Welcome

The ground breaking Chinese oral history project which hopes to document the lives of the Chinese in London over the years has progressed since its early inception as a basic and idealist concept. After arriving as early as 1782 as ship based seamen, the Chinese have slowly migrated and established themselves in the United Kingdom and now are seen as one of the most successful ethnic minorities in terms of average income, education and social standing. However, there have been very few actual recorded histories of the Chinese in the United Kingdom and how, through the generations, they evolved from migrants into their own distinctive British Chinese culture.

The project hopes to give a voice to those Chinese pioneers and let their interesting stories be told to a wider audience. Now with the progress of time, a more empowered and educated second and third British Chinese generations have emerged. Many have managed to maintain their Chinese heritage but also assimilated into mainstream British society; this project hopes to bridge the gap between both the older Chinese generation and the younger generations so that they can learn from each other.

After an official training day whereby an interview techniques expert provided the large number of volunteers the basics in how to perform interviews and extract information, much progress has been made. The project has been spurred on by the enthusiasm and the drive of the many volunteers who have all been contributing a whole variety of skills and talents; this has ensured that the project has so far run along smoothly.

"I felt very strange. When I was on the plane…too strange; I might not be able to adapt to the life (in the UK). I was thinking about this. I was very scared and worried. I didn't know where to go; fortunately I had an auntie here ... my aunt looked after me and I felt less scared".

Given the scale of the project, a large number of Chinese from the older generation and prominent people from British Chinese society have actively participated in the project. Via the oral history project, a series of interesting people from a cross section of society have been interviewed; this includes a Chinese chess champion, an acclaimed Chinese artist and a renowned writer and director. The interviews have proven to be fascinating for all involved thus ensuring a vast array of lives and experiences that can be shared and added to the rich tapestry of the Chinese in the United Kingdom:

"(Chinese chess) has influenced my life in many ways. If it weren't for chess, I would not have met all these friends, so many chess player friends, and non-chess players. I'd really have met many friends through chess playing, and we have been friends for ten ... more than ten years, because we talk about chess and not other factors, such as money matters, so there are less conflict. We formed very friendly ties. Also, competitions has brought me to other corners of the earth, I've visited Hawaii, Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu, Hong Kong and etc."

This project has proven to be extremely empowering for the Chinese community in England and many new friendships and working relationships have been established as a result. The end product of the project hopes to include an interactive CD Rom, DVD, website and booklet which can all be used as educational and cultural tools by people of all ages and backgrounds. Ultimately, the project not only wants to record the rich history of the Chinese in Britain, we hope to raise greater understanding of the wide range of issues connected to Chinese culture and celebrate the achievement of the Chinese in the United Kingdom.