India's Oldest Chinatown Walk

Calcutta boasts the oldest Chinatown in the world outside the sphere of Chinese cultural influence in Southeast Asia. The Chinese community from several villages in South China started arriving and settling in Calcutta, a thriving colonial capital, since the late 1770s. Soon they started calling the city home, with only formal ties with their original homeland. The Chinese in Calcutta excelled as artisans and later, as restaurateurs, and built Taoist temples in their settlement in Tiretta Bazar. A thriving Chinatown thus came up in the center of the city, adding to the ethnic and cultural diversity to Calcutta.
In this walk, we will explore what little remains of this Old Chinatown of Kolkata. We will visit 5 Chinese temples, learn about the Chinese culture and traditions unique to the Kolkata Chinese, and we will finish the walk with a delicious Chinese lunch at Sei Vui restaurant, which is housed inside a remodeled dormitory for Chinese migrants to Calcutta. 

Please note: Access to some temples might be restricted. The walk passes through some dirty stretches and by butcher shops.

Start Time: 10.00 AM

Start Point: In Front of Rana Pratap Statue on the junction of Sun Yat Sen Sarani-New CIT Road-Central Avenue

Nearest Metro Station: Central (Please check the Sunday metro timings, if you are considering this mode of transport)

Duration: Approximately 2 hrs

Price: Rs 850/person (includes lunch)

Walk Leader: Dr. Tathagata Neogi

Dr. Tathagata Neogi, the Founder of Heritage Walk Calcutta, is an archaeologist trained in the United Kingdom. Apart from his professional training in archaeology, he is extremely passionate about Kolkata’s history and its rich cultural heritage. After completing a First Class BA (Hons.) in History from Jadavpur University, Tathagata did MA in Archaeology from University of Exeter, UK. He has recently completed his PhD in archaeology from the University of Exeter. Tathagata has also led a heritage documentation project in West Bengal, and was the member of International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) from 2012-2016.