'Low Budget Lead' - a bbc short film!

Hi all. First of all apologies for the lack of recent posts. I have been incredibly busy but rest assured the blog is not forgotten and I hope to have some more interesting posts to come very soon (including another side-by-side).

What prompted this sudden return to the blog? A short film, that's what! Made by Jason Francis Lau during his final year at Brunel University, the film is described as a POV documentary and is an interesting look at life as a young British-born Chinese and indeed as a student in general. You can see a short trailer (which includes a link to the full film) here:



These days, most people's idea of a POV video would be a Youtube comment. This is actually a lot more creative and a lot more personal. The films starts off with a general look at life at uni and gradually (from about 9 mins) starts to focus more on the British-born Chinese aspect before then switching between the two.

Considering it was made without any budget, by Jason on his own, it's an impressive achievement. It blends multiple aspects of Jason's life and ends up as a pretty rare portrait of 'normal' uni life and a even rarer depiction of a young bbc's life.

Check out the film. Whilst British-born Chinese have made some media inroads in terms of appearances as actors and presenters, isn't it time we started seeing some bbc documentary and filmmakers too?

Happy 2012!

Photo: Miss O'Kistic

Apologies for the lack of posts recently. Hope to resume normal service now the festive period has passed :)

Happy New Year to all b.b.c. blog readers, and see you soon for more topical posting this new year. Now... bring on Chinese New Year!

China's Got Talent to hold UK auditions

Calling all karaoke stars, musicians and performers...This could be interesting.

A lot of UK talent shows already feature Chinese or Asian auditionees - often, it has to be said for comedy value (see Goldie Cheung)

But now, a show that was conceived in the UK and was then exported to China is now coming back to the UK to search for British contestants to compete in China!

According to Shanghaiist:

... contestants must 'have a connection to China, either through language, family, or simply an appreciation of Chinese art forms.' Which sounds to us like the floodgates are open for hordes of random non-Chinese people trying to get famous by singing Chinese songs.

This sounds like a great potential opportunity for the many talented singers and performers out there.

Want to give it a shot? head over t the 'CGT' facebook page here.

The Lowdown on the HK$6000 payout

Word has probably reached you by now that the Hong Kong government is offering all its permanent citizens a one-off payment of HK$6000 over the next couple of years.

Similar to but not the same as the US 'stimulus check', the move has been prompted by pressure from Hong Kong citizens who are becoming increasingly frustrated at the rising costs of living on the SAR, especially for housing.

An initial plan to make payments into citizen's state pensions schemes was scrapped in favour of an immediate handout.

Rather than get into a lengthy explanation of the scheme, I thought I would just direct readers to this blog , where everything you need to know has been posted already by ben.ism.

And this is the link to the official HK government website for the scheme.

Will you be applying? HK$6000 equates to roughly GBP460, which might cover a return flight from London if you're lucky.

Bear in mind you have to either have an active HK bank account or be able to collect a cheque in person from a Hong Kong Post office. There is also a set timetable for when to apply and when your cheque will be ready (see official website)

Do you know a rebellious, b.b.c. teen?

Readers, do you know any misbehaved, spoilt or downright out of control British Chinese teenagers?

Are their parents at a loss as to how to get through to them or change their behaviour? Perhaps you are one of these unruly teens yourself?

The BBC is looking for more participants for its successful reality show The World's Strictest Parents and would are inviting applications from the UK Chinese community.

In each episode two teens are sent to live with a ‘strict’ family abroad, where they are asked to live according to new rules, required to attend school, and get a taste of what it is to be a teenager in a very different, and often less fortunate culture. In previous programmes the show has sent teenagers everywhere from Jaipur to Jamaica, and Accra to Atlanta.

Do you know of anyone who would benefit from such an experience? If so, please contact the programme makers here.

Who knows, we might be seeing a b.b.c. face on this show in the future?

Link: The World's Strictest Parents

Is Susan Ma the feistiest and smartest candidate of The Apprentice 2011?

She's certainly the youngest and unfortunately she may also the be most naive, and the least adept at defending herself in an argument. So what will become of the Shanghai-born, British based entrepreneur currently battling it out for a business partnership with Lord Alan Sugar?

If you've been following this year's 'The Apprentice', you can't have failed to notice Susan Ma, who has emerged as one of the characters to watch not least because of her ongoing rows with fellow contestants.

