 | | | Chinese New Year is celebrated in London with a grand parade |
‘Kung Hei Fat Choi!’ That’s a phrase that has been heard many times in London’s Chinatown over the last few days. Why? Because it’s Chinese New Year, and the UK’s Chinese community are celebrating the Year of the Dog. This year the celebrations have been more spectacular than ever with more than 200,000 people congregating to watch a huge parade of lions, dragons, drums, and ribbon and fan dancers. The procession made its way from Chinatown to Trafalgar Square, the very heart of London. London has a proud history of multiculturalism, and the Chinese community is one of the oldest in the city. Chinese immigrants first came to London in the mid 19th Century, consisting mainly of seamen involved in the tea trade via Canton. For that reason Cantonese is still spoken more widely in the UK than Mandarin. A more recent wave of immigration took place in the 1960s when many workers came from Hong Kong to find work in the flourishing restaurant business. One part of the central London neighbourhood of Soho became synonymous with Chinese restaurants and began to be known as Chinatown. Today more than 60,000 people of Chinese descent live in London which means that there are plenty of people to conduct the New Year festivities. This year’s celebrations include more than 100 events from lion-dancing to elephant chess, whilst London’s museums, art galleries and theatres are running special China-themed seasons. Much of this has been organised through partnerships between Chinese community groups and the Mayor of London’s office. Indeed, London’s Mayor, Ken Livingstone, has been an outspoken advocate of strengthening ties between the UK and China. In his Chinese New Year speech he said, “To everyone in China, think of London as your second home.” So whether you are in London, Beijing or Hong Kong, have a happy Chinese New Year. | 
