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122-518: Arthur Henry " Sarsfield " Ward (15 February 1883 – 1 June 1959), better known as Sax Rohmer , was an English novelist. He is best remembered for his series of novels featuring the master criminal Fu Manchu . Born in Birmingham to working class Irish parents William Ward (c. 1850–1932), a clerk, and Margaret Mary (née Furey; c. 1850–1901), Arthur Ward initially pursued a career as a civil servant before concentrating on writing full-time. He worked as

244-451: A "famous Chinese bamboo saxophonist", was a recurring character on The Goon Show , a 1950s British radio comedy programme. He was featured in the episode "The Terrible Revenge of Fred Fu Manchu" in 1955 (announced as "Fred Fu Manchu and his Bamboo Saxophone"), and made minor appearances in other episodes (including "China Story", "The Siege of Fort Night", and in "The Lost Emperor" as "Doctor Fred Fu Manchu, Oriental tattooist"). The character

366-538: A 13-episode syndicated series, The Adventures of Dr. Fu Manchu (1956), starring Glen Gordon as Dr. Fu Manchu, Lester Matthews as Sir Denis Nayland Smith, and Clark Howat as Dr. John Petrie. The title sequence depicted Smith and Dr. Fu Manchu in a game of chess as the announcer stated that "the devil is said to play for men's souls. So does Dr. Fu Manchu, evil incarnate." At the conclusion of each episode, after Nayland Smith and Petrie had foiled Dr. Fu Manchu's latest fiendish scheme, Dr. Fu Manchu would be seen breaking

488-402: A 1946–1949 BBC Light Programme radio series that led to a series of 1950s novels featuring a female variation on Fu Manchu, Sumuru . The Sumuru series consists of five books. Two films featuring the character played by Shirley Eaton were also produced by Harry Alan Towers , as was a 2003 German film, Sumuru . Rohmer also wrote numerous short stories; "The Master of Hollow Grange" (1920)

610-558: A British subject; thus being the first Chinese person to gain British citizenship. However, he died a few months after the Act was passed. Chinese migration to Britain has a history of at least a century and a half. From the 1800s until 1945, it is estimated 20,000 had emigrated to Britain. The British East India Company , which controlled the importation of popular Chinese commodities such as tea, ceramics and silks, began employing Chinese seamen in

732-775: A Mandarin costume and pigtail". As for Rohmer's theories concerning "Eastern devilry" and "the unemotional cruelty of the Chinese", he seeks to give them intellectual credentials by referring to the travel writing of Bayard Taylor . Taylor was a would-be ethnographer who, though unversed in Chinese language and culture, used the pseudo-science of physiognomy to find in the Chinese race "deeps on deeps of depravity so shocking and horrible, that their character cannot even be hinted". Rohmer's protagonists treat him as an authority. Fu Manchu first appeared in Rohmer's short story "The Zayat Kiss" (1912). It and nine further stories were later collected into

854-564: A beautiful young girl to the crime scene to see that the victim is dead. He also sends a dacoit to attack Sir Denis Nayland Smith and Dr Petrie. In the novel Fu Manchu's Bride (1933), Dr. Fu Manchu claims to hold doctorates from four Western universities, while in Emperor Fu Manchu (1959), he states that he attended Heidelberg University , the Sorbonne and the University of Edinburgh . (In

976-517: A black chess piece in a fit of frustration (black king's bishop, always the same scene, repeated) just before the closing credits rolled. It was directed by Franklin Adreon , as well as William Witney . Dr. Fu Manchu was never allowed to succeed in this TV series. Unlike the Holmes/Watson type relationship of the films, the series featured Smith as a law enforcement officer and Petrie as a staff member for

1098-592: A competing radio play, The Peculiar Case at the Poppy Club written by Rohmer and broadcast in December 1938. In 1939, The Shadow of Fu Manchu aired in the United States as a thrice-weekly serial dramatizing the first nine novels. Dr. Fu Manchu was first brought to newspaper comic strips in a black and white daily comic strip drawn by Leo O'Mealia (1884–1960) that ran from 1931 to 1933. The strips were adaptations of

1220-608: A drop in 40% of trade for Chinese catering businesses throughout some 12,000 Chinese takeaways and 3,000 Chinese restaurants in the United Kingdom, which made up about 80% of the British Chinese workforce at the time. Community leaders saw this as racist and xenophobic, with a scapegoating of the British Chinese community for the spread of the disease. On 12 February 2020, Sky News reported that some British Chinese said they were facing increasing levels of racist abuse during

