Noisemakers 2000: Action man

Chai Yew is the eyes and ears of Chinatown

Standing behind his well-stocked table of trendy scarves, glasses and gloves, with a craggy smile and a cigarette, Chai Yew has the cool aura of famed Hong Kong actor Chow Yun Fat, a tough guy who's entirely bemused by his surroundings.

One of the most immediately recognizable faces in Chinatown, Chai surveys the scene from his shop and outdoor stall at the corner of Clark and de la Gauchetiere. If there's something going on in that crowded four blocks of shops and restaurants, he knows the score.

Chinatown has been growing lately, in part because of a serious cash injection by the city. In addition to the installation of two huge ornamental gates on St-Laurent, there are plans underway to widen the sidewalks in the area of de la Gauchetiere that is blocked off to traffic, in order to make more room for sidewalk vendors and foot traffic.

Still, Chai is skeptical, noting that the city has been less than accommodating in issuing permits for sidewalk tables: "I would set up, and the inspector would be sitting right across the street, waiting to write a ticket."

Still, plans to build a Chinese community centre and an outdoor stage in what is now Sun-Yat-Sen park--as well as a general effort on the part of the city and area merchants to beautify Chinatown--will hopefully attract more visitors, and more commerce, to the area.

"All of Montreal's Chinese know about Chinatown, but you ask other people, and maybe only twenty per cent know what there is here," he says. "We want everyone to know what there is in Chinatown."

What there won't be, for a while at least, is the preponderance of bootleg anime merchandise the area was once known for. According to Chai, RCMP investigators have been very vigilant, and nary an ersatz Pikachu can be found. l

-- MICHAEL CITROME

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