This is Chinatown
Yangon, Myanmar, 2019
Opdrachtgevers
Yangon Sustainable Tourism Hub
Doh Eain, Turquoise Mountain
Partners
Agenda
Promote cultural responsible tourism in fast gentrifying district
Chinatown in Yangon is well known among the international backpacking community as a street food paradise. Yet, because the Chinese community has traditionally kept a low profile, few people know of the history of the neighbourhood. Now that the city is fast developing, the Yangon Sustainable Tourism Hub started an initiative to futureproof the spirit of Yangon’s Chinatown through storytelling and placemaking while encouraging locals and visitors to treasure the authentic features of the district and keep local heritage alive.
Together with social enterprise Doh Eain we interviewed 30 residents and created a series of intimate portraits of people in Yangon’s Chinatown. Linking digital content to a pop-up exhibition around the Chinese New year celebrations we articulated the value of place identity and made people feel proud of their neighbourhood. The stories were also published in a digital wayfinding app so people could navigate to the places.
“I love how this exhibition represents Chinatown so well. The young and the old, and also there’s not only Chinese, but Indians, trishaw drivers, there are all part of Chinatown.”
- Anna, project manager Doh Eain
