Usera, Madrid’s Chinatown

Usera, the district with the largest concentration of the Chinese community in Spain, is all the rage. Its shops, restaurants and festivities bring colour to this area located to the south of Matadero Madrid and Madrid Río Park, which also stands out for its intense cultural life, especially in relation to modern art and such interesting spaces as Linear Park of the Manzanares River, Caja Mágica (the venue for the Mutua Madrid Open) or the Plaza Río 2 Shopping Centre. Discover them all!

This district (delimited by Praga Bridge, Paseo de Santa María de la Cabeza, Plaza de Fernández Ladreda—known as Plaza Elíptica since 2017—and the national road 401 Madrid/Ciudad Real) is made up of six neighbourhoods (Orcasitas, Orcasur, San Fermín, Almendrales, Moscardó, Zofío and Pradolongo). In recent years, it's proudly become one of the most up-and-coming areas of Madrid, mainly thanks to the boost given by its large Chinese community, whose shops, restaurants and festivities bring a special colour to the district.

Chinese New Year

Each year, Usera becomes the epicentre of the activities organised to celebrate the arrival of the Chinese New Year (end of January/beginning of February). This festivity has an extensive programme of cultural events for all tastes and ages which is usually organised by the Department of Culture, Tourism and Sport and Usera District Council, with the collaboration of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China, Chinese associations in Usera, artistic groups, neighbourhood associations, Casa Asia and the Confucio Institute in Madrid.

The scheduled activities include traditional options that enable the Chinese culture to be discovered in depth, the exhibition of ancient martial arts or the gigantic dragons and lions parade. These events are joined by dance, film, gastronomy, music, sports, literature and talks that reveal the vitality of the Chinese community here in the capital. 

Two of the events that attract the most visitors are the spectacular Light Festival and the Chinese New Year Multicultural Parade, which usually goes through the streets of Usera in an animated procession with traditional gigantic dragons, lions and lanterns.

The Light Festival is usually held in Pradolongo Park, the green lung of the Usera District and one of the most emblematic natural areas of Madrid, due to its morphology, variety of uses and its size, spanning almost 60 hectares. It has a large central area which is home to a small temple and a large lake. To the north of the lake, you'll find a botanical garden which dates back to 1979 and has informative signs and botanical texts with the description of the main plant species.

The Best Chinese Food

Some of Usera's restaurants allow for spectacular traditional Chinese food to be discovered. In addition to the Asian country's great culinary offering, the regional variety is huge, serving some top-class dishes, from Cantonese cuisine to Sichuan options, as well as Yunnan or Shanghai recipes.

The Royal Cantonés (Calle del Olvido, 92), which specialises in Cantonese food, stands out and is considered by many to be the best Chinese restaurant in Madrid. Since opening in 2009, it has more than ten years experience preparing the best Cantonese dishes, serving everything from jellyfish and tendons to duck and lotus roots, not forgetting dim sums.

Hong Kong 70 in Chinatown at No. 11 Calle de Nicolás Sánchez prepares the most traditional dishes from Cantonese cuisine. It has expert Cantonese chefs and the dim sums here are made daily by absolute maestros. Its menu is extensive and includes star dishes from Hong Kong’s cuisine, such as roasts and Hong Kong-style duck.

At Lao Tou (No. 35 Calle de Nicolás Sánchez), typical Sichuanese and Cantonese food can be savoured. 100% traditional cuisine for diners who are looking to sample new textures and flavours. At Picante de Sichuán (No. 10 Calle de Dolores Barranco), you can try authentic Chinese food, which is perfect for those who love spicy options, from their menu which features shaokao or double-cooked pork.

Art in Usera

New generations of creators and artists are seeking refuge in districts like Carabanchel and now it's Usera’s turn. There are more and more spaces and establishments set up especially to promote the new artistic tendencies and the work of young creators.

The artist Okuda San Miguel, along with his agency Ink and Movement, are behind the new Factory of Dreams space for the creation, management and dissemination of contemporary art. Located at No. 8 Calle de Carmen Bruguera, this project is born from the idea of proposing a new relationship model between creators, the industry and the public. The space has a programme in which exhibitions, dissemination contents and training workshops are all featured.

