The latest China Exchange project, 40 Years, 40 Stories: The Everyday Heritage of People Working in London’s Chinatown (1985-2025), begins in May 2024. This programme will record and celebrate the often hidden stories of people working in Chinatown from 1985 when this part of the West End was officially designated as London’s Chinatown. The area is home to over 150 businesses and a place of work for thousands of ethnically, culturally, linguistically and socially diverse Londoners. However, the history of work and workers in Chinatown is often overlooked and under-represented. China Exchange will explore, reveal and share stories of everyday working lives in Chinatown over the past 40 years, facilitating community-building and advocating for a more nuanced and inclusive understanding of the neighbourhood. The project will be shaped by participants and will include recorded short and long-form interviews.
Centring the principle of co-creation (collaborating with other contributors to guide the design process), we will work closely with members of Chinatown’s workforce and volunteers with a heritage connection to Chinatown to develop this work and decide on the details of the final ways in which the stories are shared. We will showcase these co-created outcomes during the Lunar New Year 2025, the start of the anniversary year for London’s Chinatown.
The project is being managed by Xiao Ma, Cultural Projects Manager and Researcher of China Exchange and is funded by Historic England’s Everyday Heritage grant programme, celebrating working class histories.
