Chinese British
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Chinese_British".

British Chinese
KT Tunstall, Gok Wan, Vanessa-Mae
Total population
2001 Census for United Kingdom[1] 247,403 Estimates for England only[2] 255,300 (2002) 285,800 (2003) 315,000 (2004) 347,000 (2005)
Regions with significant populations
London, Manchester, Birmingham, Brighton, Liverpool, Glasgow
Language(s)
British English, Chinese (regional dialects including Cantonese, Hakka and others; Mandarin)
Religion(s)
Non-religious, Buddhism, Christianity, others
Related ethnic groups
Mainland Chinese, Overseas Chinese

British Chinese, including British-born Chinese (often informally referred to as BBC), are people of Chinese ancestry who were born in or have migrated to the United Kingdom. They are part of the Chinese diaspora, or overseas Chinese. The British Chinese community is thought to be the oldest Chinese community in Western Europe, if not the oldest in Europe, with the first Chinese coming from the ports of Tianjin and Shanghai in the early 19th century.

Today, most of the British Chinese are people or are descended from people who were themselves overseas Chinese when they came to the United Kingdom. The majority are from former British colonies, such as Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and also other countries such as Vietnam. People from mainland China and Taiwan and their descendants constitute a relatively minor proportion of the British Chinese community.

History

17th century

The first recorded Chinese in Britain was a Jesuit scholar called Shen Fu Tsong who was present in the court of King James II in the 17th century. Shen was the first person to catalogue the Chinese collection in the Bodleian Library. A portrait of Shen hangs in the Queen's collection.^[3]

19th century

The first settlement of Chinese people in the United Kingdom dates from the early 19th century. Settlements, in particular, were port cities of Liverpool and London; particularly the Limehouse area in East London, where the first Chinatown was established in Britain and Europe.

20th century

The largest wave of Chinese immigration took place during the 1950s and 1960s and consisted predominantly of Hakka male agricultural workers from the New Territories in Hong Kong. This also included immigration, through Hong Kong, from the surrounding Guangdong province in China. The majority of these Chinese men were employed in the then growing Chinese catering industry. Chinese-run laundry businesses were the other major source of employment for the Chinese, but it was a declining industry and Chinese-run laundries are today non-existent. By 2004, according to official figures, just under half of Chinese men and 40% of Chinese women in employment worked in the distribution, hotel and restaurant industry.^[4]

In several major cities there are Chinatowns, which have become tourist attractions and where Chinese restaurants and businesses predominate, although in some cases few Chinese people live there.^[5]

Since the Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1962, restrictions were placed on immigration from current and former British colonies, and these have been tightened by successive governments. Significant Chinese migration to Britain did continue by relatives of settled Chinese and by those qualified for skilled jobs, until the end of the 1970s. Today, a significant proportion of British Chinese are second or third generation descendants of these post-World War II immigrants.

The 1981 British Nationality Act deprived Hong Kong British passport holders of the right of abode in the United Kingdom, an issue that caused some controversy in the years leading up to the territory's handover to China in 1997. After the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, it was considered necessary to devise a British Nationality Selection Scheme to enable some of the population to obtain British citizenship to maintain confidence in Hong Kong and to counteract the effects of the emigration of many of its most talented residents. The United Kingdom made provision to grant citizenship to 50,000 families, whose presence was important to the future of Hong Kong, under the British Nationality Act (Hong Kong) 1990.

See also: British nationality law and British nationality law and Hong Kong

The most significant migration from mainland China commenced mainly from the mid-1980s onward. This coincided with the Chinese government's relaxed restrictions on emigration, although most left for the United States, Canada and Australia.

Chinese sailors in Liverpool and their legacy

Duke Street, Liverpool

The first presence of Chinese people in Liverpool dated back to the early 19th century, with the main influx arriving at the end of the 19th century. This was in part due to the Alfred Holt and Company establishing the first commercial shipping line to focus on the then China trade. From the 1890s onwards, small numbers of Chinese began to set up businesses catering to the Chinese sailors working on Holt's lines and others. Some of these men married working class British women, resulting in a number of British-born Eurasian Chinese being born during World War II in Liverpool. At the beginning of the War, there were up to 20,000 Chinese mariners in the city. In 1942, there was a strike for rights and pay equal to that of white mariners. The strike had lasted for 4 months. For the duration of the War these men were labelled as "troublemakers" by the shipowners and the British Government. At the end of the conflict, they were forbidden shore jobs, their pay was cut by two-thirds and they were offered only one-way voyages back to China. Hundreds of men were forced to leave their families, with many of their Eurasian children continuing to live in and around Liverpool's Chinatown to this day.^[6]

Chinatowns

There are many Chinatowns located across the United Kingdom, possibly the most per head of any Western country, to see the main articles click on their respective links below.

