Argentina's capital Buenos Aires is giving its cherished Chinatown a facelift -- expanding the neighborhood's main strip, Arribenos Street, renovating side streets and sidewalks, and making it more pedestrian friendly.
Like Chinatowns the world over, the district in the northern part of the city is a traditional stop on visitors' itinerary, with its bustling Chinese restaurants, fish markets, souvenir shops, and supermarkets lined with exotic Asian products.
A Paifang, or traditional Chinese-style arch, welcomes visitors to the neighborhood at the intersection of Arribenos and Juramento, another street. It has been a feature in hundreds, if not thousands, of photos, as tourists invariably pose for pictures under it.
The carved-stone arch, brought over from China and assembled here, stands 11 meters high. Golden dragons watch the comings and goings from atop the arch, while a carved-stone lion stands guard at the foot of each column.
The renovation work began in May, mainly along Arribenos Street, between Juramento and Olazabal, but also along Mendoza, where newly-imported Chinese-made urban trains run along the Mitre Railroad tracks.
Workers have so far installed about 60 percent of the new street lamps on Arribenos Street, while 90 percent of the old sidewalks have been lowered to street level and paved.
"Of course, the face lift makes a difference," Bernardo Dominguez, who works in the downtown area, told Xinhua. "I visit the area with my fiancee at least once a month, or month and a half. Now it's going to be more orderly."
The renovation work is expected to be completed and inaugurated by the end of October, according to a source from the city's Departtment of Environment and Public Spaces.
