Chinese seamen brought to Britain by British shipping corporations around the turn of the century lived near the docks in London, Cardiff, Liverpool, and Bristol.
Arriving Chinese seamen frequently stayed in the Docklands until they could find jobs on another ship. Some found work on the docks as day labourers. These labourers were employed on an as-needed basis to load and unload ships. Work was never assured and was contingent on the number of ships that came in and out of the dock each day Some of these sailors chose to make London their permanent home. That’s how Limehouse, in East London, became London’s first China Town or Huabu (华埠)
