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London Olympics focus on London history
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CNTV, July 27, 2011
London's 2012 Olympic Games are a year away. In this latest installment of correspondent Tony Cheng's series, CCTV looked at how the Games will put a spotlight on the city's past as well its present.
The familiar sights of London are famous around the world. These are the attractions that bring tourists in their millions every year. But visitors to London 2012 will be treated to a rather different view of the British capital.
The Olympic park is located in the East of the city, in areas that tourists rarely see. The Games are the first step in a regeneration program for one of the most run down areas in the United Kingdom.
East London has been a key part of the cities history for centuries. The docks along the river Thames were vital to London's place as a global commercial hub. But while the Games are bringing regeneration to some parts of the East, just a few kilometers away, some of London’s secret history remains hidden.
Since the eighteenth century a Chinese community had lived along these narrow streets. Populated by sailors and traders, it quickly gained a reputation as somewhere exotic, and full of intrigue. By the early twentieth century it was the largest Chinese community in Europe. Today, they have all gone.
The new immigrants of the fifties and sixties moved to more affluent parts of the city, while restaurants opened in what has now become one of the most famous Chinatowns in the World. But while regeneration has been promised to much of East London, Chinatown in Limehouse is unlikely to be revived.
The Olympics will open a new chapter in the history of East London, but as the athletes, officials and visitors pass through these streets, they are unlikely to know of its past.
The only clues written in the street signs on the walls.
