Limehouse
Scripted by Chungwen Li
Narrated by Kar-Hei Lam
Produced by Aubrey Ko
Please listen to the Audio Archive
Limehouse Historical Audio Tour, 30 January 2010, Saturday morning nearly 10 o’clock. A fine but bitterly cold day.
First stop, Limehouse Basin, or Regent’s Canal Dock as it was originally known. Facing the dock, now is full of leisure boats and yachts; and the surrounding are built with luxury apartments, could hardly imagine what it was like in the 19th century. However, from the information board provided by the British Waterways London, I am now standing on the edge of Bergen and Medland Wharves where timber, tea, fruit and ice were once unloaded.
Walking through the newly built apartments to Narrow Street, across the dock gate, it has the name of “Limehouse Marina” on it, in white big characters. Narrow Street, which runs along the back of the Thames wharves, lead me to the Grapes, a local pub well-known to Charles Dickens and was featured in one of his novels. A Blue round plaque with white characters attached to the wall claiming it was built in 1583.
Opposite is Ropemakers’ Fields, there is a 2-metre high sculpture, a herring gull with rope loosely circle under its feet. Many ropes were required for the shipping businesses in those days.
Following the Thames Path National Trail, I arrive at the Cantonese Quarter. The early Chinese immigrants settled around Gill Street and Limehouse Causeway area, now only council flats around Gill Street.
Continue my journey to Westferry Dockland Light Rail Station. A dragon sculpture in curled form looked upon the sky looking like a lamppost, with a plaque, Dragons’ Gate, it said. “The Dragon is an ancient Chinese symbol of good fortune, providing you understand it and treat it with respect! This work celebrates the first and oldest ‘Chinatown’ in Britain that existed around Limehouse and Pennyfields. The dragon / serpent is also a potent symbol across all continents and in all the major cultures of the world; from the ancient Babylonians to the most popular fairytales, myths and computer games of today. Dragons represent power. In cyclical form, biting each other’s tails, they embody the power of unity and renewal. The Year of the Dragons gives birth to the new millennium.”
Across the busy road, it is Pennyfields. Look around, not able to find an official sign post of Pennyfields. Walking along the council flats, there is another round stainless steel plaque attached to the wall. It looks like a steering wheel with a ship in the centre, another colourful round picture is on top of the ship. On the edge of the round plate, it engraved: “Heritage Trail, China Town Pennyfields. In the 1880’s immigrant Chinese began to settle in Pennyfields and Limehouse Causeway, where a small China Town sprang up in 1901, the first Chinese laundry opened in Poplar.” The colour round picture in the centre has a light blue background; 3 lanterns, a dragon, a Buddha head, a sign of yin yang, a bowl of rice with a pair of chopsticks, and with some blue waves underneath. There is also a symbol in the picture that I am not able to recognise, should be related to Buddhism.
Shanghai Quarter. The early Shanghaieses settled around the area of Pennyfields, Amoy Place and Ming Street. Interestingly Ming Street has an old wooden street sign, and it was underneath a modern street sign. In the past, this was the largest shipping centre in the world, now has become the largest financial hub in Europe. Under the same sky, not a trace of shipping business is found.
A number of streets are named after the origins of the past Chinese communities – Mandarin Street, Pekin Street, Nankin Street, Canton Street and Amoy Place. They had their own settlement around this area. And now it is council estates, I wonder how the local residents feel about the street names.
Chun Yee Society, 50 East India Dock Road, on the corner at Birchfields Street. It was established in 1906, and was a Chinese sailors shelter and old Sunday school. Apart from the Chinese restaurants, this is one of the few reminders of the many previous Chinese residents.
A long walk to Salmon Lane, number 102, a Chinese take-away named “Local Friends”, was the first Chinese take-away in the U.K. till now. It does not have a Chinese name like most others Chinese takeaway do; it stands on the street quietly watching passengers come and go in different decades.
This is the end of the Limehouse Historical Audio Tour.
