This film is part of Free

Chinese Restaurants in Plymouth

A visit to Chinese restaurants in Plymouth and a chance to get to know the staff.

News 1966 5 mins

From the collection of:

Logo for South West Film and Television Archive

Overview

Chef Moyra Babington meets Mr Kim Wong at The China Garden, the largest Chinese restaurant in Plymouth by Perry's Cross and next to Derry's Cross. Hakka or Cantonese cuisine is rising in popularity in the UK and its braised meats, pickles, dumplings and seafood are a popular choice for diners. Mung or Chinese beansprouts are cultivated in the kitchen and there is a chow mein or rather stir-fried noodles boom. The Peking Palace also features.

Mr Wong is a Hakka, Han Chinese people whose ancestral homes are from the Hakka-speaking provincial areas of Guangdong and today incorporate the Special Administrative Regions of China Hong Kong and Macau, former British and Portuguese dependencies. Canton comes from the Portuguese name for Guandong and Cantonese, the food and people of Hong Kong. Guangdong also means ‘expands east’ or ‘east of the pass’ in reference to past mass migrations. There are over 80 million Hakka Chinese around the world and their cuisine is revered for its simplicity. This report aims to give an insight into first generation British Chinese to settle in Plymouth through their work and leisure activities.