All images above are found from
Based on some datum and information of Manchester Chinatown.I came up with this article.It is about introducing the appearance,shops,history and significance to both oversea Chinese and local citizens of Manchester Chinatown.
Manchester Chinatown is a small self-sufficient block with rich Chinese atmosphere. Right at the front of the town, there is a typical torii decorated with roofing tiles and painted by festive colors. The drawing of dragons and phoenixes in the arch convey a sense of auspiciousness. The torii is a symbol of Chinese culture in the foreign land that binds the Chinamen together. It is a widely recognized indication of Chinese enclave in the city of Manchester.
Densely-populated with restaurants, supermarkets, clinics, law firms and so on, the town has everything needed for a comfortable life. The clusters of Chinese restaurants would fill the town with appetizing fragrance everyday. And the streets would be flooded with tourists in weekends.
The diverse cultural activity is also a magnate. You could buy newspapers that are transported here by charter planes from Hong Kong or mainland China. In lunar New Year or other traditional Chinese festivals, the streets of the town would be filled with people, both Chinese and others. They would participate in dragon-dancing and lion-dancing, laughing and singing for the celebration of a new year. The firecracker, the gongs and drums create such a joyful atmosphere that the wanderers would feel at home again.
Manchester Chinatown first appeared in early 1970s. With the support of local diners and the great effort of the owners, the Chinese dining industry gained great momentum at one time, the popularity of which also provided business opportunities for other service industries. The success of traditional Chinese service such as acupuncture attracts a lot of Chinese businessmen to settle here. It took only about 40 years for the Chinese here to build such a thriving community—Manchester Chinatown. It demonstrates the great diligence of Chinese people.
The industries, hard-earned by the Chinese people, were severely damaged by the financial crisis. Yang Juwen and Yang Jusen from Hong Kong, who are the founders of Yang Sing, the one praised by the English media as “the best Chinese restaurant in Europe”, saw their first high-end hotel in Britain going bankrupt in just 8 months after its establishment because of the financial tsunami. The economic crisis presents a grave challenge to the Chinese people in dining industry or other service sectors.
The population expansion of overseas Chinese gives new features to Chinatown all over the world. For a start, immigrants no longer restrict their choice of settlement to old-style Chinese communities. Therefore, many Chinatowns face the dilemma of population loss and aging. In fact, most of the Chinatowns is packed with people and squeezed in old city district. Ethnic conflicts and security issues arise time and time again. The Manchester China town is no exception. Today, the town is more like a “showplace of Chinese culture” for the reason that the initial purpose of Chinese people settling down together has been weakened and the town serves as a culture hub that attracts many local citizens.
No comments:
Post a Comment