.