Islington Chinese Association has recently been awarded a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund to deliver a Chinese heritage project: Legacy of Limehouse Chinatown. The project will be conducted in collaboration with Tower Hamlets Local History Library and Archives and the Islington Museum. Starting in August 2010, the 14-months project aims to trace, record, preserve, celebrate and disseminate the history of the earliest settlement of the Chinese migrants to Limehouse – London’s first Chinatown. Through interviews, the project will collect items of cultural heritage, uncover stories and memories of the place for the period from late 19th century up to 1960’s. The oral histories collected from this project will be deposited at Tower Hamlets Local History Library and Archives and Islington Museum. Such histories will be made available to the public.
The Chinese community in Britain dates back to early 19th century and it is now one of the largest minority ethnic groups in the UK. Since the late 19th century, Chinese seamen and cooks from merchant ships began to pass through the London Docks and slowly formed a settled Chinese population near Limehouse. Often projected in novels and film in the 1920s and 1930s, this Limehouse Chinatown was also the first site for the growth of Anglo-Chinese families. When the original Chinese settlement at Limehouse slowly vanished after 1940s, the record and history of the place and the Chinese diaspora community remained under-researched and under-represented. Hence this project will help to preserve the history of the early Chinese settlers in Limehouse.
Sue Bowers, Head of Heritage Lottery Fund London, reiterates that the history of Chinese settlement in Limehouse has been largely overlooked, therefore this project will redress the balance by raising public awareness of a thriving migrant community that flourished from the late 1800s until the Second World War.
The Legacy of Limehouse Chinatown project will disseminates the history and heritage of Limehouse Chinese settlement through a series of learning and participative events. The major activities include the following:
Oral Histories: Conduct in-depth oral history interviews from the former and existing local residents of Limehouse.
Archives: Collect historical items such as personal notes, photographs and relevant documents of early Chinese settlers and the residents at Limehouse.
Guided Heritage Trail Map and Guided Walks: To design a map of guided walk of Limehouse Chinatown and to organize such guided walks.
Educational Talks at Schools and Family Events: Promote students’ understanding of the history of London’s earliest Chinese community through talks and group discussions in schools and intergenerational family events.
Conference and Exhibition: Hold a conference and a public exhibition on Limehouse Chinatown to reflect the experiences and issues encountered throughout the project, and to celebrate the achievements accomplished. To discuss future challenges for preserving Chinese heritage as part of London’s development.
The project is now recruiting a team of volunteers to help collate oral histories and organise various activities. The project will provide training in gathering such histories, collecting archive items and doing research.
Islington Chinese Association urges the help and participation from the public to ensure the success of the project. If you, your relatives or your friends have lived in Limehouse Chinatown, or if you have any information about the history of Limehouse Chinatown, please contact Islington Chinese Association.
For all enquiries and further information, please contact the Project Manager, Dr Yat Ming Loo
Telephone: 020 72635986 Email: looyatming@hotmail.com
Address: Islington Chinese Association, 21 Hatchard Road, London N19 4NG.
Website: www.islingtonchinese.com
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