British Chinese, also Chinese British, Chinese Britons or British-born Chinese (often informally referred to as BBCs), are people of Chinese ancestry who were born in or have immigrated 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 Europe, if not the oldest in Western Europe, with the first Chinese coming from the ports of Tianjin and Shanghai in the early 19th century. This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... This article is about the City of Manchester in England. ... Birmingham (pron. ... Brighton is located on the south coast of England, and together with its immediate neighbour Hove forms the city of Brighton and Hove. ... For other uses, see Liverpool (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Glasgow (disambiguation). ... Diagram showing the geographical locations of selected languages and dialects of the British Isles. ... Standard Cantonese is a variant, and is generally considered the prestige dialect of Cantonese Chinese. ... Hakka (Simplified Chinese: 客家话, Traditional Chinese: 客家話, Pronunciation in Hakka: Hak-ka-fa/-va, Pinyin: Kèjiāhuà) is a spoken variation of the Chinese language spoken predominantly in southern China by the Hakka ethnic group and descendants in diaspora throughout East and Southeast Asia and around the world. ... Standard Mandarin, also known as Modern Standard Chinese, is the official modern Chinese spoken language used by the Peoples Republic of China, the Republic of China (Taiwan), and is one of the four official languages of Singapore. ... Irreligion or irreligiousness is the absence of religious belief. ... A silhouette of a Buddha statue at Ayutthaya, Thailand. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      Christianity is... Languages Chinese languages Religions Predominantly Taoism, Mahayana Buddhism, traditional Chinese religions, and atheism. ... Languages various Religions Predominantly Taoism, Mahayana Buddhism, traditional Chinese religions, and atheism. ... Overseas Chinese (華僑 in pinyin: huáqiáo, or 華胞 huábāo, or 僑胞 qiáobāo) are ethnic Chinese who live outside of Hong Kong, Taiwan. ... Languages various Religions Predominantly Taoism, Mahayana Buddhism, traditional Chinese religions, and atheism. ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... The borders of Western Europe were largely defined by the Cold War. ...   (Chinese: ; Pinyin: ; Postal map spelling: Tientsin) is one of the four municipalities of China. ... For other uses, see Shanghai (disambiguation). ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ...

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. The British Empire in 1897, marked in pink, the traditional colour for Imperial British dominions on maps. ... ...

History

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. Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Port (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Liverpool (disambiguation). ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Limehouse Town Hall Limehouse is a place in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. ... East London (Afrikaans: Oos-Londen, Xhosa: Imonti) is a city in southeast South Africa, situated in the Eastern Cape Province at 32. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ...

20th century

The largest wave of Chinese immigration took place during the 1950s and 1960s and consisted predominantly of 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.^[2] A major road, Kwong Fuk Road in Tai Po, a town in the New Territories. ... Not to be confused with the former Kwantung Leased Territory in north-eastern China. ... A professionally catered event Catering is the business of providing food service at a remote site. ... Italian street, with laundry hung to dry Laundry can be: items of clothing and other textiles that require washing, the act of washing clothing and textiles, the room of a house in which this is done. ...

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.^[3] This article does not cite any references or sources. ... A tourist boat travels the River Seine in Paris, France Tourism can be defined as the act of travel for the purpose of recreation, and the provision of services for this act. ...

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 1962 Commonwealth Immigrants Act was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... The British Empire in 1897, marked in pink, the traditional colour for Imperial British dominions on maps. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

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. The British Nationality Act 1981 was an Act of Parliament passed by the British Parliament. ... For Microsoft Corporation’s “universal login” service, formerly known as Microsoft Passport Network, see Windows Live ID. For other types of travel document, see Travel document. ... The right of abode refers to an individuals freedom from immigration control in a particular country. ... The transfer of the sovereignty of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to China, often referred to as The Handover, occurred on July 1, 1997. ... The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, commonly referred to as the Tiananmen Square Massacre,[1] were a series of demonstrations led by students, intellectuals, and labor activists in the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) between April 15, 1989 and June 4, 1989. ... Section 1(1) of the British Nationality (Hong Kong) Act 1990 gave the Home Secretary the power to register as British citizens up to 50,000 persons (heads of families) recommended to him by the Governor of Hong Kong. ... British Nationality Law ... A memorial statue in Hanko, Finland, commemorating the thousands of emigrants who left the country to start a new life in the United States Emigration is the act and the phenomenon of leaving ones native country to settle in another country. ...

