Gerrard Street in the heart of Chinatown
Its roots in Soho were formed in the early 20th century when cheap rents and a shift in the job market made the Gerrard Street area attractive.
Moving from the heavily-bombed Limehouse, it grew and has become the focal point for London’s Chinese community since the 1960s.
Now an ambitious project will document what created the capital’s Chinatown in not only its development, but in the people who have lived, worked and helped shape the famous district.
The China Exchange has secured funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to preserve the area’s rich history for the future.
Until now there has been limited formal public archives dedicated to the area available with fears the valuable past would be forgotten or misremembered.
In the 1970s a wave of new migrants from Hong Kong’s agricultural industries arrived and started to develop businesses in the neighbourhood. It wasn’t until the 1980s that the area was officially named Chinatown, which saw the installation of the much- photographed stone lions and gate of welcome.
The arrival of more mainland Chinese during the 1990s gave Chinatown a greater variety of cuisines and cultural traditions.
The exhibition, due to open in June, will feature not only imagery but audio and video of the living history in the area.
When complete, the oral histories will be deposited with the Westminster Archives for generations to come. If you have a story you want to tell about Chinatown, whether you have worked, lived or often visited it, get in touch with the co-ordinators info@ chinaexchange.uk or call 020 7734 1931 before March 15.
