T
heclosureofSuperbowlwasthecanary
inthemineforSydney’sChinatown.
Sincethe1970s,theDixonStreet
restauranthasdonea roaringtrade
incongee,beefhorfun(stir-friedrice
noodles)andPekingduck.It was
a solidoptionforlunchanddinner,anda hotspot
forhungrylate-nightrevellerswholackedthecash
tosplashat GoldenCentury.Whenit closed,
unexpectedly,inlateMarch,it wasa signofthe
growingchallengesfacingtherestaurantindustry
inthehistoricprecinct.
Thehospitalityindustryhaswornthecostof
thenationwideCovid-19lockdown.Butasnews
ofa mysteriousvirusfromWuhanmadeheadlinesin
Australia,restaurantsandbarsinSydney’sChinatown
werehitfirst.SpookeddinersstayedawayinJanuary
andFebruary;thentherewasthatghostlylimpthrough
lockdownwheretheonce-bustlingprecinctbecame
a shellofitsformerneon-litself.
ThefutureoffoodbusinessesintheChinatown
precinctnowhangsinthebalance.Becausewhen
a communityhassustainedintensedamageinsuch
a shortperiodoftime,howmuchlongercanit endure?
Melbournelaysclaimto Australia’soldestChinatown,
butSydney’sis thelargestinthesouthernhemisphere.
ChinatownliesinthesuburbofHaymarketinthesouth
CBD.Thepedestrian-onlyDixonStreet,bookended
bytwopaifang(traditionalChinesearchedgateways)
formsitsbeatingheart.
Diningoutis a majordrawcard.A 2012study
bytheWesternSydneyUniversitycountedmorethan
200 foodanddrinkbusinessesinthearea,making
it thesecond-largestindustryintheChinatown
economy,behindretail.Thenumberofrestaurants,
andthebreadthofcuisine,hasdiversified
significantlyoverthedecades.
“WhenI came[toSydney]inthe1970sfrom
HongKong,theMandarinClubwastheonlyplace
you could go to for yum cha. It was only availableontheweekends,andthequeuewentalltheway
downthestreet,”saysSimonChan,presidentof
theHaymarketChamberofCommerce.
TheflowofmigrantsfromGuangdongfromthe
1850sandfromHongKonginthe1980sto1990s
meantCantonesefoodformedthecoreofChinatown’s
culinaryoffering.Overtime,thecuisinehascometo
reflectthechangingfaceofthemigrant,holiday-worker
andinternationalstudentpopulations.You’llfindfood
fromtheSichuan,HunanandXinjiangregionsof
China,aswellasJapanese,Thai,KoreanandMalaysian
eateriesacrossChinatown,andtheThaiTownand
KoreatownprecinctsinthebroaderHaymarketarea.
“Ifpeoplegooutlate,theyusuallyendupin
Chinatown,”saysJasonAng,whoco-ownsbarBancho
withhisbrotherChris,wifeTinaWingKee,andYoshi
Onishi.“It’sthegluethatkeepstherestof thecitygoing.”
Thatis,untilthingscameunstuck.BillyWongruns
famedseafoodrestaurantGoldenCenturywithhis
parentsEricandLinda– therestaurantcelebratedits
30thbirthdaylastyear.Wongcan,withouthesitation,
pinpointthedayit startedgoingdownhillforChinatown.
It was 26 January,thedayafterLunarNewYear,and
thedayafterAustralia’sfirstcoronaviruscasewas
confirmed.LunarNewYearcelebrationsusually
continuefor 15 daysfollowingnewyearproper,but
bookingsdroppedoffa cliffat a timewhenfamilies,
friendsandcolleagueswouldusuallypacktherestaurant.
ForBancho,thenear-emptybaronweekdayswas
anominoussign.“Earlierintheweekit’sgenerally
quieteranyway,butwe’retalkingreallyquietMonday
toThursday,”saysWingKee.“Assoonasit wasn’t
packedona Friday,youcouldtellsomethingwaswrong.”
A weeklateron1 February,businessestookanother
hitwhentheFederalGovernmentclosedAustralia’s
borderstoforeignarrivalsfromChina.“Chinatown
reliesheavilyontouristbusiness.It’soneofthetop
threeplacestovisitinSydneyaftertheHarbourBridge
andtheOperaHouse,”saysChan.Closingtheborders
effectivelyturnedoffthetapof touristsandinternational
studentswhousuallyflowintothearea.
LocalstooavoidedChinatown.Accordingto
Wong,theChinese-Australiancommunitywasrife
withworryandrumouraboutthevirus.“Theydidn’t
knowwhatwasgoingtohappen,whattheimpactwas,
andhowseriousit wasgoingto be.”Chansaysmisplaced
fearswithinthecommunitydeterredvisitorsfrom
frequenting Chinese-owned restaurants. “Even ChineseGOURMET TRAVELLER 61