The Original London Chinatown Revealed- Myths and Realities

Posted: March 22nd, 2026 | No Comments »

The Original London Chinatown Revealed- Myths and Realities

Exhibition at St.Anne’s Limehouse, March 20 to July 2026

This exhibition is about the Chinatown that grew up right next to this church, flourished 1900 -1955 and yet almost disappeared from sight in the 1960s.  Only a few clues remain…

We explore how Limehouse Chinatown has been represented and misrepresented in newsprint, fiction, film and popular music. And we contrast this with some of the true stories from the real Chinatown – describing family life, social life and commercial life in an urban village, – with the help of witness testimony and the work of ceramicist Charles Ng.

We explain the mystery surrounding Limehouse Chinatown- how did it appear? – how did it disappear? How did it become associated with powerful urban myths? 

And finally, we consider the legacy of the small Chinese community who lived so close to this church

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