Chinatowns in Europe
Encyclopedia
This article discusses Chinatowns in Europe. Several urban Chinatown
s exist in major European capital cities. There is Chinatown, London
, England
as well as a major Chinatown in Manchester
, Birmingham
, Liverpool
and two Chinatowns in Paris
, France
: One where many Vietnamese – specifically ethnic Chinese refugees from Vietnam – have settled in the Quartier chinois in the XIIIe arrondissement
of Paris, and the other in Belleville
in the northeast of Paris. In 2002 and 2003, Berlin
, Germany
was considering establishing a Chinatown. Antwerp, Belgium
also has an upstart Chinese community.
, England. It was established in the early 19th century when Liverpool began importing cotton and silk from Shanghai. In the 1910s, Mainland Chinese labourers from the Zhejiang province who remained in France established the first Chinatown of Paris. There are other Chinese who "jumped ship" to Europe after working as hired hands on European ships or docks.
As a legacy of European colonialism in Asia, many Asian subjects of British and Continental European empires immigrated to the colonizing country. During the 1950s, immigrants from Hong Kong began migrating to the United Kingdom
in large numbers, which resulted in the formation of London's second Chinatown in the Soho district. Some Chinese from the former Portuguese colony of Macau
have resettled in Portugal
.
In 1998, many more Chinese Indonesian immigrants arrived to escape the violent pogroms in Indonesia
towards ethnic Chinese (mainly as a result of the Asian financial crisis of 1997).
After the fall of Saigon at the close of the Vietnam War
, the ethnic Chinese boat people from Vietnam were resettled in France
and Germany
in the late 1970s and 1980s and began settling extensively in Paris's Chinatown and immensely revitalising the area during that time. Paris's Chinatown currently has a vibrant Southeast Asian ethnic Chinese character, while its newer counterpart in the Belleville is largely consists of fairly recent Mainland Chinese. Some Chinese Vietnamese refugees also ended up in Hong Kong, then a British-administered territory. These Vietnamese were resettled in the United Kingdom, (there are several Vietnamese businesses in London's Chinatown).
Although Mainland China was carved into several Western spheres of influence, the country as a whole was not a colony of a foreign maritime power. Nevertheless, many mainland Chinese, legal and undocumented immigrants, have especially contributed to the development of Chinese communities in Europe, including the currently nascent Chinatown in the Esquilino
district of Rome, Italy. There has been new immigration from Fujian
and Zhejiang
provinces of China, many of whom are illegal immigrants who work in the unskilled service industries–especially in restaurants and garment sweatshops—of Europe.
The only "official" (recognized by the Belgian government as China Town on the tourist guide maps and books of Belgium) China Town is Van Wesenbekestraat
in Antwerp, Flanders
. It consists of many shops, supermarkets, restaurants, bakery as well as a little Chinese temple. Sun Wah Supermarket is a large Asian supermarket-department store. It has 3 floors. One of these floors is dedicated to Asian media articles (DVDs, CDs, magazines, manga) and Asian decorations. City Palace is a large Dim Sum Chinese restaurant. It can easily seat 800 people and has private Karaoke for 80 people on the first floor.http://www.chinatown-antwerpen.be
has several Chinatowns , the largest being located in the 13th arrondissement (13th district). Parisian Chinatown represents a massive implantation of Asian communities (contrary to London's Soho). "Avenue de Choisy" and Avenue d'Ivry", down to the "Porte d'Ivry" (Gate of Ivry) and the immediate surrounding suburbs are its principal axis, populated by nearly 50,000 Chinese, Vietnamese and Laotian
nationals. The residents also include Chinese from French Polynesia
and French Guiana
, as well as Asian ethnicities from New Caledonia
. One major point of attraction is the Tang Frères
and Paristore
supermarkets, selling Asian products, located close to each other. Parisian Chinatown is based in a real Asian community, located in marginal and poor areas, formed through successive waves of migration (the first of them during the 1910s).
Another Chinatown area has settled in Belleville
, Paris. There is a large number of Far East restaurants, especially on Rue de Belleville and on Rue Civiale.
Lyon
also has a Chinatown, located around the Condorcet neighbourhood, in the 7th arrondissement. It is much smaller than that of Paris, consisting mainly of a couple of blocks around rue Passet and rue Pasteur.
had a historic Chinatown that existed in the St. Pauli
red light district
from the 1920s to the 1940s. It was destroyed by the Gestapo
under the Nazis
, and there are only a few remnants left behind. During and after World War II
, Germany's ethnic Chinese left for the United Kingdom
.
After liberalising its immigration
laws, the former West Germany
saw an increase in Asian immigration in the late 1970s and 1980s. There were also many Vietnamese
who were living as guest workers and students in East Germany prior to 1989, many of whom chose not to return to Vietnam. There are plans to develop a Chinatown or pan-Asian area in Berlin
.