Liverpool
Scripted and Narrated by Moira Kenny
Produced by John J. Campbell
Please listen to the Audio Archive
Audio tour Liverpool Chinatown, the 25th of July 2008, 4.29pm. Weather hot, sunny. I’m standing on the corner of Duke Street at a junction by the traffic lights, on my right looking down Duke Street towards the river the Liver buildings are behind the new development, but still in sight, I’m standing by the closed up entrance of the Whitehouse pub, directly ahead is Nelson Street and the splendid Chinese arch, directly up to my left upper Duke Street and the Hondo supermarket, leading to the Anglican Cathedral. To my Sharp left Berry Street leading to the city centre, the lights change and I run across before cars turn into Duke Street from Berry Street, three drops of rain hit my forehead then stop. On the corner of Nelson Street and Duke Street is a large cream building painted magnolia for capitol of culture to make it look better, it is known as the Scandinavian hotel. The back of the building is red brick and sandstone, eighteen sections of windows each consisting of thirty six small windows, wire mesh and barbed wire. One large uncovered extractor fan, one covered extractor fan, one light broken hanging from a rusted fire bell, herringbone design of bricks to the top of the building, seven art deco reliefs. Three ceramic Batchwell Control rectangular objects, one domed shaped cone, all cream. The units are leading into the building by two lead pipes through wood, the wood is split in sections and the layers are raised showing the difference in tone and texture.
Next to the traffic lights on Duke Street is a sign attached to the building and set back behind the railings. The sign is unpainted and made of iron. Sprinkler stop valve inside made by Hoffman Sprinkler Company Ltd Manchester. Litter strewn inside the three foot high railings consists of one umbrella patterned. One Le Coq Sportif training shoe fastened. Eleven cans various. Too many bottles to count. Plastic sheeting twisted and furled, one wooden beam, vegetation. On the front of the building is a relief painted sign, black 1887. To my left is a small walled seating area, five trees. Chinese lampposts each adourning two dragons reaching up towards the light. One larger dragon curled around mid base. Two bollards painted green and red shaped in a Pagoda design. Adjacent to the Scandinavian Hotel is a façade consisting of a green bamboo roof and a beige tiled area depicting a Chinese image red and green. Red shutters cover the window two small stone lions guard the closed entrance. Graffiti painted in red on the magnolia façade states L1, painted in a naïve block font. A security camera is attached to cover the entrance to the arch. The Chinese arch covers the entire breadth of Nelson Street obviously the biggest arch outside of China and definitely bigger than the one in Manchester.
To the left of the arch is a large overpowering building with a dome to the top of the building embroidered with circular windows. Doric columns, nine arched rectangular windows to the side of the building in Nelson Street. A street sign states leading to Great George Street attached to the railings, this building is known as the Blackie. Attached to the back of the Blackie, I am unaware of a noticeable gap, but I’m not looking directly at it is social housing with maisonette detail. Below the housing is a row of office type shops, the block has a red and green façade to give a Chinese feel to the building. On the right of the arch is the Chinese free mason UK building, a history of the arch and associations is placed in a green framed perspex case outside number ten, directly above the railings. A blue plaque states: the Nestorian and Ocean pensioners association commemorating the outstanding contribution of the Chinese seafarers to the operation of the merchant ships of the Blue Funnel and Glen Line fleets of Alfred Holt and Co. Latterly the Ocean group PLC sailing to the Far East, 1865 to 1987. The brick work is painted red with stairs leading down to the basement; the top step is corrugated metal. Yams licensed Chinese restaurant, number twelve, red painted brick with two maroon sun shades both ripped, one window has one plant and draped curtains the centre of the building has five steps leading to a wooden door with a large glass panel with lead strips.
The Ma Bo restaurant red brick façade with a green arch over the window, three steps, red and white tiles lead into the restaurant. A small friendly place. Eleven crispy ducks and crispy pork hang in the window with rows of plates on top of a hot plate; the woman who is usually in the window cooking is absent. Wong’s restaurant facade painted green. Why not try our sizzling steaks and banquets? Three large steps leading up, orange square, brick window leading down to the basement. To my left Pine court housing association and Kingham and Co chartered accountants and registered auditors, to my right cream and red building central steps, Chilli Chilli restaurant and takeaway. SeYep association, number twenty two, Doric columns.
