The Ken Hom Lecture: The Future of China Towns with Ken Hom, Fuchsia Dunlop, Freya Aitken-Turff and Geoff Leong
Tuesday, February 20 2018, 6.30pm - 9pm, at Asia House, 63 New Cavendish Street, London, W1G 7LP
China Towns: Do they have a future?
Ken Hom, Fuchsia Dunlop, Freya Aitken-Turff and Geoff Leong
Part of a series on Asian food and culture from The Oxford Cultural Collective in partnership with Lee Kum Kee and Asia House
This event includes a drinks and canape reception.
Follow this link to book tickets (tickets are free of charge , but booking is essential).
As they migrated around the world, Chinese people developed distinct ethnic enclaves in leading cities and seaports. China Towns have survived for centuries, helping the Diaspora maintain a sense of connection and community, whilst also serving as points of transition into new cultures. For visitors, China Towns are primarily about food. They are exotic destinations that offer a glimpse of ‘authentic’ Chinese culinary culture.
Our panel of experts will consider the future of China Towns. Can they survive in the face of urban regeneration, and do they have a place in increasingly global, multi-cultural cities?
Ken Hom is acknowledged as one of the world’s leading experts on Chinese and Asian cuisine. He is the author of almost forty books and has presented five hugely successful television series. In Britain alone, the Ken Hom Wok is in one out of every seven domestic kitchens. Ken’s recent autobiography, My Stir-Fried Life, tells of his upbringing in Chicago’s China Town. He is a Patron of The Oxford Cultural Collective.
Fuchsia Dunlop is an award-winning food writer and cook specialising in Chinese cuisine. She was the first Westerner to train as a chef at the Sichuan Higher Institute of Cuisine, has been researching Chinese cooking and culinary culture for more than two decades and is the author of five books on the topic. Her writing has appeared in publications including the Financial Times and the New Yorker and she makes regular appearances as a Chinese food expert on radio and TV.
Freya Aitken-Turff is the CEO of China Exchange in London’s Chinatown where she leads a programme of activities designed to bring people to the area for more than just food. In 2017 she received a Fellowship from the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust to research how Chinatowns around the world are responding to change and challenge. Freya studied Mandarin at Fudan University.
Geoff Leong is a restaurant owner and cultural ambassador. He is founder of the Leong’s family holdings of restaurants which includes Dumplings’ Legend and Leong’s Legend. He is CEO of the China Foundation, a Patron of The Spirit of London and a Patron of Art for Grenfell 2017. He is a long-term advocate for arts and cultural exchange between China and Britain. He is dedicated to ensuring that China Town remains relevant to future generations, not least through his support for the arts, fashion, music and film.
Lee Kum Kee was founded by restaurateur, Mr Lee Kum Sheung, in 1888 at Nam Shui village in the Guangdong Province, South China. He was also the inventor of Oyster Sauce – one of the most commonly used sauces in Chinese restaurants and households across the world. It is the number one sauce brand in Hong Kong and also one of the largest and best known Chinese brands in the global Chinese market. Lee Kum Kee products are available in UK supermarkets and independent Asian stores nationwide.
Follow this link to book tickets (tickets are free of charge , but booking is essential).