Fan Tan Alley
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/68/Victoria%2C_BC_-_Fan_Tan_Alley_09_-_18_Fan_Tan_Alley_%28Heart%27s_Content%29_%2820338817929%29.jpg/300px-Victoria%2C_BC_-_Fan_Tan_Alley_09_-_18_Fan_Tan_Alley_%28Heart%27s_Content%29_%2820338817929%29.jpg)
Fan Tan Alley (番攤里) is an alley in Victoria, British Columbia's Chinatown. It runs south from Fisgard Avenue to Pandora Avenue at the block between Government Street and Store Street. Named after the Chinese gambling game Fan-Tan, the alley was originally a gambling district with restaurants, shops, and opium dens. Today it is a tourist destination with many small shops including a barbershop, art gallery, Chinese cafe, apartments and offices. It is the narrowest street in Canada. At its narrowest point it is only 0.9 meters (35 in) wide. It was designated as a heritage property by the local government in 2001.[1]
In 2006, Dr. David C. Lai, a scholar and historian of the area, contributed material salvaged from the alley's original gate to the Six String Nation project. Part of that material now serves as kerfing on the upper left of the interior of Voyageur, the guitar at the heart of the project.[2]
See also
- L'Androuno: A narrow street in France
- Mårten Trotzigs Gränd: A narrow street in Sweden
- Parliament Street, Exeter: A narrow street in the United Kingdom
- Spreuerhofstraße: A narrow street in Germany
- Strada sforii: A narrow street in Romania
References
- ^ 10-14 Fan Tan Alley. Canadian Register of Historic Places. Retrieved October 22, 2014.
- ^ Jowi., Taylor (2009). Six string nation : 64 pieces, 6 strings, 1 Canada, 1 guitar. Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre. ISBN 978-1-55365-393-6. OCLC 302060380.
External links
Media related to Fan Tan Alley at Wikimedia Commons
48°25′44″N 123°22′04″W / 48.4290°N 123.3679°W