1342-584: A feature film in 1943. Other than an obscure, unauthorized Spanish spoof El Otro Fu Manchu (1946), the Devil Doctor was absent from the big screen for 25 years, until producer Harry Alan Towers began a series starring Christopher Lee in 1965. Towers and Lee made five Fu Manchu films: The Face of Fu Manchu (1965), The Brides of Fu Manchu (1966), The Vengeance of Fu Manchu (1967), The Blood of Fu Manchu (1968), and The Castle of Fu Manchu (1969). The character's last authorised film appearance

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1464-458: A friend of escapologist Harry Houdini , who wrote to him in praise of Rohmer's The Romance of Sorcery . Rohmer based his mystery-solving magician character Bazarada on Houdini. The Orchard of Tears is an odd book in the context of Sax Rohmer's other work. There are no Oriental villains or exotic locations; rather, there are gentle rabbits and lambs in pastoral settings and a great deal of philosophical musing. As much as he enjoyed Fu Manchu — and

1586-556: A grudging respect for one another, as each believes that a man must keep his word, even to an enemy. In the first three books, Smith serves in the Indian Imperial Police as a police commissioner in Burma who has been granted a roving commission , allowing him to exercise authority over any group who can help him in his mission. When Rohmer revived the series in 1931, Smith, who has been knighted for his efforts to defeat Fu Manchu,

1708-432: A larger role in several of the titles of the 1930s and 1940s. She is known for a time as Koreani after being brainwashed by her father, but her memory is later restored. Like her father, she takes on false identities, among them Madame Ingomar, Queen Mamaloi and Mrs van Roorden. In films she has been portrayed by numerous actresses over the years. Her character is usually renamed in film adaptations because of difficulties with

1830-538: A newly refurbished house, Little Gatton in Gatton Road, Reigate, Surrey, where he lived until 1946. He died after succumbing to Asian flu in 1959. After penning Little Tich in 1911 (as ghostwriter for the music hall entertainer of the same name ) he wrote the first Fu Manchu novel, The Mystery of Dr. Fu-Manchu , first published in a serialisation from October 1912 to June 1913. It was an immediate success, with its story of Denis Nayland Smith and Dr. Petrie facing

1952-408: A number of Chinese-owned business, especially within the catering business, as well as an increase in violent assaults against British East and Southeast Asians . British Chinese have sought ways to support one another, especially in response to racism coming out of the pandemic. A grassroots group known as Britain's East and Southeast Asian Network was formed to promote positive representation of

2074-737: A number of its boroughs , with the next four cities with the largest British Chinese populations being Manchester (13,539), Birmingham (12,712), Glasgow (10,689), and Edinburgh (8,076). In Wales, the city with the most British Chinese was Cardiff (4,168) and, in Northern Ireland, it was Belfast (2,378). In England and Wales, 23.7% British Chinese were born in the UK, whereas over half (55.3%) were born in East Asia and 13.4% were born in Southeast Asia. Yue Chinese , which includes Cantonese and

2196-604: A phrase it contained, "the land of Fu Manchu", which was intended to refer to China, was offensive. Characterizing Dr Fu Manchu as an overtly racist creation has been criticized in the book Lord of Strange Deaths: The Fiendish World of Sax Rohmer . In a review of the book in The Independent , Dr Fu Manchu is contextualised: "These magnificently absurd books, glowing with a crazed exoticism, are really far less polar, less black and white, less white and yellow, than they first seem." British Chinese The United Kingdom has

2318-775: A poet, songwriter and comedy sketch writer for music hall performers before creating the Sax Rohmer persona and pursuing a career writing fiction. Like his contemporaries Algernon Blackwood and Arthur Machen , Rohmer claimed membership to one of the factions of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn . Rohmer also claimed ties to the Rosicrucians , but the validity of his claims has been questioned. His doctor and family friend Dr R. Watson Councell may have been his only legitimate connection to such organisations. His first published work

2440-456: A population of 502,216 or 0.8% of the population in the United Kingdom. When broken down by country, England recorded 431,188 (0.8%), Wales recorded 14,458 (0.5%) and Northern Ireland recorded 9,495 (0.5%). The equivalent census was recorded a year later in Scotland with a population of 47,075, or 0.9% of the population. The five local authorities with the largest proportion of British Chinese were

