China Exchange UK

20/09/2024

With heavy hearts, we share that China Exchange has entered into a voluntary liquidation process and is closed with immediate effect.

Over the last 9.5 years, 41,000 people have joined our activities. Our incredible team of volunteers have committed thousands of hours to supportive heritage making in London’s Chinatown and we see the ripples of their efforts across the area. We are so appreciative of our incredible staff and volunteers past and present who have worked in many ways to overcome the challenges of the last few years - you are all amazing!

The building at 32a Gerrard Street will be returned to the landlord. The Trustees will be appointing insolvency practitioners. Formal notification to creditors will follow.

The charity’s heritage and community work will be entrusted to a community-based organisation, Chinatown Collective, which will allow certain projects to continue.

Costs have grown substantially and our income model was not sustainable in the current economic environment. Generating income through our building has been harder since the pandemic and a run of expensive repairs have left the charity with no other options. Our hardworking team members have been made redundant. We hope that other employers will jump at the chance to work with people who have proven their skills at China Exchange.

Thank you to our funders, project partners and collaborators, audience members and guests. We appreciate everyone who has contributed to our China Exchange community and we are proud of what we have built. Thank you for being with us.

24/06/2024

Check out one of our most recent tour testimonials!

Join our next walking tour this Sunday 30 June 11:30-14:00. Book your tickets via the link in our bio!

15/05/2024

China Exchange is seeking a paid to join the team to support the 40 Stories, 40 Years project, funded by Historic England.

Intern will be paid £13.15 per hour and asked to work 16 hours per week from September to November 2024 in our office in London’s Chinatown.

To apply, please send us your CV and a cover letter to [email protected] by 23:59 on 9 June 2024. We will hold interviews in the week of 17 June.

Learn more about the details of this opportunity via the link in our bio.

15/05/2024

The latest China Exchange project, 40 Years, 40 Stories: The Everyday Heritage of People Working in London’s Chinatown (1985-2025), begins in May 2024.

Centring the principle of co-creation, we will work closely with members of Chinatown’s workforce and volunteers with a heritage connection to Chinatown to develop this work and decide on the details of the final ways in which the stories are shared.

We will showcase these co-created outcomes during the 2025, the start of the anniversary year for . Visit the link in our bio for more details!

We will share information over summer... watch this space!

22/04/2024

Discover the charm of our Chinatown Stories walking tours with satisfied visitors. Take a look at one of our latest tour reviews!

Tickets for this Sunday 28 April's Chinatown Stories walking tour are still available! Follow the link (What's On) in our bio to book!

16/04/2024

Have you been to our monthly Chinatown Stories walking tours? Every month, our fantastic fully trained History Champion volunteers lead 2.5-hour tours of London’s Chinatown.

The tours provide an in-depth look at the history of our neighbourhood, bringing to the surface stories of the area’s hidden history. They share incredible stories of entrepreneurship, migration, family histories and transformations.

The ticket price includes a delicious family-style Chinese lunch served at a local restaurant, giving you time to relax and get to know our guides.

Book this month's tour via the link below.

Discover the fascinating stories and characters behind this iconic district and gain a whole new perspective on London’s Chinatown! Our award-winning trained volunteer History Champions can’t wait to take you on a journey through this area’s complex, nuanced and fascinating evolution.

08/04/2024

We are seeking a skilled webmaster who is confident using WordPress and Elementor to manage and maintain the China Exchange website on a freelance basis (£20ph, 2-3 hrs per month).

The Webmaster will be responsible for ensuring the website works smoothly across all devices and help our small team resolve issues in a timely manner. Find out more details via the link below.

To apply, please email [email protected] by 23:59 on Tuesday 16 April 2024.

20/03/2024

Did we tell you that we have the best in town? We are inspired by the dedication of our Alex, Coco, Stephanie, and Jonathan, all members of our volunteer team, who are gearing up for the London Landmarks Half Marathon in April to raise money for China Exchange.

Each of the runners has been training hard and raising sponsorship money, with different motivations behind their efforts. Please support this wonderful team via the links in our bio!

19/03/2024

Tickets for this month’s Chinatown Stories walking tour are still available! Follow the link (What's On) in our bio to book!

Our tours provide you with an opportunity to find out more about Chinatown’s multi-layered history. Each experience lasts 2.5 hrs, led by one of our very own excellent History Champion tour guides.

Your ticket price also includes a family-style Chinese lunch at a local restaurant. A proportion of your ticket money is donated to two local charities that support people who rely on our neighbourhood.

24/02/2024

As part of our Spring Volunteer Action Day, we invited to lead a Queering Chinatown Zine-making workshop for us. We enjoyed learning, sharing and reflecting on our ways of seeing Chinatown. We made zines to explore how to build a more gender/LGBTQ-inclusive Chinatown. Thank you for an informative, fun and thought-provoking workshop!

19/02/2024

It's our 9th birthday! We're celebrating with this selection of nine highlights and some cake with our volunteers at the weekend. Thank you to all who have supported us to get this far.

11/02/2024

We’re welcoming people at 32a Gerrard Street to create “The Homecoming”, a community created art work to share experiences and ideas about home.
Here’s some of the contributions so far!
Happy new year!

07/02/2024

Would you like to take part in the London Landmarks Half Marathon on 7 April? The last place in our fundraising team of runners is available - registration closes on 14 February so get in touch now. Places for the race are full so charities are the only remaining route. Run for it!

15/01/2024

Join our half-term edition of the Lunar New Year tour of London’s Chinatown on Monday 12 February 11:30am-1pm. Our award-winning trained volunteers are ready to welcome you to explore this fascinating part of London!

This is a tour-only date, and the content will be adapted for an 11+ audience - the juicy details will be delivered in an age-appropriate way and there’ll be extra special mentions for bubble tea! Book now.

10/01/2024

Lunar New Year is one of the most popular times of the year for our award-winning History Champion volunteers to lead Chinatown Stories walking tours. This year our special edition Lunar New Year tour is on Sunday 28 January 11:30am-2pm. Book ahead as this edition usually sells out and has a waiting list!

Your ticket price also includes a Chinese lunch served family-style at a local restaurant, and a proportion of your ticket money is donated to three local charities supporting this neighbourhood.

Photo credit: Jieying Shao

20/12/2023

We've made a list, checked it twice, and despatched all our online Made in Chinatown orders! Hurray for parcel tape and the Post Office. Our pop-up and online shops are now both closed until the new year so that our amazing volunteers can have a rest. Thank you to everyone who bought a Made in Chinatown item this year - every sale makes more community and heritage work in Chinatown possible (and makes our CEO Freya do a happy dance)

15/12/2023

Cherie Kwok's gorgeous design, Layers of Chinatown, depicts the multi-layers of intangible cultural , experiences, and memories from people who have a strong connection with .

It is featured on this high-quality, sustainable cotton t-shirt as a monotone illustration printed in blue, green, or pink.

Add the Layers of Chinatown t-shirt to your lists and take this chance to support Chinatown. All our sales support future projects in the neighbourhood. The t-shirts are available in our online shop (link in bio) and pop-up shop at China Exchange this Sunday from 12 noon to 6 pm.
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13/12/2023

We are so grateful to our volunteers who are staffing our Made in Chinatown pop-up shop this festive season!

If you haven't visited the shop yet, come this Sunday (17 Dec) between 12 noon and 6 pm! Our volunteers are looking forward to sharing the lovely range of with you.

📍Address: China Exchange, 32a Gerrard Street, London W1D 6JA