Chows house Chinese restaurant; Cantonese and Peking. To my left two red poles one either side of the street, large dragons climbing up to the top. To my right number twenty eight, Hoi Yin association, mirrored window, pagoda style frontage. Number thirty, North Garden restaurant, dragon’s times two, neon times one. Thirty two blanked out red spray paint L1.
Jumbo city restaurant red panels green frontage, glass window, doors push. Sing nightclub is getting renovated possible new use chip shop and two flats upstairs. To my left the Nook pub, freshly painted, new sign: The Nook. Maroon and cream. Plaque on the wall Chinese inscription, English plaque: This is the centre of the oldest Chinatown in Europe and this pub, the Nook, became the Chinese local in 1940. Number forty to forty two to my right, two front doors one on either side of two rectangular windows one covered by metal grill. Number forty four, the oldest building in Chinatown freshly painted mushroom, blacked out windows and door, tiled front, black railings, empty. China City restaurant newly painted yellow doors, circular designed railings at the sides of three steps leading up to the door. Nelson Street sign in English and Chinese. To my left the new Capitol Chinese restaurant, the restaurant runs along the top of the Nook pub.
At the side of the pub is Griffith Street leading to Granville Court. On the first floor of the new Capitol Chinese restaurant outside the window is a sign stating Nelson Street. In English and Chinese.
This is the end of the Chinatown audio tour.
Soho London
Scripted by Chungwen Li
Narrated by Kar-Hei Lam
Produced by Aubrey Ko
Please listen to the Audio Archive
London China Town audio tour, 21 February 2010, two o’clock. Just after lunch, Chinese meal. Stomach full and mind empty; weather, cold with scatter shower.
Gerrard Street, the main street of London China Town, now is crowded with people because of the celebration. Today the London Chinese communities celebrate the year of Tiger, like many of the past years, lion dance is the highlight of the day. The tradition for the business owner is to give a red packet to the lion, so that they can be blessed with a prosperous year. The lions slowly dance among the people to different shops in order to get their red packets. Lanterns are lined up along the whole street in different colours; red, purple, pink, green, yellow, and orange; most of them are in round shape. They all hanging there waving to the people, absorbing the rain and resisting the wind.
Too crowded, so I have to abandon the idea of taking photos with the lions, slowly squeeze among the people to the Chinese Arch and then turn left to Shaftesbury Avenue. Shaftesbury Avenue is blocked for the celebration. The theme of this year is “Hong Kong in London”; along the road there are some model buildings like Bank of China, Lippo Centre, Central Plaza, Jardine House, International Finance Centre, etc. to promote the financial image of Hong Kong. Adapting the same idea, the Star Ferry, famous in Hong Kong for transiting people between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, is also floating among the people; while the singer on the stage is singing jazz song, making some passengers become dancers on the street.
Stalls are set up to sell different types of Chinese ornaments, foods, or just distributing information. Small items with the theme of tiger are most popular; children are waving the mini-dragons which are sold in every Chinese New Year but still in good demand; Chinese qipao from children to adult sizes; the new year market is another highlight of the celebration.
Turn left again to Wardour Street, less crowded. The drum beat are getting louder as I can see the lions are now in the middle of Gerrard Street, it seems it is still a long way for them to dance over the whole street. Walking through Leicester Square, less people again, the tourists are unequally spread in this area today. Strolling down to Trafalgar Square, people are gathering there again. A big stage is temporarily constructed in the Square; a big screen is also put alongside the stage, so that the audiences far behind can still see what is happening on the stage. Feeing excited, I approach a stall selling Chinese beer, buy one, and drink it to mark my Chinese New Year tour in China Town in London today.
This is the end of the London China Town Audio Tour.