2562-430: A segregation of the Chinese in the labour market, however, with a large proportion of the Chinese employed in the Chinese catering industry. Overall, as a demographic group, the British Chinese are well-educated and hold the highest records of academic attainment, least likely to receive any welfare support from the government (including social housing ) and earn higher incomes when compared to other demographic groups in

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2684-416: A self-centered archaeologist unearths one of Islam 's holiest relics —the sacred slipper of the prophet Mohammed . Until it is returned to its rightful people, the implacable Hassan of Aleppo vows his reign of death and destruction shall not cease. Behind these inhuman outrages is a secret group of fanatics. Not even the best men of Scotland Yard seem able to apprehend them. Tales of Chinatown (1922)

2806-467: A son for Dr Petrie and Kâramanèh. Dr Fu Manchu's daughter, Fah Lo Suee , is a devious mastermind in her own right, frequently plotting to usurp her father's position in the Si-Fan and aiding his enemies both within and outside the organization. Her real name is unknown; Fah Lo Suee was a childhood term of endearment. She is introduced anonymously while still a teenager in the third book in the series and plays

2928-438: A whole. Rohmer's villain is presented as the kingpin of a plot by the "yellow races" threatening the existence of "the entire white race", and his narrator opines, "No white man, I honestly believe, appreciates the unemotional cruelty of the Chinese." The character of Dr. Fu Manchu became, for many, a stereotype embodying the " Yellow Peril ". For others, Fu Manchu became the most notorious personification of Western views of

3050-469: A whole. British Chinese are also more likely to go to more prestigious universities or to get higher class degrees than any other ethnic minority in the United Kingdom. Nearly 45% of British Chinese men and more than a third of British Chinese women achieved a first or higher degree . Between 1995 and 1997, 29% of British Chinese have higher educational qualifications. This was the highest rate for any ethnic group during those two years. Between 2006 and 2008,

3172-460: Is a collection of 10 short stories published in hardcover by Cassell in 1922 and Doubleday, Page and Company in 1922. All of the stories first appeared in magazine format. This collection includes a story that is considered to be one of his best and also has been anthologised many times; "Tcheriapin". The story "The Hand of the Mandarin Quong" was rewritten for this book; first published as "Hand of

3294-472: Is a divergence of British-Chinese culture and construction of ethnic identity. Educational attainment is greatly espoused by parental reasoning as the British Chinese community cites higher education as a route to ensure a higher ranking job. According to a study done by the London School of Economics in 2010, the British Chinese tend to be better educated and earn more than the general British population as

3416-462: Is a homage to M. R. James ' story "Lost Hearts", featuring a mad scientist who preys on children. Rohmer's work was banned in Nazi Germany , causing Rohmer to complain that he could not understand such censorship, stating "my stories are not inimical to Nazi ideals". After World War II , Rohmer and his wife moved to New York, only returning to London shortly before his death. He died in 1959 at

3538-513: Is an agent of a Chinese tong , known as the Si-Fan , and acts as the mastermind behind a wave of assassinations targeting Westerners living in China. In the later books (1931–1959), he has gained control of the Si-Fan , which has been changed from a mere Chinese tong into an international criminal organization under his leadership. In addition to attempting to take over the world and restore China to its former glory (Dr. Fu Manchu's main goals right from

3660-649: Is an ex-Assistant Commissioner of Scotland Yard . He later accepts a position with MI6 . Several books have him placed on special assignment with the FBI . Many there are, I doubt not, who will regard the Eastern girl with horror. I ask their forgiveness in that I regarded her quite differently. No man having seen her could have condemned her unheard. Many, having looked into her lovely eyes, had they found there what I found, must have forgiven her almost any crime. — The Insidious Dr. Fu-Manchu Prominent among Dr Fu Manchu's agents

3782-552: Is defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as a "long, narrow moustache whose ends taper and droop down to the chin", although Rohmer's writings described the character as wearing no such adornment. Before the creation of Fu Manchu, Chinese people were often portrayed in Western media as victims. Fu Manchu indicated a new phase in which Chinese people were portrayed as perpetrators of crime and threats to Western society as

