Should ‘China Town’ be renamed? – Leena Jenson
Over the last decade so much has changed; especially in regards to diversity and representation of people from different ethnic minorities increasing. In London diversity has increased with a higher influx of Asians groups migrating here, and diversity is celebrated.
China Town was created in the 18th Centaury due to the high Chinese population in London at the time. China Town became an Asian hub for Chinese people as it formed its own sort of community. But over the last 10 years China Town has changed significantly.
The first way China Town was changed: was the streets were cleaned and the stalls were removed. Although this may seem small however China is known for it’s flee markets, but now china town has shop lots so the stalls which were run by first generation Chinese are no longer there. It may seem like a cliché but the stalls added a sense of authenticity, now it feels, artificial.
The second way China Town has changed is that it is no longer exclusively Chinese anymore its home to other Asians cuisines such as: Japanese, Thai, Korean, Singaporean, Malaysian and more. Which by no means a bad thing but should we still call it China Town even if it’s home to multiple Asian cuisines.
When asking about it a few people brought up that it feeds into the stereotype of all Asians being the same.
Based on that do you think we should rebrand ‘China Town’?
Leena Jenson
