Bright red lanterns hang from above, tourists from all over the world spill out of restaurants and a torrent of tempting aromas waft through the air – there aren’t many areas of London more recognisable than Chinatown. A tourist hotspot for decades as well as a home away from home for many expats, this clutch of streets in the heart of the West End is far more than a collection of Asian restaurants, supermarkets and dessert parlours; it's a glimpse into East and Southeast Asia (ESEA) and its ever-changing food scene. Chinatown has been through a number of changes on its journey to becoming what is today, but how did it all begin?
It’s difficult to picture Chinatown being anywhere other than where it is today, but Chinatown actually began its life further east in Limehouse at the start of the twentieth century, where the first Chinese immigrants settled many years earlier. However, after British soldiers started to return to central London from Asia newly enamoured with the cuisine, Chinatown moved to its current Soho location in 1937. By the late sixties, the area was becoming closer to what we know today; restaurants and shops were springing up all over the place as more workers moved over to London from Hong Kong – a British colony at the time. Over the next twenty years, Chinatown became more and more established, with some of its most notable features such as the Chinese gates appearing and the streets becoming pedestrianised.