London’s Chinatown bouncing back despite Covid-19 pandemic
- Visitors have started returning to the famed cultural district, which was hit hard by earlier virus lockdowns and a pandemic-inspired xenophobic backlash
- Most newly arrived Hongkongers appear to be settling elsewhere, however, with those seeking work in Chinatown finding a ‘resistance towards hiring them’
A wetter than usual summer aside, foot traffic has steadily risen ahead of the anticipated return of Chinese students and foreign tourists once international travel becomes easier. For now, it’s Londoners of all ages and ethnic groups spending money in the area.
London’s Chinatown is largely a commercial area. Fewer residents meant its restaurants did not benefit as much from public demand for takeaway meals when dining-in was temporarily banned under the government’s coronavirus rules.
Fast forward 18 months, and with Britain’s vaccine roll-out well under way, newly erected outdoor seating areas were packed with diners on a recent Saturday evening, Nearby, banners from the latest Lunar New Year festival could still be seen wishing kung hei fat choi! (“may you prosper”).
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“Youngsters are looking here, in my observation, to meet up with friends for bubble tea, and not alcohol – so the area has something new to offer,” said Tim Mitchell, the Conservative councillor for Westminster’s St James ward, which includes Chinatown. “You would see a queue right in the middle of the pandemic in Newport Place for the bakery,” he said.
Londoners’ TikTok and Instagram posts about Chinatown’s newest offerings were likely also having a positive impact, he said.
“In Little Newport street, most of the businesses now are dessert businesses selling fancy ice creams, bubble teas, eclairs and things like that,” Mitchell said. “That is attracting people in a way the area didn’t before.”
The local government has also helped some businesses by fast-tracking pavement licences for outdoor tables and chairs, given that much of Chinatown’s appeal lies in the fact that cars are banned from the area.
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Some of the area’s Hong Kong-style banquet restaurants, established decades ago and reliant on group bookings, were still finding it tough, however.
“The big spenders haven’t come back yet,” said one Cantonese restaurant owner with a thick Cockney accent, who didn’t want to be named.
Hongkongers taking advantage of a new visa scheme granting millions of eligible British National (Overseas) passport holders a pathway to citizenship in the country have yet to make their presence felt in London in significant numbers.
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But many were reported to prefer Manchester and Liverpool, where property is cheaper.
“They no longer rely on established community groups to help them, they are trying to build their own new communities,” said Julian Chan, the organisation’s director.
Those who have come to Chinatown in search of work are finding a “resistance towards hiring them”, said Edmond Yeo, chairman of the Chinese Information and Advice Centre.
There are Hongkongers literally knocking on restaurant doors. But there is a reluctance … because they are the new wave coming in
“There are Hongkongers literally knocking on restaurant doors. But there is a reluctance … because they are the new wave coming in,” Yeo said.
“It’s like what happened with the Polish before Brexit. Those who were here already looked at the new ones and felt threatened, thinking they bring their bad habits.”
He said new arrivals wanting to invest in new catering businesses were still finding their feet.
“It takes time for them to settle down before they get used to the environment. The reality is that it’s not that easy especially if you don’t have the language support. They need to settle down first and find their way around,” Yeo said.
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Indeed, some new businesses seem to prefer hiring Malaysian-Chinese workers.
“They like us because we speak English, Mandarin and Cantonese as well as Malay,” said a waitress in the newly opened Eatime restaurant in Chinatown’s main Gerrard Street. Staff at a recently opened bakery were also Malaysian-Chinese.
In another sign of life getting back to normal, Chinatown heritage centre the China Exchange has restarted its popular walking tours.
“It’s so refreshing for us … to welcome people back physically and for them to see Chinatown and share the triumphs and struggles the people here have been through,” said Freya Aitken-Turff, CEO of the centre, which also promotes cultural ties between Britain and China.
“It’s also great to see Londoners coming back to Chinatown which is very much a place that needs everybody,” she said
“It’s not a place only for people of east and southeast Asian heritage or Caucasian tourists. It’s a place where everyone can find something to enjoy or intrigue them.”