Aged 21 at the time of filming, Susan is full of youthful enthusiasm as opposed to boardroom soundbites in stark contrast to her fellow candidates. But whilst she often displays quickness of mind and eagerness, she has also stumbled in the tasks (overestimating her ability to sell luxury fake tan to the good people of Birmingham and comically failing to explain her idea for a mobile phone app, for example).

Outside of the show, though, there is little doubt about her business abilities as she has built up a bona fide business selling natural skincare products, an enterprise that she says enabled her to pay off her mother's mortgage.

My view is that Susan is a smart young woman with good business instincts but hindered by poor communication skills and lacking maturity. Will Lord Sugar see past the flaws and give her a shot at the ultimate prize of a £250,000 business investment?

Tune in tonight on BBC1 at 9:00 to find out.



Link: The Apprentice, BBC

Link: Susan Ma homepage

Link: Susan Ma's company, Tropic Skincare

Silver Vauxhall Corsa sought in connection with Northampton deaths

Police are searching for a rented Silver Vauxhall Corsa in connection with the apparent murder of a Chinese family in Northampton, in the East Midlands.

UPDATE: The main suspect has been named as Anxiang Du (above). Press are reporting that Du recently lost a court case against the Dings to do with their joint herbal remedy business. Did a money dispute lead to these tragic deaths?

A mother, father and 2 daughters were the victims. The father was Jeff Ding (below), a lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University.

Police suspect the attack may have been targeted rather than a botched robbery or a random incident.


Anyone with details about the incident can call police on 0800 0961011 or 0207 1580126 and ask for Operation Nene.

Source: Northampton Chronicle

Is this a sad sight?

Walk to the centre of London's historic Chinatown and what will you find? Perhaps a museum charting the history of Chinese immigrants in the UK? A cultural centre celebrating the richness and diversity of Chinese art and society? Well, not quite. How about a giant betting shop?




To be fair you will also find many great restaurants, community centres and lots of Chinese-run businesses and services. I just find it a little sad that this is what occupies such a prominent position in Chinatown (and the fact it wouldn't be there if there wasn't a demand for it).

Takeaway chefs from HK/China excluded in new immigration quotas

As part of our coalition government's promise to 'clamp down' on non-European Union immigration, the Home Office has announced new restrictions on the number and types of people who can migrate to the UK from outside the EU to work.

The new rules mean that, for example, someone from China or Hong Kong who wants to come to the UK to work as a chef in a takeaway will no longer be allowed to do so.

It's a blow to the Chinese catering industry which has been calling for special dispensation to employ migrant workers as part of the Strangers into Citizens campaign (see video above).

Chinese chefs will still be permitted to work in UK restaurants as long as they meet certain criteria (minimum five years' experience, income of £28,260 after accommodation and food) but takeaways are excluded.

The BBC reports:

"Immigration Minister Damian Green: "These changes will allow firms to bring in people with necessary skills without migrants becoming the first resort to fill a wide range of available jobs.

"This government is also determined to get people back to work and provide business with the skills they need from the British workforce - reducing the need for migrants at the same time as we reduce their number."

I understand the move might be logical from a domestic and political point of view - when there is record unemployment in the UK it does not make sense to encourage businesses to bring people in from faraway countries to do jobs that might be done by a British person.

But should that apply to ethnic catering? After all, can you really say that a Chinese chef working in a takeaway has actually deprived a British person of a job? Isn't the job, and the business itself generated by the ethnicity of the people involved? If British chefs are now supposed to be considered for jobs in Chinese takeaways, who is going to train them?

Personally I don't think it is that undesirable (for either the shop owners or the customers) for a Chinese takeaway to employ Chinese staff to cook Chinese food. It makes you wonder if in this case the law has been used to target something that was not actually doing any harm.

Story: BBC

Story: The Guardian

Wanted: Chinese males for advertising campaign!

UPDATE:

Dear readers,

Do you know any Chinese males aged around 35-70?

If you do, London-based The Eye casting agency may be interested in using them for a major forthcoming print and poster campaign. The campaign requires Chinese males aged between 35-70 who would be available for a photo shoot in London during the week starting November 29th. Successful applicants will be paid up to £1000!

Please spread the word to anyone you think might be interested!

For full details, please email Carey Mann


Good luck!

Does your family have an interesting story to tell?

Can you help, or know anyone who can?

The BBC is making a 60-minute documentary about family life, to broadcast early next year as part of BBC Two's prestigious Wonderland strand.

The film will feature families going on car trips in the UK this summer. You could be going on your holiday, or for a weekend break - to visit friends or family, or even just for a day-trip. We'd film you on your journey to and from your destination, but while you are away we will leave you alone to have a good time.

