Liverpool Photo Gallery - Chinatown

Liverpool's Chinatown started with seamen employed by the Blue Funnel Shipping Line, which linked Liverpool with Shanghai and Hong Kong. Many Chinese migrants arrived in the late 1860s, creating the first Chinatown in Europe. Founded by Alfred Holt in 1865, the Blue Funnel ran the world's first regular long-distance cargo liner service. Trade with the Far East was its primary business with tea and silk being the main imports while Lancashire cotton was exported. Services ended in the early 1970s. The original Chinatown was actually around the docks. The current community dates from after World War II as the original area was badly damaged by bombing. It's relatively small with just a short block on Nelson Street although surrounding streets also have a sprinlkle of shops and restaurants.