Chinatown coming up in Rio for cultural diversity

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil : This leading tourism city of Brazil is expected to have a Chinatown of its own, aimed at promoting trade and creating more jobs for locals.

Francisco Ji, chairman of the Brazil-China Chamber of Commerce and Arbitration, said that construction of the Chinatown program is expected to help boost local economic prosperity and enrich cultural diversity.

The Chinatown will be located in the Saara district of Rio de Janeiro and consist of five streets where most Chinese immigrants do business, including over 150 shops. The program will also involve renovating old buildings in the area.

Chinese immigrants in Rio de Janeiro number over 15,000, with the majority involved in commerce.

At the entrance of the Chinatown will be a huge gate with Chinese characteristics and the streets in the Chinatown area will be decorated in Chinese style so that the entire area is built into a corridor of Chinese culture, said Ji.

Chen Jianping, vice-chairman of the Brazil-China Chamber of Commerce and Arbitration, said that in the future, Chinese immigrants will be able to celebrate traditional Chinese festivals such as the Spring Festival or Chinese New Year in Chinatown, complete with lion dances.

The building of Chinatown is expected to help Chinese immigrants and local Brazilians live and work together harmoniously, Chen noted.

Ji further said that the Chinatown program is also designed to help promote the development of commerce and the economy in Rio de Janeiro.

At present, each shop run by Chinese immigrants in Rio de Janeiro creates at least three jobs for locals on an average, he said.

Once the Chinatown program is completed, it will create more job opportunities for locals.

Ji said that construction of the Chinatown program was put on the agenda immediately after the establishment of the Brazil-China Chamber of Commerce and Arbitration in September 2007.

The chamber's goal is providing legal consultation services for Chinese businesses and protecting their commercial interests, as well as promoting trade and economic cooperation between Brazil and China.

(China Daily 12/28/2007 page20)