page_title: Chinatowns in Europe
section_title: England
hierarchical_section_title: Chinatowns in Europe / Chinatowns by European country / United Kingdom / England
caption_attribution_description: Chinatown in Manchester, England own work; photo taken on 28 April 2006
context_page_description: Chinatowns in Europe include several urban Chinatowns that exist in major European capital cities. There is a Chinatown in London, England, as well as major Chinatowns in Manchester, Birmingham, Newcastle and Liverpool. In Paris there are two Chinatowns: one where many Vietnamese – specifically ethnic Chinese refugees from Vietnam – have settled in the Quartier chinois in the 13th arrondissement of Paris, and the other in Belleville in the northeast of Paris. Berlin, Germany has two Chinatowns, one in the East and one in the West. Antwerp, Belgium also has an upstart Chinese community.
context_section_description: London
  Soho is the main Chinatown currently but not the original Chinatown, which was located near the docks along the Thames as the Chinese arrived from Canton, which was the major international port of China in the early 18th century. Opium could not be legally traded in China proper initially and opium was inspected and traded in London by the Keswicks and the Taipans. Silk and porcelain, as well as tea were loaded here, where a Chinese community thrived near Canton Street in the Docklands.
  London's current Chinatown in Soho is mainly commercially planned in the 1950s with many Chinese restaurants and businesses to detract from the sex trade in Soho. 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 re-enact London's original Chinese district in Canary Wharf and the Docklands in Limehouse as part of the wider regeneration of East London to attract Chinese tourists. 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.
  The Hakkas could not afford the rents from the Cantonese landlords, and moved out to Croydon where rents were very much cheaper to start businesses. As a result, other Chinese-run businesses can be found far away from central London, such as suburban Croydon.
  Many rich Chinese in London in the professional services industry live in Canary Wharf. The children of dynastic scions from China live in Kensington and Chelsea near the Victoria and Albert Museum. The Beijingers live near the Chinese Embassy at Marylebone, and Fitzrovia has been revitalized to cash in on their condo purchasing power.
  The Government of Singapore owns the entire stretch of hotels around Cromwell Road, and most of the tenants in the Imperial College area in South Kensington are from Singapore. In the 1960s to 1970s, the humbler Chinese from ex-colonies lived near Portobello Road which has now been gentrified into a hipster market, and exclusive enclave.
  The Hong Kong Chinese normally live in Soho.
  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 on 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. It has been under regeneration. The arch located at the gateway is the largest of its kind outside of China.
  Sheffield
  Sheffield has no official Chinatown although London Road, Highfield is the centre of the Sheffield 
caption: Chinatown, Manchester
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