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3904-581: Is the "seductively lovely" Kâramanèh. Her real name is unknown. She was sold to the Si-Fan by Egyptian slave traders while she was still a child. Kâramanèh falls in love with Dr Petrie, the narrator of the first three books in the series, and rescues Petrie and Nayland Smith many times. Eventually the couple are united and she wins her freedom. They marry and have a daughter, Fleurette, who figures in two later novels, Fu Manchu's Bride (1933) and its sequel, The Trail of Fu Manchu (1934). Lin Carter later created

4026-499: Is to various forms of Christianity. While the 2011 census in England and Wales has a single category of "Christian," this is broken down more for Scotland (25% Roman Catholic, 26% Church of Scotland, and 49% other Protestant) and Northern Ireland (32% Catholic, 18% Presbyterian Church in Ireland, 10% Church of Ireland, 3% Methodist, and 35% other Protestant). The number of Protestants includes

4148-559: The Boxer Rebellion had "started off rumors of a Yellow Peril which had not yet died down. The first three Fu Manchu books were published in the four years between 1913 and 1917; but it was not until 1931 (some 14 years after the third book in the series) that Rohmer returned to the series with Daughter of Fu Manchu . The reason for the long interval was that Rohmer wanted to be rid of the series after The Si-Fan Mysteries . The first three books had been successfully filmed by Stoll in

4270-685: The COVID-19 pandemic , London's Chinese New Year celebrations in 2021 were shifted online. The London Dragon Boat Festival is held annually in June at the London Regatta Centre , Royal Albert Docks . It is organised by the London Chinatown Lions Club. Also held annually in London is the widely acclaimed, British Chinese Food Awards that promotes entrepreneurship, talent and Chinese food across

4392-526: The COVID-19 pandemic . It was recorded that hate crimes against British Chinese people between January and March 2020 tripled the number of hate crimes in the previous two years in the UK. According to the London Metropolitan Police , between January and June 2020, 457 race-related crimes were committed against British East and Southeast Asians . Verbal abuse has been one of the common forms of racism experienced by British Chinese. Just before

4514-562: The City of London (6.35%), Cambridge (4.37%), Tower Hamlets (3.31%), Westminster (3.24%) and Camden (3.20%). The three capitals of the other constituent countries of the United Kingdom held the highest proportion of British Chinese in their respective countries with Edinburgh at 2.93%, Cardiff at 1.38%, and Belfast at 1.37%. According to the United Kingdom Census 2011 , the British Chinese population totalled 433,150, or 0.7% of

4636-530: The Limehouse Chinese were one of the most law-abiding of London's ethnic minorities. Critic Jack Adrian has written: "Rohmer's own racism was careless and casual, a mere symptom of his times". Colin Watson commented: "So vehement and repetitive were Sax Rohmer's references to Asiatic plotting against 'white' civilisation that they cannot be explained simply as the frills of melodramatic narration." Rohmer became

4758-501: The Siyi languages , is spoken by 300,000 Britons as a primary language, whilst 12,000 Britons speak Mandarin Chinese and 10,000 speak Hakka Chinese . The proportion of British Chinese people who speak English as a first or second language is unknown. The 2011 census found that British Chinese were the UK's least religious ethnic minority group, with more than half not identifying with a religious tradition. The largest religious affiliation

4880-548: The Surgeon-General . Though Republic had planned to film 78 episodes for the series, a dispute with Sax Rohmer ended the series after only 13 episodes were produced. Dr. Fu Manchu's earliest radio appearances were on The Collier Hour 1927–1931 on the Blue Network . This was a radio program designed to promote Collier's magazine and presented weekly dramatizations of the current issue's stories and serials. Dr. Fu Manchu

5002-437: The bacilli  ... my black spiders" and other peculiar animals or natural chemical weapons. He has a great respect for the truth (in fact, his word is his bond), and uses torture and other gruesome tactics to dispose of his enemies. Dr. Fu Manchu is described as a mysterious villain because he seldom appears on the scene. He always sends his minions to commit crimes for him. In the novel The Insidious Dr Fu-Manchu , he sends

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5124-513: The elixir of life , a formula that he has spent decades trying to perfect. Opposing Dr Fu Manchu in the stories are Sir Denis Nayland Smith and, in the first three books, Dr Petrie. Petrie narrates the first three novels. (The later novels are narrated by various other characters allied with Smith right up to the end of the series.) Smith carries on the fight, combating Dr Fu Manchu more by sheer luck and dogged determination than intellectual brilliance except in extremis . Smith and Dr Fu Manchu share

