Forgotten photos show London’s first Chinatown in East London

We’ve all come to think of Chinatown as an integral part of Soho known for its vibrant decorations, rich cuisine, and instagrammable bars. Notorious restaurants line the streets of Soho with colourful displays that attract tourists from all over the world – with more than 100 local food businesses in the area, it’s not hard to find what you’re looking for.

Decades of hard work and development has made Chinatown what it is today. But its history stretches back long before the first restaurant opened on Gerard Street in the 1950s. In fact, London’s first Chinatown was based all the way in the east side of the capital.

READ MORE: ‘I went on the hunt for East London’s forgotten Chinatown known as a ‘den of criminals and drugs’

Chinatown was originally based in Limehouse – an area which Chinese immigrants first started populating in the late 18th century. The earliest settlers, who were almost exclusively men from Canton and Southern China, first established a community in Limehouse Causeway. Most were originally sailors serving on board European ships.

The men who ended up in London were promised money and maintenance in British ports whilst they waited to return to Asia but, in reality, most were abandoned and the seamen were forced to take up jobs unloading tea at the docks. Eventually, appalling living conditions led them to Limehouse.

By 1914, Chinese restaurants and shops had started to thrive in the area. Limehouse may have been rumoured to have the odd opium den or two but as a whole it was considered a law-abiding area that had its own charm.

Nearby, another community, known as the Shanghai Community developed in Pennyfields and Ming Street. By the 1920s there were a couple of hundred Chinese immigrants living in this area and a number of organisations had been established, such as the Chung Hwa Club, to create a space for teaching the Chinese language and crafts.

Rival gangs from the Cantonese and Shanghainese community eventually began fighting to seize control of gambling houses in the area but the levels of crime were exaggerated by novels and fiction at the time. By the 1920s, Limehouse Chinatown had become associated with drug dealing, exotic mystery, and prostitution due to the imaginative storytelling of several authors and filmmakers.

Ultimately though the Chinese community was never fated to last in East London. Limehouse was heavily bombed during the Blitz and the area subsequently entered into decline during the interwar period.

At the same time, it was WW2 which brought business back to the Chinese community after British soldiers, who had served in East Asia, returned with a craving for Chinese food. Following London County Council’s post-war slum clearance, Chinese immigrants moved en masse to Soho where the first restaurant popped up in the 1950s.

Soho itself was established during the construction following the Great Fire of London. Now that Chinatown has its base in the area, it’s been nicknamed “The Imperial City” by members of the community who realised Chinatown is nestled right in the heart of the city’s capital.

Want more news from MyLondon? Sign up for our free newsletters here.

Do you want to stay up to date with the latest news, views, features and opinion from across the city?

MyLondon’s brilliant newsletter The 12 is absolutely jam packed with all the latest to keep you keep you entertained, informed and uplifted.

You’ll get 12 stories straight to your inbox at around 12pm. It’s the perfect lunchtime read.

And what’s more – it’s FREE!

The MyLondon team tells London stories for Londoners. Our journalists cover all the news you need – from City Hall to your local streets, so you’ll never miss a moment.

Don’t skip a beat and sign up to The 12 newsletter here.