See also: British nationality law, 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. British nationality law is the law of the United Kingdom concerning British citizenship and other categories of British nationality. ... British nationality law as it pertains to Hong Kong has been a unique situation ever since it was created a British colony in 1842. ... ... This article is on the politics of Mainland China. ...

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.^[4] Download high resolution version (1760x1168, 321 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (1760x1168, 321 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... For other uses, see Liverpool (disambiguation). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... A shipping line is a business that operates ships that it itself either owns or operates for the benefit of the owner. ... This article is on the economy of Mainland China. ... The term working class is used to denote a social class. ... Eurasian, also Euroasian or Euro-Asian can mean: Eurasian may be used as a slang term to refer to people of Asian decent, living in European countries who have no other traits of being Asian other then the fact that they look it. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Human rights are rights which some hold to be inalienable and belonging to all humans. ... White British is an ethnic classification used in the United Kingdom Census 2001, 92. ... The United Kingdom is a unitary state and a democratic constitutional monarchy. ...

Illegal incidents

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. An economic migrant is a person who voluntarily leaves his or her country of origin for economic reasons. ... ... The name snakehead can refer to the following: A Chinese gang which smuggles people. ...   (Chinese: ; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Fu-chien; Postal map spelling: Fukien, Foukien; local transliteration Hokkien from Min Nan Hok-kiàn) is one of the provinces on the southeast coast of the Peoples Republic of China. ... The British Empire in 1897, marked in pink, the traditional colour for Imperial British dominions on maps. ... The black market is the sector of economic activity involving illegal economic dealings, typically the buying and selling of merchandise illegally. ... A professionally catered event Catering is the business of providing food service at a remote site. ... The Morecambe Bay cockling disaster occurred on the evening of the 5 February 2004 in Lancashire, England with at least 21 cockle pickers drowned by incoming tides in Morecambe Bay. ...

Demographics

Population

The population figure of 243,258 (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 the UK since 2001. More recent estimates for England's Chinese population have it at 347,000 in mid-2005 ^[5] (up from 227,000 in 2001). 107,100 of these are resident in London (up from 83,300 in 2001). Note that these revised estimates are for England only and not for the entire UK. Office for National Statistics logo The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is the United Kingdom government executive agency charged with the collection and publication of statistics related to the economy, population and society of the United Kingdom at national and local levels. ...

A recent publication from the ONS, "Focus on Ethnicity and Religion (October) 2006",^[6] 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. UK Census 2001 logo A nationwide census, commonly known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday 29 April 2001. ...

• Total population: 243,258.
• 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% 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.). This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... South East England is one of the nine official regions of England. ... North West England is one of the nine regions of England. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... This article is about the country. ... This article is about the country. ... Northern Ireland (Irish: ) is a part of the United Kingdom lying in the northeast of the island of Ireland, covering 5,459 square miles (14,139 km², about a sixth of the islands total area). ... This section does not cite its references or sources. ... For other uses, see Christian (disambiguation). ... A replica of an ancient statue found among the ruins of a temple at Sarnath Buddhism is a philosophy based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama, a prince of the Shakyas, whose lifetime is traditionally given as 566 to 486 BCE. It had subsequently been accepted by... Alternate uses: Student (disambiguation) Etymologically derived through Middle English from the Latin second-type conjugation verb stŭdērĕ, which means to study, a student is one who studies. ... The term British Asian is used to denote a person of Southern Asian ancestry or origin, or sometimes Western Asian origin, who was born in or was an immigrant to the United Kingdom. ... Map of South Asia (see note on Kashmir). ...

