How Chinatown plans to become ‘Instagram-worthy’

The unmissable light installations are designed to capture the hearts of a new generation of Chinatown visitors – by being captured on their phones and shared online. After years of on-and-off lockdowns that kept Sydney’s office workers away from the CBD, Chan and the team are conscious the district has not had much of a chance to appeal to Gen Z.

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“We wanted to make sure the installations are Instagram-worthy, so people can come and take selfies and post it on their socials,” he says.

“We could have been traditional or conservative with it but we tried to create this concept of it being cool, and rebranding Chinatown to have this concept.”

But Chan is sober about the fact that the benefits of the nighttime festival will be temporary. After all, its slow decline (which spelled the end of long-time yumcha institutions Marigold and Golden Century) took years, so its rebuild will likely take just as long, he reasons.

“This is not a silver bullet to solve all the problems,” he says. “We are hoping that this provides the retailers and businesses confidence in the area, but more so kick-starts a revitalisation strategy.

“There are really strong foundations in Chinatown [that] have been built over generations. And they can continue to be built upon into the future.”

‘Better late than never’

As the pandemic’s severity wears off and diners return, the City of Sydney is making concerted efforts to attract people back to the city this summer. Including Neon Playground, the City of Sydney has provided grant funding for 14 initiatives that will be around the CBD. Neon Playground received $300,000 and $2,900 value-in-kind.

“Chinatown is the multicultural heart of the City of Sydney,” Lord Mayor Clover Moore says.

The council has been supporting the strip by committing more money to public domain improvements, upgrading nearby streets, supporting new cultural attractions like public artworks as well as the Museum of Chinese in Australia, which will formally open 2023, she adds.

“The City is currently developing a new overarching vision and long-term outcomes for the area, to ensure the community understands how the precinct is changing.”

For Chinatown restaurant owner Valentine Yee, council investment has been a long time coming. Yee, who spent his childhood on Dixon Street, inherited Emperor’s Garden from his father. Most Chinatown visitors will recognise the establishment that sits at the corner of Chinatown’s Market City-facing entrance and known for its famous ‘Emperor’s Puffs’.

Chinatown venue operators have been asking for reinvestment for years, he says. “They’re starting to decide to do something, which is a good start. Better late than never.”

Yee has gotten behind Neon Playground’s colourful festivities: for the next five weeks, Emperor’s Garden’s pineapple buns will be sold in pink and purple. He’s one among hundreds holding their breath that the street festival will be a success.

“Hopefully it actually brings more people into Chinatown to understand more Chinese culture that’s in Sydney, and also brings a bit of foot traffic.”

Neon Playground by Chinatown will be on every day between 10am to 11pm from Saturday October 15 to Sunday November 20.

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