As Manchester prepares to celebrate the start of the Chinese year of the Monkey We take a quick look at the History of Manchester’s Chinese community.
The first recorded Chinese man in Britain is listed as Michael Alphonsius Shen Fu- Tsung, the son of Chinese Christian parents, who came to the court of King James II (1685-1688).
As Britain began maritime trade with China in the 1600s, Chinese sailors first came to London on board East India Company ships but it was not until the start of the 1800’s that they came to the North.
Initially it was to the port of Liverpool, where small numbers of Chinese people began to set up businesses to cater for the needs of the Chinese sailors who worked for the city’s shipping lines.
It is not wholly certain where they first came to Manchester, but it was probably at the turn of the 1900’s. It wasn’t in great numbers but one would become famous, Burt Kwouk who was born in Manchester in 1930. His film career began with The Inn of the Sixth Happiness in 1958 and he went on to star in the Pink Panther Films opposite Peter Sellars.
He also starred in many televison shows including Doctor Who and Last of the Summer Wine.
It was after the Second World War that numbers began to grow, the first Chinese restaurant the Ping Hong on Mosley Street opened in 1948 as the community began to move away from the traditional industries of laundry and washing.
During the 1950’s Hakkanese from the new territories of Hong Kong came to the UK as the government had decided to build on their land to cater for the growing population.
Some of today’s famous restaurants only opened in the 1970’s in the area that we now refer to as Chinatown and centered today around the Chinese arch which dates from 1987 and the last three decades of the twentieth century saw immigration increase and the creation of the vibrant community that we have today.
The arch was the first true Imperial Chinese arch erected in Europe, and two years after its opening saw the arrival of the Chinese Arts Centre.
The city has been celebrating the Chinese New Year for twenty five years, and it has become one of the cultural events of the year.But less well known traditions are also observed in Manchester. The annual Qing Ming and Chong Yang festivals are held in Southern Cemetery in Chorlton where the Chinese people to honour their dead ancestors.
Chinese New Year celebrations begin on Thursday 4 February with four days of music, dance and street food. The highlight of the celebrations will take place in Chinatown and Albert Square on Sunday 7 February. Albert Square will come alive with martial arts and dance displays, the famous Dragon Parade, finishing with the fireworks finale in Chinatown at 6pm. Tony is speaking on the China Town Stage at around 1.30pm.
