WWW.CHINATOWNMUSEUM.ORG
唐人街博物館
Museum of Chinatown History Project
last updated 9 September 2007

"THE CHINATOWN PROJECT"
International Institute for Transcultural and Diasporic Studies
LIVERPOOL HOPE UNIVERSITY

New : THE ANFIELD-SHANDONG BORDER or THE IRONIES OF WAR

---

Copyright © Gregory Lee

---

LINKS

• Other Museums and Renovation Projects

---

 The Chinatown Project  comes under the purview of the International Institute for Transcultural and Diaspora Studies (IITDS), an institute in which the universities of Liverpool Hope, Lyon (France), Sun Yat-sen (Canton) all collaborate. The Director of the project is Gregory Lee, also Professor of Chinese Studies at the University of Lyon, who acts as Director of both the Liverpool and Lyon branches of the IITDS.

Liverpool Hope's Chinatown Project aims (i) to record and preserve the history of Liverpool Chinatown and its inhabitants, and (ii) to compare Liverpool's Chinese community's history and experience with those of other communities throughout the Chinese diaspora. 

But rather than just establish a research centre within the walls of the university, we would like to work in partnership with the Chinese community and to establish a Museum of Chinatown History within Chinatown, preferably in one of the now derelict properties in Nelson Street.

"Scandinavian Hotel" Nelson Street

Our vision for the Museum would be along the lines of the New York, San Francisco and Melbourne Chinatown museums. For instance, the New York Chinatown History Museum founded in 1980 as the New York Chinatown History Project, changed its name to Chinatown History Museum in 1991, and in 1995 became the Museum of Chinese in the Americas. As Liverpool is the site of Europe's oldest Chinatown, we can envisage a similar future role for Liverpool's Chinatown History Museum.

The Museum would also incorporate a photographic and text archive. We shall launch an appeal for photographs and documents. The Museum would also serve as a research documentation centre for international academics, and as a learning centre for the community and its schools. A new Liverpool Hope MA in Chinese Cultural and Diasporic Studies (co-taught with Canton's Sun Yat-sen University) will start up shortly, and will embrace the research of students who wish to work on Chinatown history and culture and participate in the recording of oral histories of Liverpool Chinatown inhabitants.

Numerous members of the Chinese community, as well as local councillors and others committed to regeneration of the area, have expressed their enthusiasm for the project. They see the Museum as a focus for a renaissance of Chinatown. 

Nantian julebu, "Southern Skies Club", 38 Nelson Street, Liverpool L1  

(Formerly known as the Cosy Café)

 This photo is public: http://www.flickr.com/photos/newfolder/1113993295/

Moreover, the project is a major priority for Liverpool Hope University and the Vice-Chancellor, Gerard Pillay, is backing it 100%. We aim to have the museum up and running within 24 months.

A meeting was held in October 2007 in Berry Street's Far Eastern Restaurant to discuss and launch the project with members of the local community, L1 Partnership, and Liverpool Council representatives. The City Council subsequently unanimously voted to support the project. 

A Steering Group has now been established to move the project forward

In the meantime it is hoped to set up a temporary Chiinatown History exhibition in the Nelson Street/Berry Street area and we are seeking premises.will also be on display. 

All those interested in offering help, advice, or documents and photographs for the future museum, are invited to contact Gregory Lee at lee@chinatownmuseum.org This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

---