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The term entails a corridor of residential nuclei from Westminster in the west, through Camden to Islington in the east of Inner London, signifying population decentralisation but strong socioeconomic and cultural ties with the original enclave. This broader Chinatown concept is incorporated into the discussions in chapter 4 on the theory of Chinese urban hierarchy, and chapter 5 on the residential mobility of the Chinese in and out of Chinatown. The study does, however, apply the narrow definition of the term “Chinatown” in the rest of the discussions, referring to the business enclave in the West End.
Structure of the Book
While this chapter introduces the background and general issues of Chinese immigration and settlement in the British context, chapter 1 proceeds to review the data sources and methodological tools for this project. Chapter 2 traces Chinese migration of the past and contrasts it with that of the present. It offers a historical perspective on the old Chinese diaspora and focuses on various aspects of life and experience of Chinese immigrants in Britain. Attempts are made to consider current changes in the process of Chinese immigration to Britain. The chapter examines at length how changes in both contexts of reception and exit have structured the growth of Chinese immigrants over the last 2 decades.
Chapter 3 synthesises some of the research on Chinatowns and seeks to situate the British context in the existing international literature. It begins by presenting a paradox in the study of Chinatowns and Chinese geographies in Britain. On the one hand, the Chinese are the most dispersed ethnic group in the country with the least visible residential concentration. On the other, Chinatown exists as the most visible economic concentration in many British metropolises.