We want to make a film that reflects the diversity of the modern British family and we are on the look out for a British-Chinese family to be part of this.

We want to get to know you over the course of the trip - who you are, and what life is like for you as a family. The biggest thing for us is just that you would be happy to have us along for the ride, and want to tell us your story.

If you are going on a car journey of longer than 2 hours between July and September this year, and would like to find out more about our documentary (with no commitment necessarily to taking part), please do drop me a quick e-mail or give me a call whenever is convenient.

Please get in touch with Rebecca Arnold on 0208 008 5587 (rebecca.arnold@bbc.co.uk)

Have you spotted any 'Frozen in Time' places?

A request to bbc blog readers: Have you noticed any 'Frozen in Time' Chinese restaurants or takeaways where you are? If so, please take a pic and send it in! I'd love to add to the ones already posted.

'Frozen in Time' is a bbc blog celebration of Chinese establishments that have stood the test of time and kept their original look in an age of constant revamping and updating.

Click here to see what I mean.

Social Events March 26th-27th 2010

I get emails every now and then about social events and gatherings etc. so I thought I might as well share them with bbc blog readers:


BCS Friday night Drinks - Friday 26th March

Join the BCS for a few drinks at Gordon’s wine bar, thought to be the oldest wine bar in London. After a hard week at work, you’ll be able to sample the impressive range of wine on offer.

Date: Friday 26th March
Venue: Gordon’s wine bar, 47 Villiers Street, London (Charing Cross or Embankment tube station)
Time: 5pm onwards

If it’s your first time to a BCS Drinks don't fret, just send an email to social@britishchinese.org.uk with "Drinks" in the subject, and the organizer will be in touch to help welcome you.



Allure Party - Saturday March 26th

Come Party with us!

aiyaah.com have exclusively hired a venue for us to pack with glamourous party people so please join us!

Date: Saturday 27th March, 2010
Time: 8pm - 2am
Venue: The Distillers, 66 Smithfield, London, EC1A 9DY
Ticket: £10 in advance, £14 on the door
Group Discount: For groups of 8 or above tickets are £8 each - they must all be bought at the same time.
Promoter Discount: For every 10 tickets you buy, you get one free
Note: This is a ticketless event, please print out your Paypal receipt as proof of purchase and ensure you give us the names for the guestlist.
Dress code: Glamour, Allure
The music will be a mix of commercial, pop and r&b

For more information and to buy tickets please go to http://party.aiyaah.com/

All proceeds go to The Chinese Community Centre; a registered charity.

Look forward to seeing you there.

New website explains Right of Abode in Hong Kong

A big thank you to Harry Li who has told me about his highly informative website that explains in depth the issue of Right of Abode in Hong Kong.

This is what I think a lot BBCs have been waiting for; a clear, informative website in English by someone who understands the complicated issues involved.

Head over to Harry's website here.

Related: Old Hong Kong ID cards to become invalid

So much for the new, improved Oriental City?

Eighteen months after the closure of London's much-loved 'alternative' Chinatown, Oriental City remains closed and derelict.

As reported on the bbc blog, the mall - which housed an Asian supermarket, popular Chinese restaurants and a brilliant Asian food court - was bought out by a developer who obtained planning permission from Brent council to turn the site into a shopping and residential complex. The ambitious plans even included building a school on site. As reported here, the planning permission was conditional on some part of the new development being devoted to Asian businesses.

In fact, that developer (Development Securities) decided to sell the site to another company which was subsequently unable to stump up all the cash to seal the deal. The mall is reportedly now in the hands of administrators and the planning permission that was granted will expire in June.

Story: BBC News

So no new development, no new school and no new Oriental City. Or is there?

Wikipedia reports that there are talks amongst former tenants to take back the site and re-open it for business. Good news if they spend some money to renovate the abandoned site. Not so good if they simply switch the lights back on and carry on as before - the site did need some sprucing up, in my opinion.

But furthermore, there are signs that a new development in nearby Wembley wants to stake a claim on being the 'new' Oriental City. Pacific Plaza was set-up by a former Oriental City tenant and once fully opened may offer the same type of services as the old mall.

Link: Pacific Plaza on London Randomness

It's only partially open but could Pacific Plaza take over where Oriental City left off?

Related: The bbc blog's coverage of Oriental City

Photo: Kake Pugh

A slice of bbc pie

Photo: Sugar Coated Rainbow Sprinkles

I recently received an email from 'BBC Pie' announcing a new bbc-themed blog. You can check our Mr. Pie's blog here.

