Multi-Culture Britain - Essay Example

144). Therefore, Great Britain is a major destination for immigrants and it is referred to as Multi-Culture Britain today. China has been a major contributor to immigration in Great Britain and it is essential to investigate more about Chinese immigrants in Britain - how the Chinese started their immigration to Britain, what is the current situation of these immigrants, what are the general problems concerning immigration and general racism towards Chinese people and specific problem likes culture shock and people trafficking, etc.

There is an important group of British Chinese (otherwise called Chinese British), the oldest Chinese community in Western Europe, including British-born Chinese in Great Britain today and they are of Chinese lineage and were born in or have migrated to the Great Britain. The Chinese immigrants in Britain today, which has been more widespread and decentralized in comparison with most ethnic minorities in the UK, face several severe issues and this paper undertakes an investigation on their history, their current situation, and their general problems relating to immigration and wide-ranging racism.

Tracing the history of Chinese immigration to the Great Britain, it becomes lucid that the first settlement of Chinese people in the United Kingdom started in the early 19th century, though the first recorded history of a Chinese inBritainis that of the scholar Shen Fu Tsong who visited King James II's court in the 17th century and spent time cataloguing the Chinese collection in the Bodleian Library. The first Chinese settlers, who were originally seamen, naturally settled in the port cities of Liverpool and London, and the first Chinatown in Britain was set up in the Limehouse area in East London.

"However, the largest wave of Chinese immigration consisted mainly of male agricultural workers from Hong Kong and took place during the 1950s and 1960s Despite restrictions in immigration from current and former British colonies beginning in 1962, significant Chinese migration to Britain has continued, largely by relatives of settled Chinese and those qualified for skilled jobs. Today, a significant proportion of British Chinese are second or third generation descendants of these immigrants.

" (Chinese Immigration). Most of the immigrants the 1950s and 1960s were employed in Chinese restaurants and laundries, though it is no more the case with recent British Chinese community. Several Chinatowns, where Chinese restaurants and businesses prevail, were also established in numerous British cities and they have become tourist attractions. Significantly, the most important Chinese immigration, characterized by the relaxed Chinese restrictions on emigration, started in the mid-1980s onwards and has continued until today.

The present situation of the Chinese immigrants in UK raises serious concerns of national and international characteristics. Along with the general issues of immigrants in the Britain and the issues that arise from the multicultural background of the nation, the Chinese experience several specific issues which distinctive of their immigrant experience in the country. Thus, a major issue is caused by the difference in language and the ensuing isolation and depression are common to the Chinese immigrants in Britain.

Though there have been several attempts of support and