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There are 120,250Chinese people inLondon, comprising 1.5% of the city's population. 33% ofethnic Chinese people in the United Kingdom reside in London.
As of 2000, more recent ethnic Chinese arrivals originated frommainland China, Taiwan, and Vietnam while historically Chinese had migrated fromHong Kong, including the urbanised areas and theNew Territories; Singapore; Malaysia; and elsewhere in southeast Asia.[1]
According to John Eade, a Chinese community representative stated that in the 1780s Chinese sailors visited London, making them the first Chinese to do so. In the latter half of the 1800s the first wave of Chinese immigrants came to London. Chinese lived inSoho by the timeWorld War II occurred.[1]
Since Hong Kong was a British territory, many Chinese immigrants from Hong Kong as well asMacau (which were, and still are, very similar in terms of economy and geography) were either brought over or travelled to London and subsequently the rest of the U.K. Another wave of Chinese immigration occurred in London during the 1950s and 1960s. The London economy prompted Chinese from many places to move, while changes in international rice markets prompted some Chinese from theNew Territories of Hong Kong to move to London. During the same era, many Chinese moved fromWhitehall to Soho.[1]
In the 1970s and 1980s many Chinese working in Soho continued to work there but began moving to suburbs. Non-Chinese began replacing the Chinese in Soho in the 1980s.[2] As of the late 1980s Soho remained the centre of the London Chinese community.[3] The Chinese were not involved in the development of the Soho LGBT community.[4]
According to the 2011 census,Greater London included 124,250 British Chinese, making up 1.5% of the overall population. The borough ofBarnet had the highest population with a Chinese ethnic group followed byTower Hamlets andSouthwark, withCamden ranking second by local proportion.[5]
| Borough | Population | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| City of London (not aLondon Borough) | 263 | 3.4% |
| Barking and Dagenham | 1,315 | 0.5% |
| Barnet | 8,259 | 2.3% |
| Bexley | 2,514 | 1.2% |
| Brent | 3,250 | 1.2% |
| Bromley | 2,768 | 1.1% |
| Camden | 6,493 | 2.9% |
| Croydon | 3,925 | 0.9% |
| Ealing | 4,132 | 1.2% |
| Enfield | 2,588 | 0.8% |
| Greenwich | 5,938 | 2.8% |
| Hackney | 3,447 | 0.9% |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | 3,140 | 1.8% |
| Haringey | 3,744 | 1.5% |
| Harrow | 2,629 | 1.2% |
| Havering | 1,459 | 0.9% |
| Hillingdon | 2,889 | 1.0% |
| Hounslow | 2,405 | 1.0% |
| Islington | 4,457 | 2.1% |
| Kensington and Chelsea | 3,968 | 2.6% |
| Kingston upon Thames | 2,883 | 1.8% |
| Lambeth | 4,573 | 1.5% |
| Lewisham | 6,164 | 2.8% |
| Merton | 2,618 | 2.3% |
| Newham | 3,930 | 1.1% |
| Redbridge | 3,000 | 1.5% |
| Richmond upon Thames | 1,753 | 1.5% |
| Southwark | 8,074 | 2.8% |
| Sutton | 2,240 | 1.3% |
| Tower Hamlets | 8,109 | 3.2% |
| Waltham Forest | 2,579 | 1.0% |
| Wandsworth | 3,715 | 1.2% |
| Westminster | 5,917 | 3.3% |
The reportLondon's Population and the 2011 Census: First Report Session 2009-10, Report, Together with Formal Minutes and Oral and Written Evidence stated that among recent migrants from China "many work long hours in the unregulated sector and many are entirely, and consensually, disenfranchised from public life in London."[6] Few of the Chinese migrants had formal leases or ownership of property. At the time, there were lowlevels of English literacy among the migrants.[6]
John Eade, author ofPlacing London: From Imperial Capital to Global City, wrote that "Chinatown remained one of the most important symbolic centres of community for Chinese across Britain."[3]
According to Paul Barker of theInstitute of Community Studies, as of 1998, no part of London had a marked concentration of ethnic Chinese residents.[7]
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There are Chinese community centres inChinatown,Barnet,Camden,Greenwich,Lewisham,Kensington,Westminster andTower Hamlets. Major organisations include the London Chinese Community Centre, London Chinatown Chinese Association,Islington Chinese Association,Kingston Chinese Association and the London Chinese Cultural Centre.[citation needed]
TheMing-Ai (London) Institute focuses on better integrating the London's Chinese community with the wider London community. This is achieved by providing opportunities for British people to learn more about Chinese culture and raising awareness to issues which affecting Overseas Chinese.
TheIslington Chinese Association (ICA) is present in London.
The Westminster Chinese Library, based at the Charing Cross Library (traditional Chinese:查寧閣圖書館;simplified Chinese:查宁阁图书馆;pinyin:Chánínggé Túshūguǎn), holds one of the largest collections of Chinese materials in UK public libraries. It has a collection of over 50,000 Chinese books available for loan and reference to local readers of Chinese; music cassettes, CDs, and video films for loan; community information and general enquiries; a national subscription service of Chinese books; and Chinese events organised from time to time. The library also hosted a photography exhibition in 2013 as part of the British Chinese Heritage project, with photographs and stories of Chinese workers.[8]
The London Dragon Boat Festival is held annually in June at theLondon Regatta Centre,Royal Albert Docks. It is organised by the London Chinatown Lions Club.[9]
The Chinese for Labour Group (renamed "East and Southeast Asians for Labour") was formed in 1999 to represent the interests of Chinese people in theLabour Party and improve the quality of life of Chinese communities in Britain. Its current chair isSarah Owen, it was co-founded and formerly chaired bySonny Leong, and it listsSOAS University of London professorStephen Chan as an extraordinary ambassador.[10]
Conservative Friends of the Chinese is chaired byGeoffrey Clifton-Brown MP (Parliamentary Chairman) andLord Wei of Shoreditch (Nat Wei).