5246-410: The 'Asian or British Asian' category. In the 2011 census , the question for ethnic group allowed for the option of "Chinese" for England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and "Chinese, Chinese Scottish or Chinese British" for Scotland. The terms "British-born Chinese" (BBC) and "Scottish-born Chinese" (SBC) have become common ways of describing ethnic Chinese who were born in the United Kingdom. However,

5368-452: The 1770s making several journeys between London and China. He was baptised into the Church of England , about six years before his death, and anglicised his name, settled in London, and married Ester Gole in 1799. Wishing to buy property, but unable to do so while an alien, in 1805 he used part of the fortune he had amassed from his London work to pay for an Act of Parliament to naturalise him as

5490-425: The 1860s or 1870s. According to Cay Van Ash , Rohmer's biographer and former assistant who became the first author to continue the series after Rohmer's death, "Fu Manchu" was a title of honor, which referred to "the warlike Manchu ". Van Ash speculates that Dr. Fu Manchu was a member of the imperial family of China who backed the losing side in the Boxer Rebellion . In the early books (1913–1917), Dr. Fu Manchu

5612-453: The 1913 novel The Mystery of Dr. Fu-Manchu . Two more series were collected into The Devil Doctor (1916) and The Si-Fan Mysteries (1917), before the character entered a 14-year absence. Following 1931's The Daughter of Fu-Manchu , Rohmer wrote nine more Fu Manchu novels before his death in 1959. Four previously published stories were posthumously collected into The Wrath of Fu-Manchu (1973). In total, Rohmer wrote 14 novels concerning

5734-489: The 1940s. The re-release of The Mask of Fu Manchu in 1972 was met with protests from the Japanese American Citizens League , which stated that "the movie was offensive and demeaning to Asian Americans ". CBS Television decided to cancel a showing of The Vengeance of Fu Manchu . Los Angeles TV station KTLA shared similar sentiments, but ultimately decided to run The Brides of Fu Manchu with

5856-605: The 1960s and are famous for colourful parades, fireworks, and street dancing. Other activities include a family show in Trafalgar Square with dragon and lion dances and traditional and contemporary Chinese arts by performers from both London and China. There are fireworks displays in Leicester Square , as well as cultural stalls, food, decorations, and lion dance displays throughout the day in London Chinatown . Due to

5978-580: The British Chinese Heritage project, with photographs and stories of Chinese workers. Based in Denver House, Bounds Green the Ming-Ai (London) Institute has undertaken a number of heritage and community projects to record and archive the contributions made by British Chinese people to the local communities in the United Kingdom. Chinese New Year celebrations in London have been celebrated since

6100-469: The British Chinese. The group has more well-educated members, with a much higher proportion of university graduates than British-born whites. These latter have not been negligible: research has shown that the Chinese as a group face both discrimination and problems accessing public and social services. Many have activated ill-conceived stereotypes of the Chinese as a collectivist, conformist, entrepreneurial, ethnic group, and conforming to Confucian values, which

6222-477: The Chinese ethnic sector (catering, Chinese stores, and wholesale firms), but increasingly also in employment outside this sector (for instance, in agriculture and construction). Migrants who enter Britain for unskilled employment are from both rural and urban backgrounds. Originally, Fujianese migrants were the dominant flow, but more recently increasing numbers of migrants from the Northeast of China have arrived in

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6344-525: The Chinese presence in Britain. In the 1960s and 1970s, they were joined by increasing numbers of Chinese students and economic migrants from Malaysia and Singapore . Chinese migration to Britain continued to be dominated by these groups until the 1980s, when rising living standards and urbanization in Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia gradually reduced the volume of migration from the former British Colonies. At

6466-521: The Chinese, and became the model for other villains in contemporary "Yellow Peril" thrillers: these villains often had characteristics consistent with xenophobic and racist stereotypes which coincided with a significant increase in Chinese emigration to Western countries . After the Second World War , the stereotype inspired by Fu Manchu increasingly became a subject of satire . Fred Fu Manchu,

6588-571: The Confucian paradigm and the sole belief of greater social mobility. The proportion of British Chinese achieving 5 or more good GCSEs stood at a relatively high 70%. According to the 2001 census, 30% of the British Chinese post-16 population are full-time students compared to a UK average of 8%. When it comes to the distinguished category of being recognized as the "paragon immigrants", British Chinese are also more likely to take maths and science-intensive courses such as physics and calculus. A study done by