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. Birmingham (pron. ... Brighton is located on the south coast of England, and together with its immediate neighbour Hove forms the city of Brighton and Hove. ... This article is about the city in England. ... For other uses, see Glasgow (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Edinburgh (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Liverpool (disambiguation). ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... This article is about the City of Manchester in England. ... , Milton Keynes is a large town in northern Buckinghamshire, in South East England, about 45 miles (75 km) north-west of London, and roughly halfway between London and Birmingham. ... Hull or Kingston upon Hull is a British city situated on the north bank of the Humber estuary. ... Central ward—which includes the districts of Broomhall, Highfield, Sharrow, and the city centre—is one of the 28 electoral wards in City of Sheffield, England. ... For other places with the same name, see Swansea (disambiguation). ... Northern Ireland (Irish: ) is a part of the United Kingdom lying in the northeast of the island of Ireland, covering 5,459 square miles (14,139 km², about a sixth of the islands total area). ...

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. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For other uses, see Liverpool (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Shanghai (disambiguation). ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Chinatown is highly decorated for special occasions, here for Chinese New Year 2004. ... Cast-iron architecture in Greene Street SoHo is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan. ... The interior of Covent Garden Market in the West End The West End of London is an area of Central London, England, containing many of the citys major tourist attractions, businesses, and administrative headquarters. ... North London is that part of London which is north of the River Thames. ... , Colindale is an area in the London Borough of Brent. ... London Road is a shopping street in Sheffield, England. ...

Education and employment

In terms of educational achievement, figures in 2002 showed that Chinese pupils were more likely to have gained five or more A*-C GCSE grades than any other ethnic group, with 77% of Chinese girls and 71% of Chinese boys respectively achieving that target. 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%). 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 Chinese men were students.^[7] The Chinese were more likely to be self-employed (16%) than any other ethnic group except for Pakistanis. In 2004, just under half of Chinese men in employment worked in the distribution, hotel and restaurant industry, compared with one sixth of their white British counterparts. 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. “GCSE” redirects here. ... Representation of a university class, 1350s. ... A B.A. issued as a certificate A degree is any of a wide range of status levels conferred by institutions of higher education, such as universities, normally as the result of successfully completing a program of study. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

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.^[8] Illness (sometimes referred to as ill-health) can be defined as a state of poor health. ... Look up disability in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Smoking and drinking^[9]

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. This article summarizes the recommended maximum intake (or safe limits) of alcohol as recommended by the health agencies of various governments. ...

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%).^[10] Intermarriage normally refers to marriage between people belonging to different religions, tribes, nationalities or ethnic backgrounds. ... UK Census 2001 logo A nationwide census, commonly known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday 29 April 2001. ...

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.^[11][12]

Prominent British Chinese

See List of British Chinese people.

There are some, though not many, notable or well-known British Chinese people. ...

References

Footnotes

British nationality law is the law of the United Kingdom concerning British citizenship and other categories of British nationality. ... British Nationality Law ... Languages Chinese languages Religions Predominantly Taoism, Mahayana Buddhism, traditional Chinese religions, and atheism. ... This article concerns matters of British nationality law in relation to Hong Kong. ... The right of abode refers to an individuals freedom from immigration control in a particular country. ... British nationality law as it pertains to Hong Kong has been a unique situation ever since it was created a British colony in 1842. ...

Further reading

See also

• Chinatown
• Model minority
• Sinophobia

This article does not cite any references or sources. ... April 1984 cover of Newsweek featuring an article on the success of Asian American students Model minority refers to a minority ethnic, racial, or religious group whose members achieve a higher degree of success than the population average. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

External links

Reports

• 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

Research

• 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

Statistics

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

Communities

• British Chinese Society
• british born chinese
• DimSum
• Chinese London — The Reassessing What We Collect Project

Personal stories

• BBC One Life: Sarah Yeh

v • d • e UK Census 2001-2011 "ethnic groups" [2]
"White British" • "Other White" • "Mixed" • "Asian or British Asian" • "Black or Black British" • "Chinese" or "other ethnic group"

v • d • e British Census: Chinese or Other
Oriental (Chinese • Filipino • Japanese • Korean) • Arab (Moroccan • Yemeni • Iraqi • Iranian) • Latin American