Located in the San Francisco Bay Area. Oakland's Chinatown is surrounded by San Francisco to the West, Napa Valley to the North and Silicon Valley to the South. The East Bay is the home of Oakland and just on the edge of downtown Oakland lies one of the city's most active enclaves, Oakland Chinatown. The area is a showcase of Asian cultures, restaurants, shops.

A constantly bustling center of activity, the Oakland Chinatown's open-air markets display everything from live fish to imported ceramics. Large families congregate around huge round tables in favorite restaurants. Businesspeople, shoppers, and children scurry through the streets to their destinations. It's just another day in Oakland's Chinatown.

In just sixteen square blocks, visitors can explore the offerings of much of Asia. Visitors to this downtown neighborhood will find dozens of fascinating, eclectic stores that carry fresh, high-quality produce, live seafood, healing herbs, and a plethora of retail goods - everything from chopsticks and stress relievers to fine china and porcelain.

The hub of Chinatown is the Pacific Renaissance Plaza, a multi-story residential and commercial complex, which houses a large underground parking garage and features two levels of shops and restaurants. The plaza is also home to the Oakland Asian Cultural Center and the Asian branch of the Oakland Public Library.

The plaza boasts a quiet courtyard, where many of the locals and visitors congregate to meet with friends. The plaza is also the perfect spot to come to relax and soak in the sun, or for shoppers to take a break from their shopping, and enjoy a cool drink.

Despite its name, Chinatown is home not only to ethnic Chinese. Its businesses and its residents hail from countries throughout Asia, with the majority from Vietnam and Korea, as well as China and Japan. As the face of Chinatown changes and grows, the area develops even more cultural offerings for visitors and residents, from food to shops to services.

Chinatown's proximity to Downtown Oakland, Old Oakland, Jack London Square and Lake Merritt make it an exciting and convenient addition to any trip to Oakland.