Dublin's Chinatown is located on Parnell Street
and in recent years has extended down into Capel Street. Most Chinese units consist of restaurants, internet cafes or grocery stores. Dublin's Chinatown is small in size and has been dubbed China Village.
, but most of the current population has arrived since the 1980s. Over 209.000 Chinese are thought to be living in Italy.
The oldest and biggest Chinatown of Italy is in Milan
around Via Paolo Sarpi, located in the historical centre of the city close to Parco Sempione. The first settlement was established at the beginning of 1920 working silk products. The majority of Chinese are originally from Zhejiang region south of Shanghai. During the Second World War the silk products were replaced by leather belts more useful for the soldiers involved in the war. In the 1980s the community diversified its activities opening market stores, food stores and other shops.
The second largest Chinatown is in the city of Prato
The Italian term for Chinatown is quartiere cinese but Chinatown is also used.
The term "Chinatown" is used in the Dutch language
.
The largest Chinatown of the Netherlands
is located near the famed De Wallen
red light district
of Amsterdam
. This Chinatown, located on Zeedijk, was formed in the 1980s and has expanded beyond the red light district. The street signs in this neighbourhood are in Dutch and in Chinese. Amsterdam Chinatown also has the first and biggest buddhist temple built in Chinese style. It is named "Fo Guang Shan
He Hua tempel".
The 2nd largest Chinatown is in the city of The Hague
.
The city of Rotterdam
has a Chinatown, on West Kruiskade.
Neatherlands china town is located in the west of Amsterdam
's major Chinatown is located in Lisbon
, mostly in the form of shopping centres.
Porto Alto has a Chinatown as well.
Most Chinese immigrants to Portugal came from the former Portuguese territory of Macau
, when it was returned to Mainland Chinese control in 1999, while others from Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam
. Many Chinese also came from Brazil
to Portugal. Besides Portuguese Chinese speaking Mandarin, Cantonese, and Portuguese
, some of them speak a mixed Cantonese-Portuguese creole
, Macanese
(or Patuá).
In the North of Portugal there is a rapidly growing Chinatown in the Industrial Area of Vila do Conde in Porto
.
with massive funding from mainland Chinese investors. Proposed plans call for restaurants, markets, a Buddhist temple, and housing developments on more than 2 km² that is to begin construction before 2010. http://www.petersburgcity.com/news/city/2004/12/20/baltic2/ http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2004/12/21/047.html
In keeping in line with its post-Soviet melting pot ideology, there is no established "Chinatown" in Moscow
. Moscow currently has a small Chinese population. The neighborhood Kitai-Gorod
literally translates to "China-City", but the etymology is unclear. The Russian word for the small wooden stakes used in the area during its construction is purported to sound very similar to "Kitai" (China) and morphed over time into the place-name.
, it has not been as much as in other European countries, such as France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. There are about 150,000 Chinese in Spain
. Most Chinese-Spanish residents are people whose ancestors were coolie
s from mainland China. Others are immigrants or refugees from other places in mainland China
, Hong Kong
, Macau
, Taiwan
, Malaysia, Korea
, the Philippines
, Vietnam
, Indonesia
, and especially Cuba
and Puerto Rico
. In Spain, Chinese immigrants tend not to form separate neighbourhoods (the quintessential image of a Chinatown) but live in areas mixed with other immigrants. However, in some places, Chinese immigration is enough to give a Chinese color to some streets.
There are some examples of Spanish Chinatowns in Madrid
, Dolores Barranco st in Usera
district, Lavapiés
neighborhood or Leganitos st. and "Plaza de España" in the centre, in Madrid metropolitan area
"Cobo Calleja" industrial park is the biggest chinese industrial area in Europe
, it's located in the southern city of Fuenlabrada
. Barcelona
, however, has had an area named Barrio Chino since the 1920s, in the old city between the Ramblas and the Parallel. The residents have been poor Spaniards and the area is marked by its prostitution
, to the extent that any prostitution district of any Spanish city may be known as barrio chino, regardless of any Chinese presence, though the term doesn't imply a population of Chinese residents. The term came from an article whose author compared the state of the area with the popular image of foreign Chinatowns. Barcelona has another Chinese area around Calle Trafalgar and the surrounding streets. Other Spanish cities like Valencia, Bilbao
or Alicante
have Chinese neighborhoods.
After the Spanish Miracle
, Spain started receiving more Chinese immigrants, some of whom may have settled in the cheap Barrio Chino. As a result of the gentrification
policy exemplified by the 1992 Summer Olympics
, the areas is being rebuilt as a chic neighbourhood and the more neutral name of El Raval
is preferred. Recent Chinese immigrants have established wholesale
clothes business at La Ribera, Ronda San Pedro or Trafalgar street. Barrios Chinos are also pan-Asian areas. Many Japanese, Koreans, Vietnamese, and Thais settled Barrios Chinos.
