This week sees the start of the Chinese Year of the Rooster and Chinatown is the centre of a range of events planned for London’s first China Week.
It's an eclectic range of events that include Puppet Theatre, Lantern making, Chinese films and art exhibitions with one of the highlights being the Year of the Rooster New Year Festival Variety Show at the Royal Festival Hall on Sunday 20th of Feb. The show will include "acrobats from Hunan Province, plus Peking Opera from Beijing, stunning costumes and face masks and athletic skills calling on immense physical prowess and split-second timing".
Residents and merchants in the Chinatown area are probably not getting too carried away with celebrations though as they are currently facing a planned development that could ruin the areas unique atmosphere.
Property developer Rosewheel is planning a "chic shopping mall" that will mean the eviction of 17 merchants when their leases expire in March. There's a campaign to save Chinatown, but its doubtful that it will ultimately have any impact and while the developers say it's too early to say how the development will shape up, images from the architect are described as "a three-floor market-like warren of shops in a kitsch Chinese style".
