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The
first Chinese settlers arrived in Manchester in the early days of
the 20th century - choosing Manchester as an alternative location
to Liverpool where another community was already beginning to settle
and grow.
Shops
in Chinatown |
Many
arrived alone and were engaged in what is seen as a the traditional
trade of laundries.
But
it wasn't until the 1940s that larger numbers arrived and in 1948
the first Chinese restaurant, the Ping Hong on Mosley Street, opened.
Over the following decade or so another 16 restaurants opened.
By
the 1950's the growth of home washing and chain laundries forced
the to look at alternative employment and many moved into takeaways
and restaurants.
Some
of the more famous restaurants in what was now developing as a Chinese
quarter of the city, arrived in the 1970s and included Charlie Chans
(1973), the Woo Sang (1976) and The Little Yang Sing (1978).
Today
Chinatown is centred around the impressive Ming Dynasty Imperial
Arch which was dedicated in 1987 with many shops and restaurants
sited around Nicholas Street, Faulkner Street and George Street.
It's
difficult to put an exact number on the size of the Chinese community
in Greater Manchester.
In
the 1991 UK census the population was put at just over 21,000 -
more recent estimates suggest a figure around 30,000, but a great
part of this is made up by Chinese overseas students who are studying
in Manchester.
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History
of Manchester's Chinatown
