Building a Chinatown in Sheffield: Is It a Good Idea?

Contents Page

Introduction.................................................................................2

Methodology…............................................................................3

Results........................................................................................3

Conclusion..................................................................................6

Reference List.............................................................................7

Appendix.....................................................................................8

Introduction   

People around the world are becoming more interested in Chinese culture as China is playing an increasingly important part on the international stage. People who are unable to visit China would be attracted to the local Chinatowns in their own countries. Throughout the world, Chinatown has been becoming the most common designated area in the vast majority of cosmopolitan metropolises such as London and New York. As a result, Chinatown is not only considered to be a significant centre of tourism but also a feasible strategy to improve the reputation of the city which both would contribute to the development of the economy.

Due to the trading with China in the history, the port cities where early Chinese immigrants first arrived are more likely to form Chinatowns which later became their home of lifetime. As per the information on Wikipedia (Chinatown 2009), Liverpool is the oldest home to Chinese community among the European cities which could date back to the early 20th century. But the most famous and largest Chinatown was established in the Soho district of central London with a large influx of new immigrants from Hong Kong between 1950s and 1960s. These Chinatowns maybe vary in size but what they all have in common is a grand red imperial arch entrance structure known in Chinese as Paifang locating at the gateway which would act as a counterpoint to the other area.

Though these Chinatowns in the UK were built years ago, taking account of the invaluable contribution to the city, some local businesspersons with the assistance of two major universities have been trying to carry out the plan of building the first Chinatown in Sheffield for years. The Attercliffe area was once chosen for Chinatown but it did not meet the legal criteria (The Star 2007). Considering the existing perfect facility on London Road, marking out a part of the London Road or developing an area off the road into a Sheffield’s official Chinatown is on the agenda with the potential investment of £15 million from China (KAY 2010).