25 May 2012 Last updated at 14:26

In pictures: Vancouver's Chinese community

Vancouver is home to more than 400,000 Chinese people. While the roots of its Chinese community go back a long way, there have been large migrations from Hong Kong and China in the past 30 years. (Pics: Simon Hayter)

Millennium Arch is the gateway to the city's Chinatown, which is the biggest in North America.

The city's Chinatown is home to many Chinese restaurants, such as Floata. Raymond Lau, General Manager for over 30 years, says the most popular dishes are staples such as shrimp dumplings, Pork Shiu Mai, Chinese broccoli and chicken feet.

In 2010 the magazine Conde Nast Traveller declared that Chinese food in Vancouver was better than anywhere else in the world - including Hong Kong.

The city is also home to shops selling traditional Chinese goods. Spices and dried goods line the shelves at De Xing Long Trading Co.'s open market in the city's Chinatown.

Everything from dried shrimp, to ginseng, to exotic mushrooms is available.

The city's Chinese eateries and its Asian residents take advantage of the rich Pacific waters off Vancouver. Live lobsters are sold at this supermarket.

But is is not just the Asian stores catering to the market. La Casa Gelato owner Pina Misceo holds a cone of Asian flavours including Red Bean, Dragon Fruit, Mango and La Dua. She says the unique cultural mix of the city has informed their flavour selections.

The "Kai Yuen Sour," at the trendy Bao Bei restaurant in Vancouver, is a Chinese-inspired cocktail. It contains bourbon, preserved plum water, fresh lemon juice, egg white, and angostura bitters.

The first waves of Chinese immigration started in 1858 with the gold rush. Other Chinese helped build the Canadian Pacific Railway. The most recent immigrants from Hong Kong, China and Taiwan are helping create a new Asian-flavoured culture that has transformed the city.

World Radio and TV

In pictures: Vancouver's Chinese community

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