Travel Peru, Peru Blog

Chinatown or the Barrio Chino in downtown Lima is the most recommended place to experience chinese culture which has mingled with the peruvian’s. The first Chinese arrived in 1849, and they came to work as coolies at the rich guano islands and the coastal farms. The number of Chinese immigrants, who came especially from the city of Canton and the province of Sichuan, increased steadily and much more after 1854 when afroperuvian slaves got freedom. Their legacy is still alive and you can catch a glimpse of it at the Barrio Chino which is nearby Lima main square.
As I cross the Abancay avenue along the Ucayali jirón or street, I see four tall red pillars supporting a green roof.  It is the Chinese Arch that welcome the visitor to this neighborhood of the dragon and tiger.

中华坊
As I stand in front of the arch, I can not help contemplating its oriental architecture which indeed resembles a pagoda. My eyes focus on the ideographic writings under the roof. Later I will know it says Zhong Hua Fang or the China Square or Place. A golden plaque on one of the columns claims that the arch was inaugurated in 1971. The bright colours of the arch, especially the red hue, are going to accompany me along the next blocks.

天下为公
Across the street, there is a pedestrian boulevard. Before getting the 7th block of the Ucayali jirón or better known as the Calle Capón, I look upward again to see the other side of the arch and I find more ideographic writings under the roof. It states Tian Xia Wei Gong which used to be a prayer expression. Its meaning for me is still unknown for sure. It could mean The World Should Be Fair, or The World Is People’s Own, or Things for the People.

The calle Capón is just one block and only for pedestrians. The colours red and green embellish the horizon. As far as I am aware, red means passion and green means compassion. I could not confirm whether or not it is the same for the chinese people. Walking along the boulevard, I spot a small stand with the shape of a pagoda. A woman inside offers herself to read me the Tarot. When I ask her for the Chinese Tarot she smiles at me and tells me that there is only Egypcian and Spaniard. I take advantage of the chat to look inside the stand and I find many trinkets with the shape of dragons, tigers, frogs with 3 legs, elephants, etc. I pay attention to a kind of mirror with 6 or 8 sides. She tells me it is a Paqua or Pakua, and it is effective to defeat bad vibes.

Chi Fan
It says that chinese who owned restaurants in Lima used to call on passers-by yelling Chi Fan which means eat food or have dinner. As time went by, peruvians began to name those restaurants as “chifas”. The flavour of chinese food in Perú is totally different than in other countries. The most popular chifa dishes are sopa wantan or wantan soup, arroz chaufa or chaufa rice, wantan frito con tamarindo or fried wantan with tamarind, roasted duck, and tallarín saltado. I try the pastry cha-chan kou that is a gelatine made with rice. You can also find min pao, chin toy, paton kou, key min pao, siu mai, key min pao, shanki, ma chai o chinese nougat made with rice and honey.
The most recommended restaurants are Ton Kin Sen, Wa Lok, Chun Koc Sen, and Dim Sum. The San Joy Lao serves Chi Jau Cuy and Ti Pa Cuy, which are made with guinea pig, an andean delicatessen.

Chinese Horoscope
As I keep on walking along the calle Capón, I get closer to a stand where there is a chinese man wearing long black hair and a bright white T-shirt with chinese designs that contrast with the brigth red colour of the walls. There are more trinkets here such as bracelets, rings, warriors, Buddhas, and Chau Lin children, and more animals such as dragons, tigers, frogs, and horses.
A young woman is looking for a magnetic bracelet that attracts good vibes. He holds the woman’s hand, and after listening to her age the chinese man begins depicting the woman’s behaviour. Then he takes a golden pan and makes a circle with it above the woman’s head and then bangs the pan with a wooden stick. After saying the Om mantra, he wraps up the session ringing a golden bell (in less than half an hour, I counted 5 or 6 customers, and the so-called guru earned a fortune). Those trinkets for good luck are the best, indeed!

The Year of the Tiger
The red floor of the boulevard is trimmed with the symbols and images of animals of the chinese horoscope. Ads around the stands tell me that the year of the Tiger is going to end on 2010 february 2nd. Other ads invites me to take a massage and acupuncture session. Looking at the pictures, I begin trembling. I better keep strolling the street.
Reaching the corner of the boulevard, I turn to the right on the 8th block of Paruro jirón. There are more restaurants with huge windows, and I can see dozens of roasted ducks. A Feng Shui store and a place where chinese newspaper is sold reminds me that this is still the chinese neighborhood though it is not an only-pedestrian street any more.
In fact, the neighborhood goes on the Andahuaylas and Huanta streets, but the best are the two mentioned above.

The chinese culture is as ancient as the peruvian’s and in this neighborhood you will have the chance to take a glance of the mixture of both cultures.

Acknowledgements:
I really want to thank all the chinese people who helped me with the translations.

Further information:
Sergio Backpacker
Phone number: 0051-84232520