6710-554: The Liverpool area, by the end of World War II, an estimated 900 Eurasian children were born to Chinese fathers and white mothers. Since the middle of the 20th century, many British Chinese have been descended from people of former British colonies , such as Hong Kong , Malaysia , and Singapore . This shifted in the late-1970s with new waves of Chinese migrants coming from Vietnam , mainland China , and Hong Kong . Following new national security laws imposed by China onto Hong Kong,

6832-1026: The Mandarin , named Xu Wenwu , appears in Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase Four film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings , portrayed by Tony Leung Chiu-wai . The character was previously referenced in the Iron Man trilogy and All Hail the King . Xialing , Wenwu's daughter and Shang-Chi 's sister, was partially inspired by Fah Lo Suee. A half-hour pilot was produced in 1952 for NBC 's consideration starring Cedric Hardwicke as Sir Denis Nayland Smith, John Carradine as Dr. Fu Manchu, and Reed Hadley as Dr. John Petrie. NBC turned it down without broadcasting it, but it has been screened at special events. The television arm of Republic Pictures produced

6954-509: The Royal Society of Chemistry and Institute of Physics revealed that British Chinese students were four times more likely than White or Black students in the United Kingdom to achieve three or more science A-levels. In spite of language barriers, among recent Chinese immigrants to the UK (who do not have English as a first language) 86% of pre-teens reached the required standard of English on the national curriculum exam. The overall result of 86%

7076-604: The Sumuru books (Gold Medal/Fawcett paperbacks) have texts which were frequently corrupted. Fu Manchu Dr. Fu Manchu ( Chinese : 傅滿洲/福滿洲 ; pinyin : Fú Mǎnzhōu ) is a supervillain who was introduced in a series of novels by the English author Sax Rohmer beginning shortly before World War I and continuing for another forty years. The character featured in cinema, television, radio, comic strips and comic books for over 100 years, and he has also become an archetype of

7198-461: The Sumuru series. In the meantime, he tried again to focus his energies on what was first titled Fu Manchu's Daughter for Collier's in 1930, but with an older (now knighted) Denis Nayland Smith as the protagonist once more. The results were infinitely better and jump-started the series in the process. In the 28 years from 1931 to 1959, Rohmer added a further 10 books to the Fu Manchu series, meaning

7320-442: The UK , the Chinese are amongst the most geographically dispersed. The six cities of Birmingham , Glasgow , Liverpool , London , Manchester , and Newcastle upon Tyne host Chinatowns. Overall, as a demographic group, the British Chinese are amongst the highest income earners, the highest academic achievers and the least likely to receive any welfare support from the government. They also place well on socioeconomic metrics with

7442-520: The UK as well. Migrants now tend to come from an increasing number of regions of origin in China . Some Chinese unskilled migrants enter illegally to work in the black economy , in dangerous jobs with no employment rights, as the Morecambe Bay tragedy of February 2004 showed. Some claim asylum in-country, avoiding deportation after exhausting their appeals. In July 2020, following the implementation of new national security laws in Hong Kong by China,

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7564-676: The UK that support the Chinese community. The Chinese community is a non-profit organisation that runs social events for the Chinese community. Dimsum is a media organisation which also aims to raise awareness of the cultural issues that the Chinese community face. The Chinese Information and Advice Centre supports disadvantaged people of Chinese ethnic origin in the UK. Since 2000, the emergence of Internet discussion sites produced by British Chinese young people has provided an important forum for many of them to grapple with questions concerning their identities, experiences, and status in Britain. Within these online fora and in larger community efforts,

7686-493: The UK. Michael Wilkes from the British Chinese Project said that racism against British Chinese people is not taken as seriously as racism against African, African-Caribbean or South Asian people, and that a lot of racist attacks towards the Chinese community go unreported, primarily because of widespread mistrust in the police. From the middle of the 19th century, Chinese were seen as a source for cheap labourers for

7808-421: The UK. The British Chinese also fare well on many socioeconomic indicators, including the lowest arrest and incarceration rates, the lowest school suspension rates, higher proportions in high socio-economic jobs and high rates of health. Despite this, the Chinese are amongst the most likely ethnicity in the UK to endure racism and face-to-face discrimination. They also hold lower rates of home ownership and are

