A food festival would be the first step taken by The Municipality of San José to reactivate the China Town district which is located between avenues 2 and 14, and streets 7 and 11 in the center of the capital.
This area has seen a large decrease in business and many stores have closed due to little to no activity. However, mayor Johnny Araya has been looking for ways to improve the area and hopefully in doing so stimulate San José´s economy as a whole.
“It´s an effort, we are making some improvements that have to be seen in a certain light, everything will be done with hydro energy, but also we are beginning a series of activities”, explained Araya.
The China Town district was officially opened on December 5th of 2012 after almost of year of work in attempts to create a popular shopping area to attract tourists. Well the most prominent architectural feature of the area is the large arch one sees when entering, there were also smaller details added such as the red and yellow lining of the sidewalks, colors that represent luck and prosperity in Chinese culture.
The project started Saturday July 2nd at 9:00 a.m. and will count on the participation of surrounding businesses to promote the services and products that can be found on the boulevard.
This way, visitors can indulge in traditional chinese food on local terraces, listen to lectures on chinese art, attend a martial arts class at one of the area´s many gyms, or even listen to live music. The project´s main goal is to bring the cultural potential of China Town to it’s highest possible point.
Araya said that within the next few days more and more activites will be available in the area as the reactivation process continues.
