Dragon dance marks opening of Havana's Chinatown plaza

A traditional Chinese dragon dance marked the recent opening of a brand new plaza in the heart of Havana's Chinatown.

As part of the neighborhood's ongoing renovation program, which will eventually encompass 22 blocks, a central square is designed to serve as a gathering center and cultural hub for both residents and visitors.

Named after San Fan Con, patron saint of Cuba's Chinese immigrants, the square is located next to the revamped Cuchillo Street, a strip famed for its string of Chinese restaurants.

Havana's Chinatown is home to some 13,000 residents. Though few of them are descendants of the Chinese immigrants who came to Cuba 170 years ago, the area is a repository of the legacy they left behind.

"This space will not only be for the Chinese and their descendants, but for the entire neighborhood, for the community," Roberto Vargas Lee, head of the Cuban School of Wushu, told Xinhua.

A hexagram of the Chinese philosophical masterpiece, I Ching, also known as Classic of Changes, is placed in the center of the plaza, inviting passersby to toss a wooden coin to discover their fortune.

Around the wide esplanade, there are booths that sell Chinese handicrafts, including paper cuttings, calligraphy, paper-folding and paper mache figures, textiles, ceramics and souvenirs made of stone, wood and metal.

Vargas grew up in Havana's Chinatown and recalls the long gone bustling Chinese market.

"Now we see that commerce is starting to pick up" in the area, added Vargas, who wore a Chinese-style suit.

There's also a new restaurant, cafeteria and public toilets. Among the works is a ceramic triptych depicting age-old inventions China gave the world, as well as the arrival of Chinese immigrants in Cuba and an image of San Fan Con.

Next to the plaza, there are a children's playground with several inflatable toys and stands selling natural seasonings, flowers, medicinal plants, soaps, natural essences, food and ornamental plants.

"Everything I've seen is very nice and well designed," said Nolly Carbonell, a visitor.