Chinese communities in the North East
The ties between North East and China can be traced back to the nineteenth century when the Navy of the Ching dynasty placed an order between 1881-1887 to build four military ships from the then thriving ship building industry in Newcastle. Five sailors of the Chinese Imperial navy died of a nasty illness during that period and were buried in Benwell Cemetery.
It is believed that Chinese people began to settle in the North East shortly after the end of World War II in late 1940s. They were mostly sailors from Southern China.
In the 1950s and 1960s when Hong Kong was a British colony, farmers and fishermen found it extremely difficult to make a living in the New Territories. Taking advantage of Hong Kong’s special ties with UK, many of them chose to relocate to the North East, in the hope of searching for a better life. The vast majority of the early Chinese settlers were engaged in catering and hospitality services.
Cusomers and cooks at Mr Levy Benjamin Wong’s International Restaurant in 1970
40 some years later, Allen runs a catering business (Travel Wok) in Chinese New Year Food Stall
Beginning from late 1970s some Chinese pioneers ventured to set up supermarkets, restaurants, and other businesses in Stowell Street, converting it from an area of run-down and dilapidated factories into a Chinatown (one of the five existing Chinatowns in UK), making enormous contribution to the local economy. A Chinese arch (one of the four in UK) symbolizing Chinatown was erected there in 2004.
Apart from introducing various Chinese cuisines to the North East through eateries, local Chinese residents have put a lot of effort into promoting the cultural and economic developments of the region. Starting from 2000, Chinese community leaders, in partnership with Newcastle City Council, have been organizing large annual Chinese New Year celebrations, bringing joy and happiness to the local communities, and making the North East a genuinely multi-cultural, truly diversified and harmonious region.
Cultural & educational events
There are several well-established Chinese organizations in Newcastle and surrounding areas, playing different roles to bridge the gap between the government and the local Chinese communities. Quite often they provide essential services for members of the Chinese communities, in collaboration with organizations like NHS, NSPCC, various Carers’ Centres, and Black-centred groups. In particular, they organize physical and educational activities to promote healthy living lifestyles, as well as carry out food safety courses to enable catering sector workers to comply with national food safety requirements. Such organizations encourage their members to be civic-minded, integrating themselves into mainstream society. For example, they have been actively involved in various fund-raising campaigns for local hospitals and BBC Children in Need. In 2020, at the height of the Covid pandemic, Newcastle Chinese organisations raised funds for purchasing personal protective equipment for local hospital frontline medical staff.
Stories about the Chinese community
Photo gallery from the archive
Creative Activities
Last word
Last but not the least it is worth noting that since 1984 the city of Newcastle has linked up as sister cities with Taiyuan of Shan Xi province of the People’s Republic of China. The local Chinese people in the North East have been playing a vital role in the cultural exchanges and continual development of business between the two cities.
The multiple contributions of the Chinese community have made a real mark on the social, cultural and economic vibrancy of the North East.
To see more from the main archive visit ‘Chinese Communities in the North East’.
