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The First Opium War (1840-1842)After the monopoly of the East India Company ended in 1833, Chinese ports opened for trade to other British companies. Those companies deemed the trading of opium as highly-profitable. Opium flooded the country despite being banned for non-medicinal use by decree of Emperor Yongzheng since 1729.
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Established in 1877, The Chinese Embassy in the United Kingdom (former Chinese Legation) is the first diplomatic mission abroad in the history of China.
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Liverpool was granted city status in 1880. When local government was reformed in 1888 under the Local Government Act 1888 it was one of the cities to become a county borough, and thus independent of Lancashire.
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As the first gambling dens opened up in 1917, the Chinese Seamen’s Welfare Centre opened in Bedford Street to provide a place for the sailors to gather.
(http://www.liverpoolinanutshell.com/about-liverpool/liverpool-china-town) -
Statistics obtained by the Police stated the total number of Chinese men on shore in Liverpool as 3,200. (Hyde E. Francis, Blue Funnel: A history of Alfred Holt & Co of Liverpool, 1865 – 1914.)
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Plans to re-build Chinatown were first published in the Post and Mercury as early as 1934 when many residents were becoming increasingly resentful that the area had been given the name ‘Chinatown’. The Docks and surrounding areas were heavily bombed in World War Two and as a result Pitt Street and Upper Frederick Street were later demolished by Liverpool Corporation. The Chinese community then spread into Nelson Street and Great George Square.
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In the wake of China's military defeat, with British warships poised to attack the city, representatives from the British and Qing Empires negotiated aboard HMS Cornwallis anchored at Nanjing. On 29 August 1842, British representative Sir Henry Pottinger and Qing representatives, Qiying, Yilibu, and Niujian, signed the treaty. It consisted of thirteen articles and ratification by Queen Victoria and the Daoguang Emperor was exchanged nine months later.
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In November 1944 the Sunday Express reported both the opening of the first Chinese bank outside London in Bold Place and the publication of England’s first hand written Chinese newspaper. (Lynn, Loh Irene 1982, The Chinese Community in Liverpool and their unmet needs. Merseyside Area Profile Group)
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On 8 October 1856, Qing officials boarded the Arrow, a Chinese-owned ship (a lorcha) that had been registered in Hong Kong and was suspected of piracy and smuggling. Twelve Chinese crew members were arrested on suspicion of piracy by the Chinese authorities. The British officials in Guangzhou demanded the release of the sailors, claiming that because the ship had recently been British-registered, it was protected under the Treaty of Nanjing. The British insisted that the Arrow had been flying a
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Mr C. K. Cheung founded the Wah Sing in 1965. It started formerly on the first floor of the Tai Wah Restaurant opposite the ABC Cinema in Lime Street for members to learn the thoughts of Chairman Mao Zedong and to distract the community from gambling. Members later suggested teaching their children Cantonese and the Chinese school was established with eight children which now has over two hundred and sixty students.
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In 1977 Merseyside’s first ever Chinese pressure group formed and held their first public meeting to discuss language barriers and ease social and cultural problems. (Lynn, Loh Irene 1982)
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The entrance of Liverpool’s Chinatown is landmarked by a beautifully crafted traditional Chinese arch. It is to commemorate the twinning of the two cities - Shanghai and Liverpool. The structure was imported piece by piece from Shanghai, and then reconstructed by craftsmen from China. There are 200 dragons on the wooden and marble structure with a mixture of stunning gold, red, green and the Chinese Royal colour of yellow. The archway stands at 15m high, which makes it the largest Chinese Arch o
