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Many
can trace their roots to Hong Kong, mainland China, Malaysia, Vietnam
and Singapore.
The
Chinese first came to Britain in the late 1860s as seamen employed
on British merchant ships. From 1885 they began to settle in ports
such as Limehouse in London, Liverpool, Cardiff and Bristol.
Occupation
They
initially ran laundries and lodging houses to serve the needs of
the Chinese crews moving between British ports.
However
the numbers were small. By 1911 there were still only about 500
Chinese in Liverpool and just under 670 in London.
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Chinese immigrants working in a laundry |
The
second phase of emigration began in 1948 when the British Nationality
Act gave new Commonwealth citizens the right to live and work in
Britain. This coincided with a period of land reforms and the collapse
of the agricultural industry in the New Territories (rural areas)
of Hong Kong.
The
result was the emigration of between 30,000 and 50,000 Chinese people
to Britain in search of a new life during the 1950s.
Those
who made the long journey were mainly Cantonese and Hakka speaking
men. Often they left their families behind with the intention of
returning to Hong Kong once they had achieved greater financial
security.
Most
had received little formal education and could speak little or no
English.
The
third phase occurred in the late 1960s. A huge growth in the Chinese
catering industry started by the first generation immigrants to
Britain, led to a constant need for more workers. The
Chinese who ran establishments in the UK found it cheaper to bring
family members over to work for their businesses.
Working
in catering involves hard work, long hours and low pay.
Figures
from the 1980s show that more than three quarters of the Chinese
community living in Britain were involved in catering.
Vietnamese
population
Figures from the 1980s show that more than three quarters of
the Chinese community living in Britain were involved in catering.
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| Our
Untold Stories |
The
Vietnamese population in the UK is made up of ethnic Chinese and
Vietnamese. Although the ethnic Chinese are only approximately two
per cent of the total population in Vietnam, they form nearly 80
per cent of the Vietnamese refugee community in Britain.
Most
came from families who left China to settle in northern Vietnam
several generations ago. They
speak Cantonese and identify themselves as 'Chinese who have migrated
to Vietnam'.
Unemployment
issues
Unemployment
is a major problem for this group. The professional qualifications
of refugees are not recognised in Britain nor are their employment
experiences in Vietnam.
Most
recently the 1989 Tiananman Square student revolt in China and its
suppression by the government has led to an increase in the number
of mainland Chinese seeking asylum in Britain.
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Tiananmen
Square in Beijing, China
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The
return of Hong Kong to China on 30th June 1997 also led to a further
migration of Chinese to Britain.
Some
50,000 families were granted British citizenship under the 1990
Hong Kong National Act. Many arrived in the UK in the early 1990s.
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