I recently returned from my first trip to Paris and thought I would spend time there looking for their Chinatown or other Chinese influences like I did in Italy 20-some years ago. Back then I found a couple Chinese restaurants in Rome, but that was it.

Not so for Paris!

Just as soon as we landed at Charles De Gaulle Airport, I saw Chinese signage everywhere. The broadcasts on the terminal train included Mandarin (in addition to French and English).

On our first walk around our neighborhood, we saw so many Chinese signs for restaurants (even a Korean one called Chez Mao), travel agencies, language and culture centers, and stores. 

These weren’t in Chinatown, but on the outskirts of the Marais, or Jewish quarter. There were more Chinese signs on the Champs Elysees, but the photos of the places I took above on my first afternoon in Paris weren’t catering to the posh shoppers. They were just normal, day to day shops and centers.

It was a fun introduction to Paris that first afternoon!