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| Oral History of the London Chinese: 'Whispers of Time' |
| Background | Programme, Distribution & Feedback |
| This oral history project recorded memories of early Chinese immigrants in the UK for inclusion in a DVD. The project aimed at achieving the following: |
- To record memories and experience of Chinese elderly who had migrated and settled in the UK since 1950s.
- To enhance understanding of the cultural roots of Chinese customs and values among the mainstream society and the younger Chinese generation.
- To develop sense of community among the Chinese population.
- To empower and develop leadership qualities among the young volunteers.
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| We believe our audience would benefit from understanding our cultural heritage, recognising the past struggle and the present survival of our elderly and, most importantly, appreciating their role in creating today’s multicultural nation. |
| The project was divided into 4 main parts: |
- Planning, recruiting, research, and training (Feb-July 2004)
- Interviews (July-September 2004)
- Editing (October 2004 - March 2005)
- Launch and Activities (April-May 2005)
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| Over 40 volunteers had joined our activities in various stages. There were locally born Chinese, students from Hong Kong and China, working adults, even British people learning to speak Chinese. We had run a comprehensive 4-day training programme in July 2004 in which the following contents were covered: |
- Understanding yourself
- Understanding others
- Communication skills
- Working in a group
- Historical backgrounds of Chinese migration
- Community services accessible to the Chinese community in the UK
- Heightening cultural awareness
- A 1-day reminiscence and interview skills workshop in Age Exchange
- Basic camera and editing skills
- Research ethics
- Pilot interview practice
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| We have interviewed 31 elderly Chinese in London over the summer of 2004; over 27 hours of footage were collected. Our interviewees come from diverse backgrounds: |
- Age: range from 60 to 92
- Geographical location: all living in different boroughs of London; some had lived elsewhere before, such as Liverpool, Dartford, and the Wales.
- Places of origin: China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Burma, Jamaica, and Mexico.
- Languages: Cantonese, Mandarin, and English
- Education: from uneducated to university
- Occupation: artists, poets, nurses, lawyers, accountants, social workers, engineers, office managers, factory foremen, garment workers, laundries, catering business owners and practitioners such as restaurants, takeaways, cafes, etc.
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| Our project is unique because: |
- We promise to produce the first full-length community documentary about Chinese people in the UK.
- We emphasise volunteer participation. Volunteers are involved in every stage from planning, steering, down to implementation.
- We emphasise intergenerational communication. We respect the elderly; they are but a treasure of the community.
- The project is run under severe resource constraints. There is not even one full time staff employed for the project. Yet we aim at creating quality products and enriching experiences. The process is like championing an impossible mission.
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| The DVD features: |
- A 87-minute documentary of interviews with Chinese elderly people in London, professionally edited by Catalin Brylla and illustrated with relevant photographs from archives and individual interviewees, in original languages with English subtitles.
- An interview article of a Malaysian Chinese couple.
- An article detailing the background history of Chinese immigration in Britain.
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| The documentary contains 9 themes: |
- Childhood experiences
- The wars years
- Marriage in China
- Migration
- Early impressions of Britain
- Settlement
- Achievements
- Next generation
- Outlook on British life
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