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Workers in a Chinese restaurant in Incheon¡¯s Chinatown turn characters spelling ¡°Fortune¡± upside down in celebration of lunar New Year¡¯s Day. According to a Chinese belief, that encourages fortune to come dropping out of the sky.
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Some 433,000 foreigners lived in Korea as of last August, accounting for 1 percent of the total population. As their numbers swell, they gravitate toward others from similar backgrounds and establish a more visible place for themselves in society. Chinatown in Incheon near Seoul is perhaps the most obvious example.
Chinatown is a relatively old community with a venerable history, established after Incheon Port opened in 1883. There remain only 500 or so Chinese residents, but the area is nonetheless a popular destination where visitors can enjoy Chinese food and culture.
Passing through the gate with its flamboyantly decorated roof, the defining feature of any Chinatown around the world, the town is crowded with the characteristic red buildings, from restaurants serving stir-fried noodles with bean paste to shops offering traditional Chinese costume and ornaments. Other glimpses of China include a Confucius statue and the former Chinese consulate. Built in 1884, the consulate overlooks the old residential quarters of Korea¡¯s Chinese residents. Today, it is a school for Chinese children in the neighborhood.
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Muslims after Friday prayers.
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For something more exotic, Itaewon¡¯s mosque is crowded with workers and diplomats from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia and the Middle East every Friday, the Muslim Sunday. The Korea Islam Center has 34,000 registered members. Around the mosque, there are clusters of shops selling goods from Muslim countries, including a halal butcher and others offering spices, condiments and teas from the Subcontinent and the Middle East.
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Filipinos shop at street stalls in Daehangro after Sunday mass.
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Seoul¡¯s Hyehwa-dong Cathedral, by contrast, has become a focal point for Filipinos and, at the orders of the Seoul Diocese, has since 1996 held mass for Filipinos only. At one time anywhere between 1,000 and 2,000 Filipinos would gather here on a Sunday, but since a crackdown on illegal immigrants their number has sharply declined to 300-500. After mass, some 40 stalls open along the nearby Daehangno, where a huge variety of Filipino foods are on offer, including cheese, dried fish and bananas. Koreans, too, are welcome to sample the food of the islands.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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