Newcastle Chinese Organisations

The ties between North East and China can be traced back to the nineteenth century when the Navy of the Ching dynasty placed an order between 1881-1887 to build four military ships from the then thriving ship building industry in Newcastle. It is believed that Chinese people began to settle in the North East shortly after the end of World War II in late 1940s. They were mostly sailors from Southern China.

There are several well-established Chinese organizations in Newcastle and surrounding areas, playing different roles to bridge the gap between the government and the local Chinese communities. Quite often they provide essential services for members of the Chinese communities, in collaboration with organizations like NHS, NSPCC, various Carers’ Centres, and Black-centred groups. In particular, they organize physical and educational activities to promote healthy living lifestyles, as well as carry out food safety courses to enable catering sector workers to comply with national food safety requirements. Such organizations encourage their members to be civic-minded, integrating themselves into mainstream society. For example, they have been actively involved in various fund-raising campaigns for local hospitals and BBC Children in Need. In 2020, at the height of the Covid pandemic, Newcastle Chinese organisations raised funds for purchasing personal protective equipment for local hospital frontline medical staff.