Asian Immigration: Shopping Areas

China Dept: While activities surrounding Spring Festival, as it's known in China, are a major economic generator - bigger than Christmas for many businesses - it's also a time to reflect on how Chinatown and other Asian-themed shopping areas have grown and prospered as the face of Asian immigration changes, according to Vancouver Sun. Richmond's retail scene has been altered significantly by the surge in Chinese immigration, with the most notable example being Aberdeen Centre, a huge Asian-style shopping mall that's packing them in and lunar New Year is a big, big deal for Metro Vancouver's Chinese business community, now ramping up the 15-day celebration that kicked off Monday. More than 20 years ago, most immigrants were from the Hong Kong area and spoke Cantonese, while today's immigrant is more likely to be from mainland China and speak Mandarin. This has inspired Asian-themed shopping centres to appeal to a wider range of budgets and tastes throughout the Lower Mainland. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.