London's Chinatown moved to the Soho/Gerrard Street area during the 1950s. This relocation occurred after the original Chinatown in Limehouse (East End) was largely destroyed by bombing during the 1940s Blitz. Chinese businesses and restaurants subsequently moved to the West End, with the area becoming well-established by the 1960s.
Chinatown is an ethnic enclave in the City of Westminster, London, bordering Soho to its north and west, Theatreland to the south and east. The enclave currently occupies the area in and around Gerrard Street.
Despite its significance now, Gerrard Street is not London's first Chinatown. In the 1880s, London's first Chinatown formed in Limehouse in the East End, when Chinese seamen working for British shipping companies, such as the East India Company, started arriving in London for work.
Friends, a semi-spoiler alert: nothing good happens in Chinatown. From casual racism to intimate violence, plot and themes center on people doing bad things to each other. Be aware, should you choose to watch, that viewing this story will involve some rough going.
London vlog - Where to eat in London Chinatown + Hidden Gems in London Soho
Are there two Chinatowns in New York?
The Manhattan Chinatown is one of nine Chinatown neighborhoods in New York City, as well as one of twelve in the New York metropolitan area, which contains the largest ethnic Chinese population outside of Asia, comprising an estimated 924,619 uniracial individuals in 2024.
London's Chinatown is close to key attractions such as Leicester Square, Theatreland and Soho. Its central location makes it an easy neighbourhood to get to by public transport.
The biggest Chinatown in the UK is in London, located in the West End near Leicester Square, known for its dense cluster of restaurants, shops, and cultural venues, especially vibrant during Chinese New Year celebrations. While London's is the largest and most famous, Manchester has the second-largest, and Liverpool has Europe's oldest Chinatown, marked by a large ceremonial gate.
Soho, London, gets its name from a 16th-century hunting cry, "So-ho!", used when the area was open fields for hunting; it later became a fashionable residential area, then a hub for immigrants, and today is known for its vibrant theatre, nightlife, and diverse culture, with "Soho" also used for other places like NYC's SoHo (South of Houston Street) and Hong Kong's, notes TravelAwaits.
Liverpool Chinatown was the first to be established in Europe. In the late 1860s many Chinese migrants first arrived in Liverpool as a result of employment of Chinese seamen by the Blue Funnel Shipping Line, creating strong links between the cities, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Liverpool.
Towne wrote the screenplay with Jack Nicholson in mind. He took the title (and the exchange "What did you do in Chinatown?" / "As little as possible") from a Hungarian vice cop, who had worked in Los Angeles's Chinatown, dealing with its confusion of dialects and gangs.
The area that is now SoHo was also once known as the Valley, because it is comprised of many low, five-story buildings with areas of tall skyscrapers to the south and north. It was also known as Hell's Hundred Acres, a name given to the neighborhood by the fire department after several huge warehouse fires.
The distance between SoHo and Chinatown is 2854 feet. How do I travel from SoHo to Chinatown without a car? The best way to get from SoHo to Chinatown without a car is to bus which takes 5 min and costs $2 - $7.
The Chinese community in France was estimated to count 600,000 persons in 2004 and 700,000 persons in 2007. The Chinatown in Paris located in the 13th arrondissement is the largest in Europe.
In 1927, London's original Chinatown, located around Limehouse Reach, was still a vibrant part of the city, though little remains today. This area, which thrived from the 1880s to the 1950s, was home to Chinese sailors who arrived on junk boats loaded with tea, spices, and exotic animal skins.
“This time, the same energy exists, but it's East and South East Asian led.” London having multiple Chinatowns is a natural evolution in a capital so large, dynamic and connected to generations of Chinese diaspora.
In the end, Chinatown was gentrified rather than revitalized. Gentrification may lead to safer environments and more profits, but it does not come without consequences.
SoHo in New York City is written as an acronym. It stands for South of Houston street—remember, that's pronounced 'house-ton', not like the Texas city. SoHo wasn't widely used until the 1960s, either. By contrast, London's Soho is named after an old-school hunting call that dates back to the 1500s.
A significant immigrant population, composed mostly of Chinese, Indians, and Koreans, settled in Flushing in the late 20th century and early 21st century, leading to the neighborhood hosting the original Queens Chinatown and being revered as a cultural melting pot.
