How Chinese pioneers paved way to make Ulster a more diverse place

Eileen Chan-Hu’s father was instrumental in helping to set up what is now a thriving Chinese community in Northern Ireland.

Having established one of the first Chinese restaurants in Northern Ireland, Mr Chan Cho Fook contributed greatly to the growth of Chinese commerce in the Province in the 1960s and 1970s.

Eileen was inspired to follow in his footsteps by helping people of Chinese origin and other ethnic minorities find harmony in this country by means of her work in the community sector.

She is a former CEO of the Chinese Welfare Association and the founder of CRAIC NI – an organisation which trains people from a range of backgrounds to promote diversity through education.

Eileen said: “My family made the brave decision to move to Northern Ireland in the 1960s for a better standard of life. I was born and raised in Belfast and I am proud to call it home.

“My dad originally came over from Hong Kong to London but he was advised to come to Northern Ireland, that was before the Troubles broke out.

“My mum was still in Hong Kong. She rejoined him nine years later and then I came along in 1970.

I was born in Belfast just off the Shankill Road.

“We briefly moved to Ballymena, then moved to Carrick – where the mountains were behind us and the sea was in front. It’s a good feng shui.”

Although Eileen was born in Northern Ireland and has lived here all her life that hasn’t stopped her from suffering racial abuse, particularly as a youth.

She said: “I was the first Chinese girl at Model Primary School. I was probably the only child in Carrick who was visibly different.

“Almost everyone went to a lot of effort to make me feel included, but there was some name-calling because I was Chinese.

“We had a great headmaster – Mr Lowry. He had an approach that you would call zero tolerance today.

“I was called names at one stage and the boys who were the culprits were brought in front of the assembly and taught the ‘sticks and stones’ rhyme with some force.

“When I went to Belfast High School I think I was the second Chinese girl there. That was harder. It was a bigger school, there were some instances of bag-pulling, tripping you up in corridors.”

She added: “I think people fear something that’s different, something they’re not used to.

“Northern Ireland is small and very insular in some ways, but we are progressing. It has changed so much from my school days.”

Eileen’s first interest was in fashion design and textile management, but her flair for language saw her gain a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) qualification and her skills were put to use as an education liaison officer for Chinese Welfare Association.

She was involved with the first ethnic youth group in Northern Ireland and in Ballymena she worked on an ethnic minorities project at a time when NI was experienced a boom in inward migration.

By the time she left the project in 2007 she was working with 18 different nationalities.

Back in Belfast Eileen returned to work as CEO of the Chinese Welfare Association, overseeing the construction of £1.32 million Chinese Resource Centre near the Ormeau Bridge.

She said: “I always try to focus on the positive. I want to try to make a difference.”

To that end Eileen ran as a candidate for the NI21 political party in 2014. She also serves as a commissioner for the Equality Commission.

In 2015 she began CRAIC NI, explaining: “Our primary goal is to develop and deliver quality learning experiences that focus on integration, cohesion and inclusive action.

“We aim to foster a wider understanding about diversity and change in the social landscape of Northern Ireland.”

Somewhat unfairly the contribution of Chinese people in Northern Ireland is often seen by way of their cuisine.

Eileen said: “It’s true to a certain extent, the first Chinese people who came here in the sixties and seventies worked in the restaurant trade.

“Children grew up in takeaways and restaurants. I’ve got great memories of that, living above our restaurant in Carrickfergus – the Four Seas.

“Parents worked extremely hard, contributed to the economy, to make sure children got a great education. Extended families came over to help businesses.

“That was the first generation. That paved the way for the second generation to go into different areas of work – doctors, lecturers, accountants, business people, entrepreneurs.”

“There’s much more services and support to newcomers to Northern Ireland than in my early days.

“It was tough for the first families to come over from China, but those experience have helped to shape the resources that are now in place for people coming to Northern Ireland.”

The Chinese Year of the Pig began yesterday with the number of passenger journeys during the Chinese New Year period estimated to be around three billion.

“When I was young I didn’t even see a Chinese New Year in Northern Ireland,” said Eileen.

“The celebration is much bigger now. The tradition is to have the house spotless for New Year’s Eve.

“There’s a lot of buying gifts, a lot of red around for good luck.”

She added: “It’s huge in China. There is 15 days’ public holiday. There’s a vast amount of people travel back home for it. They call it the largest migration.”

Of the number of people of Chinese origin living in Northern Ireland, Eileen said: “There’s been considerable growth in the population since the last census. I would estimate there are now about 12 to 15,000.

“When anyone moves to a new country language is a huge barrier.

“I’ve worked with Syrian people who like ourselves (Chinese people) use a non-Roman alphabet.

“It’s very difficult to learn a new language from an alphabet you’re not familiar with.”

Eileen lives in Belfast with her two sons, her cat and dog, and enjoys spending time with friends from all parts of the world.

• For more info on CRAIC NI go to www.craicni.com