, Manchester
, Liverpool
, Birmingham
and Newcastle
Chinese people in the UK are relatively dispersed, and do not form ethnic enclaves as in many other countries, although most are to be found in large cities, several of which have Chinatowns, and the South-East. the largest Chinatown is in central London
in the Soho
area, established in the 1950s and 1960s. Other UK Chinatowns are found in the English cities of Liverpool
, Birmingham
, Manchester
, Leeds
(though not official) and Newcastle
, the Scottish cities of Glasgow
and Edinburgh
, the Welsh capital Cardiff
and a growing population of Chinese immigrants are present in Belfast
, Northern Ireland.
London's Chinatown
is mainly commercial with many Chinese restaurants and businesses. A new Chinese gate over Wardour Street
marking the entrance to Leicester Square is planned as well. London's Chinatown is undergoing gentrification, with a £50 million planned regeneration. There are plans to revive London's original Chinese district in Limehouse
as part of the wider regeneration of east London. This area was bombed out, as with much of London, during the Blitz in the Second World War causing a relocation of the few ethnic Chinese who had lived there to other areas. Other Chinese-run businesses can be found in other parts of London, such as suburban Croydon
.
Manchester
Manchester's Chinatown
on Faulkner Street is the second largest in Britain after London's. The Chinese British population, many of whom are immigrants from former British-ruled Hong Kong, especially settled in the Greater Manchester
area. However, Hong Kong immigration to the United Kingdom has leveled off over the years and there has been a rise in Mainland Chinese immigration to the country.
Birmingham
The Chinese Quarter is an area of Birmingham, United Kingdom. First emerging as an informal cluster of Chinese community organizations, social clubs, and businesses in the 1960s centred around Hurst Street
, as a result of post-World War II migration from Hong Kong, the Chinese Quarter was officially recognized in the 1980s. It is well-known for its Chinese restaurants, such as the China Court Restaurant, for the parade which is held there each year to celebrate the Chinese New Year, for the Birmingham Hippodrome and for being the location of the headquarters of Wing Yip
.
To the rear of the area is the Irish Quarter which is located directly next to a large supermarket selling typical Chinese produce.
Newcastle
The Chinatown in Newcastle
was primarily based on Stowell Street, but has expanded in recent years with many Chinese businesses in the surrounding area. The Chinatown incorporates the area from Stowell Street to Westgate Road. According to the BBC, Newcastle's Chinatown is also undergoing regeneration. A gateway costing £160,000 has recently been constructed by Mainland Chinese engineers as part of the plans.
Liverpool
The Chinatown in Liverpool
in the Merseyside area is on Duke Street and is home to the oldest Chinese community in Europe. The arch located at the gateway is also the largest of its kind outside of China. It has been under regeneration.
Sheffield
Sheffield has no official Chinatown although London Road
, Highfield is the centre of the Sheffield Chinese community. There are many Chinese restaurants, supermarkets and community stores and home of the Sheffield Chinese Community Centre. The Sheffield Chinese community is pressing for the street to be formally labelled Sheffield's Chinatown.
Leeds
Leeds has no official Chinatown, but the northeast area of the city centre is commonly referred to as Chinatown due to the presence of many longstanding Chinese restaurants, supermarkets and other commercial stores. The small "Chinatown" is centred around one of the city centre's major outdoor car parks and the majority of Chinese establishments can be found either on the west side of the car park on Vicar Lane, or on the east side on Templar Lane and Templar Place.
Plans to develop the area into an official Chinatown, complete with Chinese gate, have been met with setbacks, mainly due to the wide dispersal of the city's Chinese community throughout the city and outlying suburbs. Furthermore, just as many if not more Chinese and other East Asian restaurants are to be found throughout the city centre, defeating the need for an official Chinatown.
contains a Chinatown, which consists of shops and a restaurant.
In 2003, the city council of Aberdeen
approved plans for a new Chinatown in the northern part of the city.
Chinatown
A Chinatown is an ethnic enclave of overseas Chinese people, although it is often generalized to include various Southeast Asian people. Chinatowns exist throughout the world, including East Asia, Southeast Asia, the Americas, Australasia, and Europe. Binondo's Chinatown located in Manila,...
s exist in major European capital cities. There is Chinatown, London
Chinatown, London
The name Chinatown has been used at different times to describe different places in London. The present Chinatown is part of the Soho area of the City of Westminster, occupying the area in and around Gerrard Street...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
as well as a major Chinatown in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
and two Chinatowns in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
: One where many Vietnamese – specifically ethnic Chinese refugees from Vietnam – have settled in the Quartier chinois in the XIIIe arrondissement
XIIIe arrondissement
The 13th arrondissement of Paris is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France....
of Paris, and the other in Belleville
Belleville, Paris
Belleville is a neighbourhood of Paris, France, parts of which lie in four different arrondissements. The major portion of Belleville straddles the borderline between the 20th arrondissement and the 19th along its main street, the Rue de Belleville...
in the northeast of Paris. In 2002 and 2003, Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
was considering establishing a Chinatown. Antwerp, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
also has an upstart Chinese community.