7930-708: The United Kingdom offered a pathway to citizenship for British National (Overseas) status holders residing in Hong Kong – the majority of whom are ethnically Chinese. Two years since the introduction of the BN(O) visa immigration route in 2021, 144,500 Hong Kongers have arrived in the United Kingdom. According to the 2021 Census , the Chinese ethnic group numbered 502,216, or 0.8% of the United Kingdom population. British Chinese live in every major British city, most notably including London , Edinburgh , Glasgow , Manchester , Birmingham , Liverpool , Leeds , Sheffield and Cambridge . Compared with most other ethnic minorities in

8052-498: The United Kingdom offered a pathway to citizenship for British Nationals (Overseas) status holders in Hong Kong – the majority of whom are ethnically Chinese. As of the end of the first quarter of 2024, over 173,500 applications for the BN(O) visa immigration route have been submitted by Hong Kongers and their dependants, over 164,900 visas were granted and around 144,400 people have arrived. Year of arrival (2021 census, England and Wales) The 2021 United Kingdom census recorded

8174-767: The West with lethal diseases. Dr Fu Manchu first appeared on the big screen in the British silent film series The Mystery of Dr Fu Manchu (1923) starring Harry Agar Lyons , a series of 15 short feature films, each running around 20 minutes. Lyons returned to the role in The Further Mysteries of Dr Fu Manchu (1924), which comprised eight additional short feature films. Dr Fu Manchu made his American film debut in Paramount Pictures ' early talkie The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu (1929) starring Warner Oland , soon to be known for his portrayal of Charlie Chan . Oland repeated

8296-668: The White Sheikh", Rohmer changed the setting to a Chinatown background and published it as "The Mystery of the Shriveled Hand"; the title was then changed again for this collection. Rohmer also wrote several novels of supernatural horror , including Brood of the Witch-Queen , described by Adrian as "Rohmer's masterpiece". Rohmer was very poor at managing his wealth, however, and made several disastrous business decisions that hampered him throughout his career. His final success came with

8418-605: The age of 76, due to an outbreak of " Asian flu ". His wife, Rose Elizabeth (Knox) Ward (1886–1979), published her own mystery novel, Bianca in Black , in 1958 under the pen name Elizabeth Sax Rohmer. Some editions of the book mistakenly credit her as Rohmer's daughter. She and Cay Van Ash (1918–1994), her husband's former assistant, wrote a biography of the author, Master of Villainy: A Biography of Sax Rohmer , published in 1972. For Rohmer's bibliography, see his full list of work . Related works: A note on texts: U.S. editions of

8540-491: The arts sector and in the face of racism during the COVID-19 pandemic . Britain has been receiving ethnic Chinese migrants more or less uninterruptedly on varying scales since the 19th century. While new immigrant arrivals numerically have replenished the Chinese community, they have also added to its complexity and the already existing differences within the community. Meanwhile, new generations of British-born Chinese have emerged. The first recorded Chinese person in Britain

8662-466: The beginning), the Si-Fan now also tries to eliminate fascist dictators and halt the spread of communism around the globe, for its leader's own selfish reasons. Dr. Fu Manchu knows that both fascism and communism present major obstacles to his plans for world domination . The Si-Fan is largely funded through criminal activities, particularly the drug trade and human trafficking . Dr. Fu Manchu has extended his already considerable lifespan by use of

8784-547: The building of the British Empire. However, this resulted in animosity against Chinese labourers as competing for British jobs. Hostilities were seen when Chinese were being recruited for work in the British Transvaal Colony (present day South Africa), resulted in 28 riots between July 1904 to July 1905, and later becoming a key debating point as part of the 1906 United Kingdom general election . This would also be

8906-408: The character. The image of "Orientals" invading Western nations became the foundation of Rohmer's commercial success, being able to sell 20 million copies in his lifetime. Imagine a person, tall, lean and feline, high-shouldered, with a brow like Shakespeare and a face like Satan , ...Invest him with all the cruel cunning of an entire Eastern race, accumulated in one giant intellect, with all

9028-456: The community in the UK. Religious groups have also offered a source of solidarity, such as through British Chinese churches and mainstream churches like the Church of England, the latter through the group The Teahouse. Since the relatively elevated immigration of the 1960s, the Chinese community has made rapid socioeconomic advancements in the UK over the course of a generation. There still exists

