Chinatown wanderings

Immediately opposite Incheon station, Chinatown and the immediate surrounding area is certainly an interesting little place to wander around for an afternoon.

Plenty of restaurants...





shops...



and dragons to be found...



...but of most interest was the architecture of the area. More to follow on some of the more interesting buildings to be found in the area, but there are a number of interesting stone staircases in the vicinity.

This one connects Chinatown to Jayu Park, with some impressive tile murals on either side.



This stairway leads up to a small residential area in Chinatown (and no, I have no idea why I seem to favour taking shots at an angle to the right).



The most 'famous' of the staircases in the Chinatown area is the "Boundary stairs of Qing dynasty (China) & Japanese settlement", designated Monument 51 in Incheon City, the stairs featured in the blog title banner above.



The information sign at the foot of the stairs explains their creation:

This area formed the boundary between the Japanese settlement (1883) and the settlement for Qing dynasty that is one of ancient Chinese kingdoms (1884). Stairs toward International Park (now, Peace Park) and a landscape were completed in this area.

A close-up of one of the stairway posts and the hanging lanterns.



Looking down the stairs towards the harbor.



At the top of the stairs stands a statue of Confucius...



... who has a much better view over Incheon harbor than Douglas MacArthur does (in this entry, if you're interested).