Colonialism and European Chinatowns
Some European Chinatowns have extraordinary histories while others are still relatively new developments. Many early Chinese traders settled in several European port cities and established several communities. The oldest Chinatown in Europe is in LiverpoolLiverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, England. It was established in the early 19th century when Liverpool began importing cotton and silk from Shanghai. In the 1910s, Mainland Chinese labourers from the Zhejiang province who remained in France established the first Chinatown of Paris. There are other Chinese who "jumped ship" to Europe after working as hired hands on European ships or docks.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in large numbers, which resulted in the formation of London's second Chinatown in the Soho district. Some Chinese from the former Portuguese colony of Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
have resettled in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
.
In 1998, many more Chinese Indonesian immigrants arrived to escape the violent pogroms in Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
towards ethnic Chinese (mainly as a result of the Asian financial crisis of 1997).
After the fall of Saigon at the close of the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, the ethnic Chinese boat people from Vietnam were resettled in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in the late 1970s and 1980s and began settling extensively in Paris's Chinatown and immensely revitalising the area during that time. Paris's Chinatown currently has a vibrant Southeast Asian ethnic Chinese character, while its newer counterpart in the Belleville is largely consists of fairly recent Mainland Chinese. Some Chinese Vietnamese refugees also ended up in Hong Kong, then a British-administered territory. These Vietnamese were resettled in the United Kingdom, (there are several Vietnamese businesses in London's Chinatown).
Although Mainland China was carved into several Western spheres of influence, the country as a whole was not a colony of a foreign maritime power. Nevertheless, many mainland Chinese, legal and undocumented immigrants, have especially contributed to the development of Chinese communities in Europe, including the currently nascent Chinatown in the Esquilino
Esquilino (rione of Rome)
Esquilino is the XV rione, that is historic district, of the city. Its coat of arms bears two figures: a tree and three green mountains, all on a silver background. It is named for the Esquiline Hill, one of the Seven Hills of Rome....
district of Rome, Italy. There has been new immigration from Fujian
Fujian
' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
and Zhejiang
Zhejiang
Zhejiang is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. The word Zhejiang was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital...
provinces of China, many of whom are illegal immigrants who work in the unskilled service industries–especially in restaurants and garment sweatshops—of Europe.
Belgium
Van Wesenbekestraat
Van Wesenbekestraat is the street in Antwerp where the little Chinatown of the city is settled. It contains a lot of Asian restaurants, the biggest Asian supermarket in the country , a Buddhist temple and a school for mastering kungfu.Both at the entrance and the end of the street, two Chinese...
in Antwerp, Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
. It consists of many shops, supermarkets, restaurants, bakery as well as a little Chinese temple. Sun Wah Supermarket is a large Asian supermarket-department store. It has 3 floors. One of these floors is dedicated to Asian media articles (DVDs, CDs, magazines, manga) and Asian decorations. City Palace is a large Dim Sum Chinese restaurant. It can easily seat 800 people and has private Karaoke for 80 people on the first floor.http://www.chinatown-antwerpen.be
France
ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
has several Chinatowns , the largest being located in the 13th arrondissement (13th district). Parisian Chinatown represents a massive implantation of Asian communities (contrary to London's Soho). "Avenue de Choisy" and Avenue d'Ivry", down to the "Porte d'Ivry" (Gate of Ivry) and the immediate surrounding suburbs are its principal axis, populated by nearly 50,000 Chinese, Vietnamese and Laotian
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
nationals. The residents also include Chinese from French Polynesia
French Polynesia
French Polynesia is an overseas country of the French Republic . It is made up of several groups of Polynesian islands, the most famous island being Tahiti in the Society Islands group, which is also the most populous island and the seat of the capital of the territory...
and French Guiana
French Guiana
French Guiana is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department located on the northern Atlantic coast of South America. It has borders with two nations, Brazil to the east and south, and Suriname to the west...
, as well as Asian ethnicities from New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
. One major point of attraction is the Tang Frères
Tang Frères
Tang Frères is an Asian supermarket chain based in the 13th arrondissement of Paris, one of the quartier chinois of the capital city of France....
and Paristore
Paristore
Paristore is an Asian supermarket in the region of Paris, Lyon and Toulouse.It has many branches, including one in the 13th arrondissement, situated near Tang Frères, another supermarket selling Asian food....
supermarkets, selling Asian products, located close to each other. Parisian Chinatown is based in a real Asian community, located in marginal and poor areas, formed through successive waves of migration (the first of them during the 1910s).
