Chinese

The first Chinese arrived in Scotland as a result of Scotland's colonial activities. Chinese seamen, hired as cheap labour in China, became stranded in Scottish ports and by the nineteenth century had become an integral part of the Lascar colonies.

While Chinese communities developed in England at this time, it was not until 1960 that the first settled Chinese community developed in Glasgow. The establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949 had been followed by a collapse of the agricultural economy.

In consequence many agricultural workers from the rural New Territories of Hong Kong migrated to England. This in turn led to internal migration of Chinese people to Scotland, seeking new business opportunities.

Restaurants were opened and their success led more Chinese people to follow. They arrived from the urban areas of Hong Kong and from the nearby island of Ap Chau.

In the aftermath of the Vietnam War, Chinese people arrived from Vietnam with other Vietnamese people as political refugees.

Further Chinese migration to Scotland occurred in the 1990s as Hong Kong reverted to Chinese control in 1997.

In recent years Chinese traditional medicine has grown in popularity in Scotland and practitioners can be found in most cities.