Chinese sailors
who decided to stay in Liverpool and work from here settled
in an area of the city that was close to the docks in Cleveland
Square.
Boarding houses were first opened by the Holt Shipping Company
to accommodate their workers. According to Mr. So of the Wah
Sing Chinese Community Centre by 1871 there were 202 Chinese
settled in Liverpool.
It was here and in the surrounding streets that the first
Chinese settlers started their own businesses supplying services
to their countrymen who found themselves in a strange city,
where the language and customs were alien. For example, they
opened boarding-houses where the men could talk in their own
language and be understood, cafes so that they could buy cooked
food and shops where they could buy the necessary groceries
to prepare their own meals. One of the first Chinese shops
to open was in Pitt Street.
|