Another Chinatown area has settled in Belleville
Belleville, Paris
Belleville is a neighbourhood of Paris, France, parts of which lie in four different arrondissements. The major portion of Belleville straddles the borderline between the 20th arrondissement and the 19th along its main street, the Rue de Belleville...
, Paris. There is a large number of Far East restaurants, especially on Rue de Belleville and on Rue Civiale.
Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
also has a Chinatown, located around the Condorcet neighbourhood, in the 7th arrondissement. It is much smaller than that of Paris, consisting mainly of a couple of blocks around rue Passet and rue Pasteur.
Germany
HamburgHamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
had a historic Chinatown that existed in the St. Pauli
St. Pauli
St. Pauli , located in the Hamburg-Mitte borough, is one of the 105 quarters of the city of Hamburg, Germany. Situated on the right bank of the Elbe river, the Landungsbrücken are a northern part of the port of Hamburg. St. Pauli contains a world famous red light district around the street Reeperbahn...
red light district
Red Light District
Red Light District may refer to:* Red-light district - a neighborhood where prostitution is common* The Red Light District - the title of the 2004 album by rapper Ludacris* Red Light District Video - a pornography studio based in Los Angeles, California...
from the 1920s to the 1940s. It was destroyed by the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
under the Nazis
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
, and there are only a few remnants left behind. During and after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Germany's ethnic Chinese left for the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
After liberalising its immigration
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
laws, the former West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
saw an increase in Asian immigration in the late 1970s and 1980s. There were also many Vietnamese
Vietnamese people
The Vietnamese people are an ethnic group originating from present-day northern Vietnam and southern China. They are the majority ethnic group of Vietnam, comprising 86% of the population as of the 1999 census, and are officially known as Kinh to distinguish them from other ethnic groups in Vietnam...
who were living as guest workers and students in East Germany prior to 1989, many of whom chose not to return to Vietnam. There are plans to develop a Chinatown or pan-Asian area in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
.
Ireland
Parnell Street
Parnell Street is located on Dublin's Northside and runs from Capel Street in the west to Gardiner Street and Mountjoy Square in the east, and is at the north end of O'Connell Street, where it provides the south side of Parnell Square....
and in recent years has extended down into Capel Street. Most Chinese units consist of restaurants, internet cafes or grocery stores. Dublin's Chinatown is small in size and has been dubbed China Village.
Italy
The country has had a very small Chinese population since World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, but most of the current population has arrived since the 1980s. Over 209.000 Chinese are thought to be living in Italy.
The oldest and biggest Chinatown of Italy is in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
around Via Paolo Sarpi, located in the historical centre of the city close to Parco Sempione. The first settlement was established at the beginning of 1920 working silk products. The majority of Chinese are originally from Zhejiang region south of Shanghai. During the Second World War the silk products were replaced by leather belts more useful for the soldiers involved in the war. In the 1980s the community diversified its activities opening market stores, food stores and other shops.
The second largest Chinatown is in the city of Prato
Prato
Prato is a city and comune in Tuscany, Italy, the capital of the Province of Prato. The city is situated at the foot of Monte Retaia , the last peak in the Calvana chain. The lowest altitude in the comune is 32 m, near the Cascine di Tavola, and the highest is the peak of Monte Cantagrillo...
The Italian term for Chinatown is quartiere cinese but Chinatown is also used.
Netherlands
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
.
The largest Chinatown of the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
is located near the famed De Wallen
De Wallen
De Wallen is the largest and best-known red-light district in Amsterdam and a major tourist attraction. It is located in the heart of the oldest part of Amsterdam, covering several blocks south of the church Oude Kerk and crossed by several canals....
red light district
Red Light District
Red Light District may refer to:* Red-light district - a neighborhood where prostitution is common* The Red Light District - the title of the 2004 album by rapper Ludacris* Red Light District Video - a pornography studio based in Los Angeles, California...
of Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
. This Chinatown, located on Zeedijk, was formed in the 1980s and has expanded beyond the red light district. The street signs in this neighbourhood are in Dutch and in Chinese. Amsterdam Chinatown also has the first and biggest buddhist temple built in Chinese style. It is named "Fo Guang Shan
Fo Guang Shan
Fo Guang Shan is an international Chinese Mahayana Buddhist monastic order based in the Republic of China , and one of the largest Buddhist organizations. The headquarters of Fo Guang Shan, located in Kaohsiung, is the largest Buddhist monastery in Taiwan. The organization itself is also one of...
He Hua tempel".
The 2nd largest Chinatown is in the city of The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
.
The city of Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
has a Chinatown, on West Kruiskade.