There's also a co-working venue and an independent art centre here: Espacio Oculto Madrid (No. 27 Calle de Nicolás Usera). It's a meeting point for artists and creatives, where research production, dissemination and sharing are fostered. This community work centre provides artists and other professionals such as industrial designers or architects with the necessary resources to produce their work.

Habitación Número 34 can be found on Avenida Cerro de los Ángeles in the district adjacent to Usera, which is a space devoted to art that changes each month depending on the invited artist. It aims to raise awareness of the visual and musical work of young Spanish artists who cannot find a place in conventional cultural centres. 

Cultural Initiatives

Since autumn 2022, the neighbourhood has been the home of a panda bear sculpture donated by the district’s Chinese community. Pandas are considered to be a national treasure in China, and this one has travelled thousands of kilometres to become a testimony of the friendship and harmony between both populations. The sculpture is carved in marble and stands on a granite base, rising up to a height of one metre and weighing 500 kilograms. This representation of the historic ties between Spain and China can be visited at the crossroads of Calle de la Pilarica and Calle Julio Merino.

In 2022, Usera hosted the first edition of its Autumn Festival, raising first-hand awareness of the multicultural wealth that oozes out of the district’s streets. It's an opportunity for the residents of Usera and other areas of the city to delve into the culture, art and gastronomy of China and Spanish-speaking countries. In June of the same year, Usera Artists Day 2022 was organised. This initiative was backed by Espacio Oculto Madrid, with the support of Usera Municipal Council and the Citrón Project to raise awareness of the work of artists from the district. 

As part of the actions to promote Usera as a new tourist highlight in the city, some arches will be built in Plaza del Hidrógeno and at the crossroads of Calle del Olvido and Calle de Dolores Barranco. The Chinese community in Usera has participated in the design of these allegorical decorations of their culture.

Cultural Centres

Usera boasts cultural events for all ages at various centres around the district. Usera Municipal Council’s Exhibition Hall hosts activities all year round and collaborates actively with the Spanish Association of Painters and Sculptors, hosting displays of pieces by artists of renowned prestige and quality. The artistic space also hosts part of the programme for the Chinese New Year celebrations.

The San Fermín Municipal Public Library has a programme of activities for all ages, such as workshops or shows for children. Furthermore, painted murals by Okuda San Miguel are on display here, depicting the history of the building and how this space has come to be.

Other cultural spaces in in the neighbourhood are the Orcasur Cultural Centre or the Meseta de Orcasitas Cultural Centre, whose facilities include an exhibition hall, an auditorium, rehearsal rooms and several classrooms and gyms.

Places of Interest

In the area around Doce de Octubre, you'll find Linear Park of the Manzanares River. The recovery of the area is one of the most interesting architectural projects from the end of the 1990s, designed by Ricardo Bofill’s architecture studio. The allotments, olive trees and the natural course of the river are the backdrop to Caja Mágica, the high performance tennis centre designed by Dominique Perrault. It's a multidisciplinary space that hosts major sporting contests, such as the Mutua Madrid Open, as well as shows and cultural events for business and entertainment purposes.

Located in Madrid Río Park and just in front of Matadero Madrid is Plaza Río 2 Shopping Centre, which is home to more than one hundred stores with national and international brands, as well as a wide selection of restaurants. It has a large terrace offering views of the city and the River Manzanares.

Furthermore, the Usera district is home to the 12 de Octubre University Hospital (Avenida de Córdoba), one of the largest hospitals in Spain. It's a healthcare centre of national and international prestige, boasting all medical department, cutting-edge technology and a team of almost 7,000 professionals.

Where to Sleep

Visitors wishing to stay in the district or nearby have several options. Check out, for example, e-Kilibrio: Hotel and Apart-Suites, a modern, comfortable and 100% ecological establishment just 270 metres from the 12 de Octubre Hospital, and 22 minutes from Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport. 

Another option is Hotel Madrid Río, which boasts all of the facilities that guarantee a comfortable and pleasant stay. Just 15 minutes from the centre of the city, it lies on the banks of the River Manzanares, very close to the revamped green area of Madrid Río Park and the Plaza Río 2 Shopping Centre.