What ingredients would you need to make a bbc pie, I wonder? Hmm, maybe we will find out by reading this blog?

Good to see another new addition to the ever-growing bbc district of the blogsphere!

Chinatown to get £2million revamp

Photo: Wikipedia

The Evening Standard reports that London's Chinatown is to receive funding from Westminster Council to make the area more authentically Chinese.

The money will be spent on a number of improvements including the building of a wooden pagoda and the re-opening of a dedicated Tube exit from Leicester Square station.

The move is in stark contrast to the alleged plans to demolish the stone 'leung ting' shelter that sparked the 'Save Chinatown' Campaign back in 2004.

Key recommendations include:

• Basing future building projects on the principles of feng shui, an ancient system of design principles which claims to enhance health, wealth and positive energy.

• The reopening of Leicester Square Tube station's entrance of Little Newport Street and Charing Cross Road, which will give Chinatown its own dedicated Tube entrance. The entrance has been closed since 1978.

• The creation of nine dragons, replicating the carvings which adorn Beijing's Beihai Park and believed to be symbols of cosmic energy. These will help define the entrances to Chinatown.

• A new timber pagoda open to the public in Newport Place.

• Monthly craft markets showcasing the best in Chinese products.

• Gold lanterns to light the streets.

Full story: This is London

Mystery surrounds the deaths of two mature students in Newcastle

Police have just released video footage of the victims of a double killing in Newcastle named as Zhen Xing Yang, 25, and his girlfriend Xi 'Ci Ci' Zhou, also 25. Both had graduated with MAs at Newcastle University. There seems to be no apparent motive for the killings.

The Newcastle Chronicle reports:

Ci Ci hadn’t been seen by friends for two days and she failed to turn up for her shift at Wagamama’s restaurant in Old Eldon Square, Newcastle, where she worked from 11am to 3pm.

When one concerned pal went back to the flat with a former tenant and two other friends, they couldn’t get a response. They managed to get in through an unsecured window at the back and then unlocked the door.

Northumbria Police were alerted at around 4.30pm on Saturday. They arrived to seal of the rented ground floor flat in Arthur’s Hill, in Newcastle’s West End.

Police have been trying to trace their next of kin and detectives have carried out inquiries with the Chinese community, particularly the Chinese students’ association in Newcastle. It is believed ritualistic or Triad connections have been ruled out.

Detectives are looking at the couple’s background, associates, and their last known movements. They are working on the theory they may have been targeted by a killer or killers who knew them.

Full story.

A terrible end to two young lives. Anyone with information is asked to call Northumbria Police on 03456 043 043.

Charity Canal Cruise with the Chinese Information and Advice Centre

Just a quick mention for this event I stumbled upon:

CIAC (Chinese Information and Advice Centre) are organizing a special charity cruise along London's Regent Canal, travelling from Little Venice to Camden on August 17th. Tickets are £25 and include food, drink and a £10 donation.

CIAC provides a range of services to the Chinese community ranging from legal help to advice on immigration and domestic issues. They are a valuable service for members of our community who are unable to access normal community services due to the language barrier.

For further details please go to the CIAC website.

Sichuan Earthquake Fundraising Event July 26th 2008

The terrible aftermath of the Sichuan earthquake has all but disappeared from British news media but a new fund-raising group called 'Make A Tomorrow' formed by the UK Chinese community is staging a special fund-raising event this month in aid of the victims of the earthquake in China.

It will be held on Saturday July 26th at Parker McMillan, Chiswell Street, London and is billed as "a unique night of fresh music, art and photography."

Organizers hope 300-400 guests will attend, and aim to raise up to £8,000 for the appeal.

Comedians and musicians 'Dead dog in Black Bag', who have appeared on BBC3's "The Mighty Boosh", will be hosting the event. There will also be sales of limited edition artwork from Rod Hunt, Lucy Allen, Per Jose Karlen, Marina Caruso, Vicky Scott and Joanne Wong.

Music will be provided by special performances from Cherry Suico, Dan Dunnes and the Reels; with DJ Cesar and others. There will also be a raffle offering prizes such as £100 worth of London restaurant vouchers, a Spa session at a top London hotel worth £200 and other special treats. And if that doesn't grab you, there are also going to be two-for-one cocktails at the bar!

To buy tickets for this event (£16 in advance, £20 on the door) go to the Make A Tomorrow Justgiving page.

Article: BBC News: British Chinese unite in London for fundraiser

Related: Make A Tomorrow blog