Liverpool
has one of the oldest established Chinese communities in Europe. There was a
line of steamers with a direct connection from Liverpool to China, whose main
trading goods were, tea, silk and cotton wool. Indeed it is probably due to this that Liverpool has a permanent Chinese community dating back to around 1870 with
the establishment in 1868 of a direct shipping service between Britain and
China. By 1880 Liverpool was granted city status by a Royal Charter. At
this time Chinese sailors were to be seen regularly around the docks of
Liverpool, London and Cardiff. The Chinese settled around the dock area, most notably on
Cleveland Square, Pitt Street and Frederick Street. But this changed when most
of the area was destroyed during World war II. This prompted the Chinese community
to move out into the suburbs and other areas of central Liverpool, with a few moving to Nelson Street and George
Square, where the shipping company Holts had established a new seaman’s hostel
to replace the boarding houses lost in Pitt Street and Cleveland Square. From
here Chinatown grew organically to take in much of Berry Street, Duke Street
and Upper Parliament Street.
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| The Gate at the entrance to Liverpools Chinatown in Nelson Street |
Chinese
Seamen in World War 2
During
the Second World War, as many as 20,000 thousand Chinese seamen were stationed
in Liverpool. Many were from Shanghai, others were Cantonese. They served in
the British merchant navy and many lost their lives during the conflict. Their
rates of pay were a third of that paid to British seamen. At the end of the
war, as many as 1,362 were forcibly repatriated. Records show that about 300 of
these men had married British women and supported families. They were thus
qualified to stay in Britain and their repatriation was in fact illegal. Many
were effectively forced out by not being informed that they were qualified to
stay, not allowed jobs on shore and given only a one-way tour of duty back to
China. Some were sent back without the knowledge of their wives, who believed
they had been deserted. Possible up to 1,000 children were left fatherless but
the actual number is unknown. Some of the women left behind remarried to give
their children security, others, gave up their children for adoption. Only
recently did this episode become widely known and acknowledged publicly by the
authorities. A plaque was placed to the memory of these Chinese seamen at
Liverpool Pier Head on 23 anuary 2006. Some of the children who were
adopted, and their descendants, may not even be aware of their Chinese roots.
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| 2006. A memorial plaque at Liverpool Pier Head in remembrance for Chinese seamen who served in the Wars |
The
overall population of permanent Chinese residents in the UK did not change
substantially until after the Second World War. It is believed that the
Liverpool Chinese community until the late 1940s largely consisted of about 70
families who all knew each other - or knew of each other. The UK Chinese
community continued to operate laundries until the early 1950s and then the
world began to change. The advent of synthetic fibres, launderettes and home
washing machines effectively killed off the laundries and many families opened
restaurants and take away food shops.
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| Langdons Building Nelson Street 1961, situated at the entrance to Chinatown once a Hotel |
The popularity and rapid growth of Chinese restaurants
led to staff vacancies that were filled by Hong Kong Chinese many of whom came
specifically for this purpose. This coincided with problems in farming,
especially in the New Territories of Hong Kong and also the uncertain political
situation in Asia. Many Chinese wanted to leave Hong Kong for better security.
The Hong Kong Chinese began to come in large numbers during the early 1960s.
There was some initial minor friction between them, and the
longer established existing Chinese community who were mainly from the 'four
counties' area. In fact some of the Hong Kong Chinese were not originally
natives of Hong Kong. They had entered the crown colony from the mainland after
the 1949 Chinese revolution. Many of the restaurant workers, once they had
learnt the trade, moved to a different part of the country to open up their own
business. Each take away food shop requires its own individual catchment area.
There now may well be 10,000 Chinese take-away food shops in the UK in
virtually every town or sizable village. This shows the Chinese preference for
private enterprise and it also provides the opportunity for a family working
together to run a small business. The children help in the work, in a similar
way to their laundry predecessors. The shop premises also provide living
accommodation. If necessary, the family setting up the new business would be
helped financially by the extended family or by friends from perhaps the same
ancestral village. The Chinese community thus differs form other ethnic groups
in that they are widely scattered around the country. The
families come together usually on Sunday afternoons to 'drink tea' (yum char),
gossip and shop in the Chinatowns of the big cities. Surveys show that by 1985,
90% of the UK Chinese community was engaged in the catering industry.
Until
the late 1960s, there were only two Chinatowns in the UK, in London and in
Liverpool.
Today,
Chinatown is still centred on Nelson Street and Berry Street. Liverpool still has a vibrant Chinese community. In January 2000 the new Imperial Arch was opened, generating a
new phase in Chinatown’s development. Chinatown was recently a feature of the 'Titanic' celebrations 2012 with the Little Girl Giants, Giant Unlcle' paying a visit. (video below).
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around Liverpool |
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| Imperial Arch Chinatown Liverpool |
Liverpool
diverse cultural base is only appreciated after a trip around Chinatown which
illustrates the way in which this community has integrated within the city. A
variety of excellent cuisine is on offer and the small shops are of interest to
locals and tourists visiting this part of the city.
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| New Year Celebrations in Chinatown |
The Chinese New Year is Celebrated in style and features street
entertainers, music and dance. The celebrations include a number of parades in
which locals are dressed in Chinese mythical costumes of Lions and dragons. The
street parades are well attended and the atmosphere is magnificent. Chinese
houses and restaurants in the Chinese Quarter are cleaned and decorated with
flowers for the occassion. That's why Liverpools China Town is wonderful besides being full
of interesting features such as Asian style lampposts, litter boxes, parking
ticket machines and street signs. The downside, if it can be called that, is that the community area is relatively small at the moment but much of the area is undergoing regeneration and is a must to visit if you are in the city.
Links
Chinatown Web Page
Chinatown Web Page
Liverpool Remebrance Weebley
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