Neatherlands china town is located in the west of Amsterdam
Portugal
PortugalPortugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
's major Chinatown is located in Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, mostly in the form of shopping centres.
Porto Alto has a Chinatown as well.
Most Chinese immigrants to Portugal came from the former Portuguese territory of Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
, when it was returned to Mainland Chinese control in 1999, while others from Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
. Many Chinese also came from Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
to Portugal. Besides Portuguese Chinese speaking Mandarin, Cantonese, and Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
, some of them speak a mixed Cantonese-Portuguese creole
Portuguese Creole
Portuguese creoles are creole languages which have been significantly influenced by Portuguese.- Origins :Portuguese overseas exploration in the 15th and 16th century's led to the establishment of a Portuguese Empire with trading posts, forts and colonies in the Americas, Asia and Africa...
, Macanese
Macanese language
Macanese or Macau Creole is a creole language derived mainly from Malay, Sinhalese, Cantonese, and Portuguese, which was originally spoken by the Macanese community of the Portuguese colony of Macau...
(or Patuá).
In the North of Portugal there is a rapidly growing Chinatown in the Industrial Area of Vila do Conde in Porto
Porto
Porto , also known as Oporto in English, is the second largest city in Portugal and one of the major urban areas in the Iberian Peninsula. Its administrative limits include a population of 237,559 inhabitants distributed within 15 civil parishes...
.
Russia
A new proposed Chinatown is in the planning and development stages for the Krasnoselsky district of St. Petersburg, RussiaRussia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
with massive funding from mainland Chinese investors. Proposed plans call for restaurants, markets, a Buddhist temple, and housing developments on more than 2 km² that is to begin construction before 2010. http://www.petersburgcity.com/news/city/2004/12/20/baltic2/ http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2004/12/21/047.html
In keeping in line with its post-Soviet melting pot ideology, there is no established "Chinatown" in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. Moscow currently has a small Chinese population. The neighborhood Kitai-Gorod
Kitai-gorod
Kitay-gorod , earlier also known as Great Posad , is a business district within Moscow, Russia, encircled by mostly-reconstructed medieval walls. It is separated from the Moscow Kremlin by Red Square. It does not constitute a district , as there are no resident voters, thus, municipal elections...
literally translates to "China-City", but the etymology is unclear. The Russian word for the small wooden stakes used in the area during its construction is purported to sound very similar to "Kitai" (China) and morphed over time into the place-name.
Spain
While there has been Chinese immigration to SpainSpain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, it has not been as much as in other European countries, such as France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. There are about 150,000 Chinese in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. Most Chinese-Spanish residents are people whose ancestors were coolie
Coolie
Historically, a coolie was a manual labourer or slave from Asia, particularly China, India, and the Phillipines during the 19th century and early 20th century...
s from mainland China. Others are immigrants or refugees from other places in mainland China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, Malaysia, Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
, the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, and especially Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
and Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. In Spain, Chinese immigrants tend not to form separate neighbourhoods (the quintessential image of a Chinatown) but live in areas mixed with other immigrants. However, in some places, Chinese immigration is enough to give a Chinese color to some streets.
There are some examples of Spanish Chinatowns in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, Dolores Barranco st in Usera
Usera
Usera is one of the 21 districts of the city of Madrid, Spain.-Subdivision:The district is administratively divided into 7 wards :*Almendrales*Moscardó*Orcasitas*Orcasur*Pradolongo*San Fermín*Zofío...
district, Lavapiés
Lavapiés
Lavapiés is a central neighbourhood of the city of Madrid, centered on Plaza de Lavapiés.It was the Jewish quarter of the city until the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492, the church of San Lorenzo being built on the former site of the synagogue...
neighborhood or Leganitos st. and "Plaza de España" in the centre, in Madrid metropolitan area
Madrid metropolitan area
The Madrid Metropolitan Area comprises the city of Madridand forty surrounding municipalities. It has a populationof slightly more than 6.4 million people and covers an areaof 4.609,7 km²...
"Cobo Calleja" industrial park is the biggest chinese industrial area in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, it's located in the southern city of Fuenlabrada
Fuenlabrada
Fuenlabrada is a city and municipality located in the Madrid Metropolitan Area, Community of Madrid, Spain. It is located to the southwest of the community, 22,5 km far from the capital, and had a population of 197,836 in 2009. Is the fourth biggest town of Madrid after the capital, Móstoles...
. Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, however, has had an area named Barrio Chino since the 1920s, in the old city between the Ramblas and the Parallel. The residents have been poor Spaniards and the area is marked by its prostitution
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
, to the extent that any prostitution district of any Spanish city may be known as barrio chino, regardless of any Chinese presence, though the term doesn't imply a population of Chinese residents. The term came from an article whose author compared the state of the area with the popular image of foreign Chinatowns. Barcelona has another Chinese area around Calle Trafalgar and the surrounding streets. Other Spanish cities like Valencia, Bilbao
Bilbao
Bilbao ) is a Spanish municipality, capital of the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. With a population of 353,187 , it is the largest city of its autonomous community and the tenth largest in Spain...
or Alicante
Alicante
Alicante or Alacant is a city in Spain, the capital of the province of Alicante and of the comarca of Alacantí, in the south of the Valencian Community. It is also a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city of Alicante proper was 334,418, estimated , ranking as the second-largest...
have Chinese neighborhoods.
After the Spanish Miracle
Spanish miracle
The Spanish miracle was the name given to a broadly based economic boom in Spain from 1959 to 1974. The international oil and stagflation crises of the 1970s ended the boom.- The pre-boom situation :...
, Spain started receiving more Chinese immigrants, some of whom may have settled in the cheap Barrio Chino. As a result of the gentrification
Gentrification
Gentrification and urban gentrification refer to the changes that result when wealthier people acquire or rent property in low income and working class communities. Urban gentrification is associated with movement. Consequent to gentrification, the average income increases and average family size...
policy exemplified by the 1992 Summer Olympics
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
, the areas is being rebuilt as a chic neighbourhood and the more neutral name of El Raval
El Raval
El Raval is a neighbourhood in the Ciutat Vella district of Barcelona, Spain. The neighborhood, especially the part closest to the port, was also informally known as Barri xinès, meaning "Chinatown" El Raval is one of the two historical neighborhoods that border the la Rambla...
is preferred. Recent Chinese immigrants have established wholesale
Wholesale
Wholesaling, jobbing, or distributing is defined as the sale of goods or merchandise to retailers, to industrial, commercial, institutional, or other professional business users, or to other wholesalers and related subordinated services...
clothes business at La Ribera, Ronda San Pedro or Trafalgar street. Barrios Chinos are also pan-Asian areas. Many Japanese, Koreans, Vietnamese, and Thais settled Barrios Chinos.
United Kingdom
Main articles: Chinatowns of LondonChinatown, London
The name Chinatown has been used at different times to describe different places in London. The present Chinatown is part of the Soho area of the City of Westminster, occupying the area in and around Gerrard Street...
, Manchester
Chinatown, Manchester
Chinatown, Manchester is an ethnic enclave within the city centre of Manchester. It is second largest Chinatown in the United Kingdom and the third largest in Europe. It is located in east central Manchester, and situated next to the Gay Village...
, Liverpool
Chinatown, Liverpool
The Chinatown in Liverpool, England is located near the city centre's southern edge close to Liverpool Cathedral, and is home to the oldest Chinese community in Europe. The arch located at the gateway is also the largest, multiple-span arch of its kind outside of China, the largest single-span...
, Birmingham
Chinatown, Birmingham
The Chinese Quarter of Birmingham, England is located in the city centre's Southside. It is an area with a predominantly Chinese influence as a result of a concentration of Chinese owned businesses, organisations and social clubs...
and Newcastle
Chinatown, Newcastle
The Chinatown in Newcastle is a district of Newcastle upon Tyne, located to the west of the city on the edge of the shopping and commercial centre, mostly along Stowell Street...
Chinese people in the UK are relatively dispersed, and do not form ethnic enclaves as in many other countries, although most are to be found in large cities, several of which have Chinatowns, and the South-East. the largest Chinatown is in central London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in the Soho
Soho
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster and part of the West End of London. Long established as an entertainment district, for much of the 20th century Soho had a reputation for sex shops as well as night life and film industry. Since the early 1980s, the area has undergone considerable...
area, established in the 1950s and 1960s. Other UK Chinatowns are found in the English cities of Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
(though not official) and Newcastle
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
, the Scottish cities of Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
and Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, the Welsh capital Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
and a growing population of Chinese immigrants are present in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, Northern Ireland.
England
LondonLondon's Chinatown
Chinatown, London
The name Chinatown has been used at different times to describe different places in London. The present Chinatown is part of the Soho area of the City of Westminster, occupying the area in and around Gerrard Street...
is mainly commercial with many Chinese restaurants and businesses. A new Chinese gate over Wardour Street
Wardour Street
Wardour Street is a street in Soho, London. It is a one-way street south to north from Leicester Square, up through Chinatown, across Shaftesbury Avenue to Oxford Street.-History:...
marking the entrance to Leicester Square is planned as well. London's Chinatown is undergoing gentrification, with a £50 million planned regeneration. There are plans to revive London's original Chinese district in Limehouse
Limehouse
Limehouse is a place in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is on the northern bank of the River Thames opposite Rotherhithe and between Ratcliff to the west and Millwall to the east....
as part of the wider regeneration of east London. This area was bombed out, as with much of London, during the Blitz in the Second World War causing a relocation of the few ethnic Chinese who had lived there to other areas. Other Chinese-run businesses can be found in other parts of London, such as suburban Croydon
Croydon
Croydon is a town in South London, England, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. It is situated south of Charing Cross...