Manchester Chinatown

London Chinatown

• Chinatown, London
• Chinatown, Birmingham
• Chinatown, Manchester
• Chinatown, Liverpool
• Chinatown, Newcastle
• Chinatown, Sheffield
• Chinatown, Belfast
• Chinatown, Aberdeen

Illegal immigration

In recent years, there has been an increase in illegal immigrants coming from mainland China and other countries into the United Kingdom, some of whom pay people traffickers (so-called "snakeheads") to smuggle them into many Western countries. Due to historical and cultural reasons, a sizeable proportion originate from Fujian province in southeast China. Others are citizens from the Commonwealth countries (mostly former British colonies), who have been able to obtain tourist or student visas and remain in the UK after their visas have expired. Most work in the black economy or are employed as illegal cheap labour, usually in agriculture and catering. This activity became publicised nationwide in tragic consequences in the form of the 2004 Morecambe Bay cockling disaster.

Media

In the groundbreaking ten-part series, "Chinese in Britain"^[7], broadcast by BBC Radio 4 in April/May 2007, presenter and co-writer Anna Chen^[8] told the story of the Chinese in Britain from the first known Chinese, Shen Fu Tsong in the 17th century, to the arrival of the migrant wave in the 1950s and 60s. This series will be repeated in May 2008.

Demographics

Population

The population figure of 247,403 (approximately 0.5% of the UK population and around 5% of the total non-white population in the UK), cited from figures produced by the UK's Office for National Statistics (ONS), is based on the 2001 national census. However, it may not be an entirely accurate figure of the current population of people of Chinese origin in the UK. Reasons for this include: some had not participated in the 2001 national census during that time, some had not specifed their ethnic group in the census, either intentionally or unintentionally, and successive Chinese migration to or from the UK since 2001. A recent publication from the ONS, "Focus on Ethnicity and Religion (October) 2006",^[9] gave some detailed figures on the makeup of the UK's Chinese population that were based on the information by those who had identified themselves as 'Chinese' in the United Kingdom Census 2001.

• Total population: 500,000
• Geographical distribution: 33% of the Chinese in Britain live in London, 13.6% in the South East, 11.1% in the North West.
• Birthplace: 29% in Hong Kong, 25% England, 19% Mainland China, 8% Malaysia, 4% Vietnam, 3% Singapore, 2.4% Scotland, 2% Taiwan, 0.9% Wales, 0.1% Northern Ireland.
• Religion: 53% of Chinese reported no religious affiliation, 21.1% Christian, 15.1% Buddhist.
• Occupation: Of all ethnic groups, Chinese had the highest proportion as students (about a third) and the lowest in "routine/manual" occupations (17%).

It should be noted, however, that in the United Kingdom, "Asian demographics" and "Chinese demographics" are separate. In British usage, the word "Asian" or "British Asian" when describing people usually refers to those from South Asia (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Maldives, etc.).

Geographic distribution

Compared to most ethnic minorities in the UK, the Chinese tend to be more widespread and decentralised. However, significant numbers of British Chinese people can be found in Birmingham, Brighton, Cambridge, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Hull, Sheffield and Swansea. In Northern Ireland, Chinese make up the largest non-white minority, although the population of roughly 4,000 is relatively small.

Many locations with a high visible Chinese cultural presence are called Chinatowns. Liverpool's Chinatown is situated around the Berry Street and Duke Street area in the city centre. The Ceremonial Archway, which was built in Shanghai, China, is located at the heart of Liverpool's Chinatown. Before World War II, the original Chinatown was situated around Pitt Street. In London, there is a Chinatown centred around Gerrard Street, Soho, in the West End of central London which has many Chinese restaurants and businesses; it is mostly a commercial area, most Chinese live in other parts of London, especially north London and Colindale in particular. Sheffield's unofficial Chinatown is located at London Road.

Largest urban Chinese communities

(These are all 2005 Estimates^[10])

• London - 107,100 (1.4%)
• Manchester - 10,800 (2.3%)
• Birmingham - 10,700 (1.1%)
• Liverpool - 6,800 (1.5%)
• Oxford - 4,200 (2.9%)
• Cambridge - 3,600 (3.1%)
• Newcastle upon Tyne - 3,100 (1.1%)

Education and employment

In terms of educational achievement, figures in 2002 showed that British Chinese pupils were more likely to have gained five or more A*-C GCSE grades than any other ethnic group, with 77% of British Chinese girls and 71% of British Chinese boys respectively achieving that target. British Chinese school pupils had the lowest exclusion rate at 2 per 10,000. A British Chinese person was also more likely to possess a university degree, or hold a job in a professional class, than the average Briton, but conversely, British Chinese people had the highest proportion with no qualifications (20%), and twice the unemployment rate (10%) compared to white Britons (5%). British Chinese men also had the highest rate of working-age economic inactivity (defined as those of working-age not available for work and/or not actively seeking work) of all males at 37%, twice the rate for white British men. The vast majority of economically inactive British Chinese men were students.^[11] The British Chinese were more likely to be self-employed (16%) than any other ethnic group except for Pakistanis. In 2004, just under half of British Chinese men in employment worked in the distribution, hotel and restaurant industry, compared with one sixth of their white British British counterparts. British Chinese women are also concentrated in the distribution, hotel and restaurant industry, as two fifths worked in this industry in 2004. The British Chinese were most likely to have been employed in managerial and professional occupations (38 percent), compared with 27% for white Britons.

