Chinatown in Havana, Cuba

My friend Hong suggested I visit Chinatown when I was in Havana, Cuba. He had told me about a Cuban who sings Chinese opera, and I tried to get information once I was in Havana, but no one knew anything. There is a large opera house in Havana, though I have no idea if the Chinese operas were performed there. The Great Theatre of Havana is a grand building, and quite close to Chinatown. It is the building on the left -

I tried 'googling' for Chinese opera in Cuba and found this interesting blog. The writer mentions that most of the Chinese community has now left.

When asking for directions to Chinatown, as I told not to expect anything like Chinatowns in other countries, as the one in Havana was small with very few signs of it being Chinese. It seems that the old Chinese community has been swallowed up and integrated.

My first sign of Chinatown was the large gateway -

This led into a small area that is generally quite run down and scruffy. As I had been told, there were very few signs suggesting it is, or was once, a Chinese area. Very few shops had signs, though there were a few restaurants.
This is the first section beyond the entrance-

There are 2 main parallel streets -

Dragones Road, house with huge wooden door, and decorative grilles on the windows

A shop, El Dragon Chino, the man inside on the phone is one of the few I saw with Chinese features -

A shop selling vegetables and fruit -

These 2 buildings both have Chinese signs, belonging to Lung Kong society  -

Typical street in Chinatown -

This is the end of Chinatown -

Some shops at Barrio Chino de la Habana, oficina del historiador de la ciudad (Chinese neighbourhood of Havana, historic city office) -

© Liz Price 
No reproduction without permission