Chinatown

Amsterdam's Chinatown is not like the Chinatown one would expect to find in an American city. For the most part, the buildings blend in with the established architecture. That said one can certainly recognize it as a Chinese neighbourhood by the many chinese street and shopsigns. Besides Chinese, there are also dozens of Japanese, Indonesian, Malaysian, Thai, and Korean restaurants and shops to contemplate the chinese staple of restaurants, accupuncture clinics and massage parlors. The Chinatown consists of 7 streets of varying sizes, with the Zeedijk street as it's center.

The Fo Guang Shan He Hua Buddhist Temple located on the Zeedijk Street is the most recognizeable building in the area, and is also the biggest chinese palace built in traditional style in Europe. It's name is explained by the temple as meaning both Lotusflower Temple and Dutch Flower Temple. Another important area of Chinatown is the Nieuwmarkt square, with one of the more recognizeable buildings of Amsterdam; de Waag. A daily market is held on the square, and a lot of cafe's surround it.

Despite it's rich culture, it has been plagued with criminal elements, particularly as might be expected, from the chinese Triads. Chief amongst them being the Triad known as Dai Huen Jai.