Health and welfare

Chinese men and women were the least likely to report their health as ‘not good’ of all ethnic groups. Chinese men and women had the lowest rates of long-term illness or disability which restricts daily activities. The British Chinese population (5.8%) were least likely to be providing informal care (unpaid care to relatives, friends or neighbours). Around 0.25% of the British Chinese population were residents in hospital and other care establishments.^[12]

Smoking and drinking^[13]

Chinese men (17%) were the least likely to smoke of all ethnic groups. Fewer than 10% of Chinese women smoked. Fewer than 10% of the Chinese adult population drank above the recommended daily alcohol guidelines on their heaviest drinking day.

Inter-ethnic marriage

The British Chinese have one of the highest inter-ethnic marriage rates in the country when compared to other ethnic minority groups, and including the white population. According to the United Kingdom Census 2001, 30% of Chinese women intermarried, a figure twice that for Chinese men (15%).^[14]

Voter registration

A survey conducted in 2006, estimated that around 30 percent of British Chinese were not on the electoral register, and therefore not able to vote.^[15][16] This compares to 6% of whites and 17% for all ethnic minorities. The figure for Black Africans is 37%.

In a bid to increase voter registration and turnout, and reverse voter apathy within the community, campaigns have been organized such as the British Chinese Register to Vote organised by Get Active UK, a working title that encompasses all the activities run by the Integration of British Chinese into Politics (the BC Project) and its various partners. The campaign wishes to highlight the low awareness of politics among the British Chinese community; to encourage those eligible to vote but not on the electoral register to get registered; to help people make a difference on issues affecting themselves and their communities on a daily basis by getting their voices heard through voting.^[17]

People

Main article: List of British Chinese people

See also

• Chinatown
• Model minority
• Sinophobia

References

Footnotes

• In British nationality law, a person can be naturalised or registered as a British citizen. This difference in the law is not important in this article.
• Normally, ethnic Chinese people holding a British National (Overseas) passport are not considered to be "British Chinese", as they do not normally hold the right of abode in the UK. Ethnic Chinese people who had obtained British Citizenship in Hong Kong prior to handover and do not normally reside in the UK are not a main concern of this article.

Further reading

• Parker, D. "Britain" in L. Pan Ed. (2006) Encyclopaedia of the Chinese Overseas, Singapore: Chinese Heritage Centre (revised edition).
• Archer, L. and Francis, B. (December 2005) "Constructions of racism by British Chinese pupils and parents", Race, Ethnicity and Education, Volume 8, Number 4, pp. 387-407(21).
• Archer, L. and Francis, B. (August 2005) "Negotiating the dichotomy of Boffin and Triad: British-Chinese pupils' constructions of 'laddism'", The Sociological Review, Volume 53, Issue 3, Page 495.
• Parker, D and Song M (2007) Inclusion, Participation and the Emergence of British Chinese Websites. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies Vol 33 (7) : 1043-1061.

External links

• Chinese Britain: How a second generation wants the voice of its community heard — BBC News
• Chinese diaspora: Britain — BBC News
• How the Chinese Came to Wales: Find out how Swansea became home to a thriving Chinese community — BBC Wales South West, written by Swansea Museum and the Chinese Co-Operative Community Centre
• "PM wishes the Chinese community a Happy New Year" — 10 Downing Street, 27 January 2006
• Akilli, Sinan, M.A. "Chinese Immigration to Britain in the Post-WWII Period", Hacettepe University, Turkey. Postimperial and Postcolonial Literature in English, 15 May 2003

Communities

• British Chinese Youth Federation (Simplified Chinese: 英国华人青年联会Tradition Chinese: 英國華人青年聯會)
• British Chinese Society
• british born chinese
• DimSum
• BBC One Life: Sarah Yeh
• Visible Chinese - Guide to Achievers in UK Chinese Culture

Radio

• Chinese Spectrum Radio - only programme in the UK broadcasting daily in Cantonese.

Statistics

• UK Census 2001: Ethnic minority statistics — Office for National Statistics
• Focus on Ethnicity and Religion Source — Office for National Statistics