A few months ago, a friend of mine from North Carolina came to visit Toronto. He had always heard about Canada’s diversity, but nothing could have prepared him for what he saw when he arrived in Markham.
At first, Toronto impressed him with its multicultural energy—the different languages, the variety of restaurants, and the mix of people walking along Yonge Street. But when we drove into Markham, he was in for a real shock. "Are we still in Canada?" he asked as we walked into a bustling plaza where every sign was in Chinese, from bubble tea shops to medical clinics. At the supermarket, nearly every shopper spoke Mandarin or Cantonese. The selection of fresh seafood, specialty sauces, and imported snacks from China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan was even better than what he could find in some parts of Asia.
Markham today is what the old Chinatown near Spadina and Dundas once was—a true cultural and commercial hub for the Chinese community. Decades ago, Chinese immigrants built Toronto’s first Chinatown near downtown, but as new generations sought more space and better schools, they moved north. Markham became the natural choice, offering large homes, top-ranked schools, and an entire ecosystem of Chinese businesses, from dim sum restaurants to herbal medicine shops.
Many of the families who originally settled in Markham never left. When it was time to upgrade from a townhouse to a detached home, or from a detached home to a luxury estate, they never considered moving anywhere else. A Markham real estate agent once told me that for many Markham families, once they establish their roots here, every home they buy after that is still in the same city. The convenience of having everything within reach—Asian grocery stores, authentic restaurants, Chinese-speaking doctors and lawyers—makes it hard to leave.
For food lovers, Markham is a dream. My friend, who had traveled to Asia before, was amazed at how authentic the dining scene was. One evening, we had Hong Kong-style dim sum, complete with steaming har gow (shrimp dumplings) and char siu bao (barbecue pork buns). The next day, we went for a spicy Sichuan hotpot buffet, followed by Japanese sushi and Korean BBQ in the evening. He couldn’t believe that he could experience so many different flavors of Asia without ever leaving Canada.
It’s not just the food that makes Markham special—it’s the feeling. Walking through Pacific Mall, with its rows of small shops selling everything from imported teas to the latest Asian beauty products, is like stepping into a Hong Kong shopping district. During Lunar New Year, the city comes alive with dragon dances and celebrations. Families gather at community centers for Mid-Autumn Festival, sharing mooncakes and stories under the bright full moon.
For anyone who has never been to China but wants to experience what life in a modern Chinese city feels like, Markham is the closest you can get in North America. It’s not just a place to visit—it’s a place where Chinese culture thrives, where generations of families continue to build their lives, and where the past and future of Chinatown have come together in a new home.
And for my friend from North Carolina? He left Canada with a newfound appreciation for Markham. "I don’t need to fly to Asia," he joked as we parted ways. "I’ll just come back here."
