Incheon Chinatown, Korea’s only Chinatown, is located around Seollin-dong and Bukseong-dong, Jung-gu, Incheon Metropolitan City. Since Incheon became an open port in 1983, many Chinese began to settle there, forming their own unique cultural community. Chinatown and its neighbors are considered to be important cultural and tourism resources, allowing people to gain access to an exotic culture from the past, the time when the port first opened. Currently, about 500 overseas Chinese live here. Incheon Chinatown is also renowned as the birthplace of ‘Jajangmyeon’, a dish loved by all Koreans.

When it comes to Chinese food, the first food that comes to mind for most Koreans is ‘Jajangmyeon’. However, ‘Jajangmyeon’ is a Chinese food that originated in Korea. With the influx to Incheon of overseas Chinese in 1884, many Chinese restaurants opened. The exposure to Chinese food piqued the interest of many Koreans, and ‘Jajangmyeon’ quickly became popular. Called ‘Zhajiangmian’ in Chinese, it was originally only noodles with Chinese bean paste(chunjang: 春醬). The Chinese living in Incheon added vegetables and meat to tailor the dish to Korean tastes, adding a caramel flavor to the Chinese bean taste.

There is no literature that reveals exactly when ‘Jajangmyeon’ was first made and by whom, but ‘Gonghwachun’ is known officially as the first ‘Jajangmyeon’ restaurant, opening in Incheon Chinatown in 1905.

The Decorated Archway 1, the front gate of Chinatown, stands conveniently right in front of Incheon Subway Station. This style of decorated archway can be seen at the entrance to every Chinatown, in any region or country. The decorated archway is a Chinese-style front gate, and is a symbol of Chinatown. Incheon Chinatown has three decorated archways in total. Its pillars are painted red, the favorite color of Chinese people, making the decorated archway appear quite impressive.???

Passing the Decorated Archway 1 and entering Chinatown, it feels like one is in China because there are so many Chinese souvenir shops and restaurants. Small yet charmingly decorated shops will make you feel the unique culture of Incheon Chinatown. There is Korea’s only Jungsan Overseas Chinese School, the Sam Guk Ji Street that recreates the world of the ancient Chinese novel, a statue of Confucius, and the Freedom Park that links to Decorated Archway 3. It is a great walking course for a day out. When you visit those Chinatown restaurants, including ‘Gonghwachun’, the birthplace of Jajangmyeon, you will get a true taste of Chinatown.

It is said that in its prime, Incheon Chinatown was quite prosperous and had about 10,000 overseas Chinese people living there, after starting as a foreign settlement of people from Qin Dynasty in 1884. Although it is smaller in size than before, why don’t we try to imagine that lively atmosphere of past, with the streets full of Chinese immigrants.