Discover China in London

More than 125,000 people of Chinese ancestry live in the Greater London area.

There are many Chinese community centres across the city which can be found in Chinatown, Barnet, Camden, Hackney, Islington, Lambeth, Haringey, and Tower Hamlets.

There are also large organisations such as the London Chinese Community Centre, London Chinatown Chinese Association and the London Cultural Centre, which all organise regular community events for anyone to attend.

What else has London got on offer for its Chinese community? Keep reading to find out more.

Chinatown

With over 70 authentic East Asian restaurants, shops, bars and cafés, Chinatown plays a large part in London’s Chinese community. Located in the heart of the Capital, at Gerrard Street near Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square, it is easily accessible to all. Here, you can find anything from a large range of Chinese restaurants, supermarkets and bakeries, to reflexology facilities and more. To read more about the history of London’s Chinatown, visit visitlondon.com.

Restaurants

Although a large number of Chinese restaurants are located in Chinatown, there are still plenty of others across London. Here are some of our top picks:

BaoziInn (London Bridge)

With several convenient branches across London (Chinatown, Soho, London Bridge, Victoria and the West End) Baozilnn boasts a rich menu to cater for everyone. Their options include dim sum, street food and traditional dumplings.

Their London Bridge restaurant (34-36 Southwark Road) is only a 12 minutes bus journey away from campus, making it a perfect lunchtime spot.

Mandarin Kitchen (Queensway)

If you decide to venture into West London and get hungry – take a visit to Mandarin Kitchen. Specialising in Asian seafood, its speciality dishes include Braised Whole Abalone in Oyster Sauce and Braised Supreme Shark’s Fin in Brown Sauce. Located only minutes away from Queensway tube station and Kensington Gardens, Mandarin Kitchen well located for a meal after a walk through the picturesque Kensington Gardens.

Supermarkets

One of the main benefits of living in London is the easy access to a huge variety of global cuisines and products. Some of our top picks of Chinese supermarkets include:

• China Ark Supermarket – only a 25-minute walk or a bus journey away from campus, you can find this Supermarket. Check out their Facebook Page.
• Loon Fung -with branches in various parts of London – Tottenham, Colindale, Alperton and Stratford.
• Chuanglee Limited – also located in China Town, offers both a physical shop and online shopping, for those who prefer to shop from the comfort of their home.

Karaoke

For  avid karaoke fans, London has many places to choose from, including:

• Kirin Chinese Restaurant – near Cannon St Station. With a selection of over 60,000 songs from all over the world, it is a perfect spot for various celebrations, birthday parties etc.
• Canton Element – a short trip underground from campus. Get on the Central Line from Liverpool Street to Holborn and try some delicious dim, accompanied by a karaoke session. With two Karaoke rooms, Canton Element is a must-visit for all karaoke enthusiasts.
• Looking for a karaoke party in central London? You should visit SanXia in Fitzrovia.

Learning & library

London is home to the Westminster Chinese Library which is based in Charing Cross Library. It is home to one of the UK’s biggest public collections of Chinese materials. Users of the library can select from a collection of over 50,000 Chinese books, music and films..

Festivals

The London Dragon Boat Festival is held annually in June at the London Regatta Centre, Royal Albert Docks. It is organised by the London Chinatown Lions Club.

The charity event has plenty of activities on dry land, with a festival of Asian food, martial arts displays, face painting and balloon modelling, as well as traditional Chinese Lion dancing.

Being the largest city in the UK, and the most ethnically diverse, London has plenty to offer to its Chinese community. With a great choice of restaurants, supermarkets and entertainment venues, you will feel at home here.

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