Did you know there was a Chinatown in Havana? I was a bit surprised when I came across this Chinese Arch, also known as a gate. Then I remembered a Chinese coworker who was born in Cuba before the revolution. According to ChatGPT, in the 1940s and 1950s, there was an estimated 30,000 to 50,000 ethic Chinese in Cuba. Many left the country post-revolution.

This Chinatown in Havana might be the most run-down Chinatown I’ve seen. Though that’s not entirely surprising given the state of the other neighborhoods in Havana. I find that Chinatowns in general tend to be run-down, as I’ve seen in the ones I’ve been to. The cleanest one I’ve experienced was in Yokoyama, Japan. The one in Singapore was also decently clean.

This is the reverse view of the arch. You can see the neighborhood is in the shadow of the Capitol.

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