LONDON’S CHINATOWN

Greymouth Evening Star, 28 December 1940, Page 5

LONDON’S CHINATOWN

FATE AMID THE AIR RAIDS LONDON, OctoW-i. Chinatown, like the other parts of London has suffered from the air raids. Many of the inhabitants, including a majority of the women and children, have gone, but some remain. Mr. Ho Ling, proprietor of a- restaurant in Pennyfields, Limehouse, has boarded up the windows of his restaurant, but he. still carries on serving meals to the few that come. “No plenty Chinese come now —too much air raids,” he said. Mr. Ho Ling never goes up West to shelter, because he has several clients who still rely upon him for dinner. His Anderson in the yard is well dug in, so well dug in that it looks like a hutment on the Canton River. He invites several of his friends in and they sit there talking of the “old days” until the all-clear sounds. The Chung Hwa Club, the next house along Pennyfields, no longer resounds to the laughter of children of an evening. It was started by the Chinese Ambassador a few years ago, so that London-born Chinese children could learn something 'of the culture of ancient China and something of their classic tongue, Mandarin. They used to meet there Tuesdays and Thursdays to hear stories of ancient China. Chinese students from London University used to come and help. To-day the Chinese Consul comes down. But it is only to meet the older Chinese and see what can be done by, richer Chinese for their poorer compatriots who have suffered in air raids. Mr. Fong, the, Chinese butcher at the corner of Pennyfields, is closed. There was not enough trade going for him to keep open. And most of the Chinese laundries are also closed.