KOREA FOUNDATION

Incheon’s Chinatown was formed in the wake of the opening of Incheon Port in 1883 and the designation of the city as extraterritoriality of Qing Dynasty China the following year. Early Chinese settlers built houses and stores in the area and gradually expanded their business zone, which prospered until the first half of the 1930s. Their businesses suffered after the enforcement of measures limiting foreigners’ possession of land in 1967, but they eventually recovered after the establishment of diplomatic relations between Korea and China in the 1980s. Today, the town is one of the most popular tourist spots in Incheon.

Among several time-honored buildings in Incheon’s Chinatown, Gonghwachun, the birthplace of jajangmyeon, or noodles in black bean sauce, is a prime attraction. The former restaurant was opened in 1908 by a Chinese immigrant from Shandong Province. The restaurant had to close its doors in 1983, but was reopened as the Jajangmyeon Museum in 2012. Above its entrance, a sign continues to show the restaurant’s name in yellow characters against a black background.

If you walk deeper into the town, you will find the Jungsan Overseas Chinese School, whose building was once used as the consulate of Qing Dynasty China. Comprising institutions of elementary and secondary education, this school was founded in 1902, making it the oldest overseas Chinese school in Korea. It is located next to Samgukji Mural Street, which features 160 murals depicting scenes from the Records of the Three Kingdoms, a famous historical text by third-century Chinese writer Chen Shou. Not far from the schools is Paeru No. 2, the second gate of Incheon’s Chinatown, beside which is the Korean-Chinese Cultural Center that exhibits various items related to Chinese culture and provides opportunities to try on Chinese attire and sip some delicious tea.

The area also features buildings dating back to the Japanese colonial period, one of which is the Incheon Open Port’s Modern Architecture Exhibition Hall, which used to house the Incheon branch of the 18th Bank of Japan. Through miniature buildings and photographs, the museum allows visitors to travel through time to the Chinatown and Jemulpo Port area of a century ago. Incheon’s Chinatown is rich not only in historical sites but also in food and delicacies offered by scores of Chinese restaurants, bakeries, and cafés. Particularly popular among the varied dishes served here are white jajangmyeon, skewered lamb, traditional Chinese mooncakes and balloon bread, and dumplings.

Written by Lee Haeng-rim
Illustrated by EEWHA

Incheon’s ChinatowngGonghwachunOverseas ChineseJungsan School