.
Manchester's Chinatown
Chinatown, Manchester
Chinatown, Manchester is an ethnic enclave within the city centre of Manchester. It is second largest Chinatown in the United Kingdom and the third largest in Europe. It is located in east central Manchester, and situated next to the Gay Village...
on Faulkner Street is the second largest in Britain after London's. The Chinese British population, many of whom are immigrants from former British-ruled Hong Kong, especially settled in the Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
area. However, Hong Kong immigration to the United Kingdom has leveled off over the years and there has been a rise in Mainland Chinese immigration to the country.
Birmingham
The Chinese Quarter is an area of Birmingham, United Kingdom. First emerging as an informal cluster of Chinese community organizations, social clubs, and businesses in the 1960s centred around Hurst Street
Hurst Street
Hurst Street is a street located in Birmingham City Centre, England.Hurst Street is the location of the Birmingham Hippodrome, a theatre specialising in ballet, opera, and musicals. It is the home of the Birmingham Royal Ballet. Adjacent to the Hippodrome, across and on the corner of Inge Street,...
, as a result of post-World War II migration from Hong Kong, the Chinese Quarter was officially recognized in the 1980s. It is well-known for its Chinese restaurants, such as the China Court Restaurant, for the parade which is held there each year to celebrate the Chinese New Year, for the Birmingham Hippodrome and for being the location of the headquarters of Wing Yip
Wing Yip
Wing Yip is a Chinese supermarket chain in the United Kingdom, founded in 1969.The current Birmingham store now also serves as its headquarters office, international trading division, property and investments, , warehouse, and national distribution centre...
.
To the rear of the area is the Irish Quarter which is located directly next to a large supermarket selling typical Chinese produce.
Newcastle
The Chinatown in Newcastle
Chinatown, Newcastle
The Chinatown in Newcastle is a district of Newcastle upon Tyne, located to the west of the city on the edge of the shopping and commercial centre, mostly along Stowell Street...
was primarily based on Stowell Street, but has expanded in recent years with many Chinese businesses in the surrounding area. The Chinatown incorporates the area from Stowell Street to Westgate Road. According to the BBC, Newcastle's Chinatown is also undergoing regeneration. A gateway costing £160,000 has recently been constructed by Mainland Chinese engineers as part of the plans.
Liverpool
The Chinatown in Liverpool
Chinatown, Liverpool
The Chinatown in Liverpool, England is located near the city centre's southern edge close to Liverpool Cathedral, and is home to the oldest Chinese community in Europe. The arch located at the gateway is also the largest, multiple-span arch of its kind outside of China, the largest single-span...
in the Merseyside area is on Duke Street and is home to the oldest Chinese community in Europe. The arch located at the gateway is also the largest of its kind outside of China. It has been under regeneration.
Sheffield
Sheffield has no official Chinatown although London Road
London Road (Sheffield)
London Road is a shopping street in Sheffield, England. It leads south from the city centre near Moorfoot, parallel to Bramall Lane, through Sharrow, Highfield, Lowfield and Heeley, before becoming Chesterfield Road in Meersbrook next to The Crown Inn. Near Heeley Bridge was Heeley railway...
, Highfield is the centre of the Sheffield Chinese community. There are many Chinese restaurants, supermarkets and community stores and home of the Sheffield Chinese Community Centre. The Sheffield Chinese community is pressing for the street to be formally labelled Sheffield's Chinatown.
Leeds
Leeds has no official Chinatown, but the northeast area of the city centre is commonly referred to as Chinatown due to the presence of many longstanding Chinese restaurants, supermarkets and other commercial stores. The small "Chinatown" is centred around one of the city centre's major outdoor car parks and the majority of Chinese establishments can be found either on the west side of the car park on Vicar Lane, or on the east side on Templar Lane and Templar Place.
Plans to develop the area into an official Chinatown, complete with Chinese gate, have been met with setbacks, mainly due to the wide dispersal of the city's Chinese community throughout the city and outlying suburbs. Furthermore, just as many if not more Chinese and other East Asian restaurants are to be found throughout the city centre, defeating the need for an official Chinatown.
Scotland
GlasgowGlasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
contains a Chinatown, which consists of shops and a restaurant.
In 2003, the city council of Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
approved plans for a new Chinatown in the northern part of the city.
External links
- Portal site of the Chinatown in Paris
- The Emergence of a Chinatown as a Tourist Site in Antwerp?" – Article on the touristification of Chinatown in Antwerp, Belgium
- Dragons in Rotterdam: photo + article on ErasmusPC http://www.erasmuspc.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=170&Itemid=83