Chinatown in London

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You can find London’s Chinatown in Soho1. It has become a growing cultural, commercial and tourist centre. With its 78 restaurants, 53 shops, 12 bars and pubs, two banks and many business companies, this Chinatown is different from all the other Chinatowns.

Gerrard Street is the heart of Chinatown. It has fashion shops, restaurants and the place where Led Zeppelin, a famous English rock band, first practised. Here the Chinese people live and they have a community centre.

Chairman of this community centre, Christine Yau, said, “We provide services like legal help, social support and advice – we get thousands of enquiries every year. We also offer lots of different courses. Chinatown has a strong community life which encourages the Chinese way of life. Here you can find a mixture of the East and the West.” So it is more than just a place for great food. For many people of Chinese origin, Chinatown offers a chance to learn more about their roots. 

Yau talked about a student, Wing Kei Wong, who is from Hong Kong. She moved to England ten years ago to follow her love for architecture and she is so happy that Chinatown is so Chinese. She made a mural that she calls “1888.” From a distance, it looks like a bowl of rice, but when you go closer, you can see 1,888 photos of Chinese people and other photos with a connection to Chinatown.

The best restaurant in Chinatown is The Royal Dragon on Gerrard Street. There you get fast service and the staff is very friendly. The décor adds to the welcoming atmosphere and you get a delicious hot meal there. It is in the heart of Chinatown, so it has a sense of real Chinese culture.

There are also important Chinese celebrations in Chinatown. For example, on 22nd February 2015, 500,000 people came to celebrate the Chinese New Year. The celebrations started at ten o’clock in the morning with a parade. There were floats, Chinese lion and dragon teams and more. There were also performances with music, dance, acrobatics and martial arts. This went on until six o’clock at night.

So, if you are Chinese and live in London, Chinatown is the place to go. There is no need to feel homesick!