Destinations known | A Chinatown in South Korea is supposed to attract tourists, instead it has sparked anti-Chinese sentiment

The oldest Chinatown in the world is in Binondo, Manila, in the Philippines. It was established in 1594 by the Spanish colonial government as a settlement for Chinese immigrants who had converted to Catholicism and intermarried with Filipinos. At the other end of the continuum is a Chinatown currently under construction in South Korea’s Gangwon province and expected to be completed in 2022.

According to an article published by AirAsia, “Binondo was said to have been intentionally situated to put some distance between the Spanish elite and sangleys – an archaic and derogatory term for pure-blooded Chinese immigrants – but close enough to keep an eye on them amid fears of an imminent invasion from China.” In a contemporary context, such Sinophobia would be considered racism, and it seems that similar sentiments are swirling online in reaction to Korea-China Culture Town.

“An online petition has been filed on the Cheong Wa Dae [government] website recently, calling for an end to the ongoing construction of a Chinatown and Legoland in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province,” reported English-language newspaper The Korea Times, on March 31. “The petitioner wrote that Koreans do not understand why Korea should provide cultural experiences from China, or why there should be a ‘little China’ in Korea.”

Korea-China Culture Town will feature “a range of facilities and attractions”, including traditional Chinese gardens, and will be 10 times the size of South Korea’s only “official” Chinatown, in Incheon. It was planned – alongside the Legoland theme park, which will include a hotel catering to Chinese visitors – to drive tourism to the region, namely Chinese tourism.