9150-475: The disclaimer: "This feature is presented as fictional entertainment and is not intended to reflect adversely on any race, creed or national origin." Rohmer responded to charges that his work demonized Asians in Master of Villainy , a biography co-written by his widow: Of course, not the whole Chinese population of Limehouse was criminal. But it contained a large number of persons who had left their own country for

9272-568: The evil criminal genius and mad scientist , while lending his name to the Fu Manchu moustache . According to his own account, Sax Rohmer decided to start the Dr. Fu Manchu series after his Ouija board spelled out C-H-I-N-A-M-A-N when he asked what would make his fortune. Clive Bloom argues that the portrait of Fu Manchu was based on the popular music hall magician Chung Ling Soo , "a white man in costume who had shaved off his Victorian moustache and donned

9394-406: The executor of an evil plan against African Americans is an insidious, moustache-sporting kung fu master. Science historian Fred Cooper and colleagues draws a parallel between narratives that COVID-19 was created by China , and the machinations of Fu Manchu, who is "expert in the deadly application of animal and biological agents" and who has been depicted on US television shows as threatening

9516-551: The figure had risen to 45%, where it again remained the highest for any ethnic group. In terms of educational achievement at the secondary level, Chinese males and females perform well above the national median. A tenth of Chinese boys are ranked in the top 3% overall, and a tenth of Chinese girls in the top 1%. Due to the rigorous primary and secondary school system in East Asian countries such as China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, Britons of Chinese, Hong Kong, and Taiwanese descent rank within

9638-408: The film The Mask of Fu Manchu , however, he states proudly that "I am a doctor of philosophy from Edinburgh, a doctor of law from Christ's College , a doctor of medicine from Harvard . My friends, out of courtesy, call me 'Doctor ' ".) At the time of their first encounter (1911) Dr. Petrie believed that Dr Fu Manchu was more than 70 years old. That would mean that he studied for his first doctorate in

9760-427: The first to introduce a question on ethnicity; earlier censuses only recorded country of birth. In the 2001 census , Chinese was not included in the broad 'Asian or Asian British' category, but in the 'Chinese or other ethnic group' category instead. The 'Chinese or other ethnic group' category continues to be used by some public bodies and governmental departments, with those who identify as Chinese not counted under

9882-521: The first two Dr. Fu Manchu novels and part of the third. Unlike most other illustrators, O'Mealia drew Dr. Fu Manchu as a clean-shaven man with an abnormally large cranium. The strips were copyrighted by "Sax Rohmer and The Bell Syndicate , Inc." Two of the Dr. Fu Manchu comic strip storylines were reprinted in the 1989 book Fu Manchu: Two Complete Adventures . In 1940, the Chicago Tribune published an adaptation of Drums of Fu Manchu , at first it

10004-401: The five Christopher Lee films of the 1960s. Dr Fu Manchu also makes appearances in the following non-Fu Manchu/Rohmer works: Actors who have played Dr Fu Manchu: Actors who have played Dr Petrie: Actors who have played Sir Denis Nayland Smith The style of facial hair associated with Fu Manchu in film adaptations has become known as the Fu Manchu moustache . The "Fu Manchu" moustache

10126-524: The groups may self identify as 'British-born Chinese' or 'BBCs'. The Chinese population is extremely dispersed, according to Rob Lewis, a senior demographer at the Greater London Authority: "The reason for their thin spread all over London, is because of the idea that you want to set up a Chinese restaurant that's a little way away from the next one." According to the 2011 census, Greater London included 124,250 British Chinese, making up 1.5% of

10248-539: The influx of first-generation immigrants coming from Mainland China , Taiwan , and Hong Kong . According to Department for Education statistics for the 2021–22 academic year, British Chinese pupils in England attained the highest level of academic performance at both A-Level and GCSE . 36.8% of British Chinese pupils achieved at least 3 As at A Level and an average score of 66.1 was achieved in Attainment 8 scoring at GCSE level. Trevor Phillips , former Chairman of

10370-438: The largest collections of Chinese materials in UK public libraries. It has a collection of over 50,000 Chinese books available for loan and reference to local readers of Chinese; music cassettes, CDs, and video films for loan; community information and general enquiries; a national subscription service of Chinese books; and Chinese events organised from time to time. The library also hosted a photography exhibition in 2013 as part of

10492-467: The lockdown in February 2020, British Chinese children recalled experiences of fear and frustration due to bullying and name calling in their schools. According to a June 2020 poll, 76% of British Chinese had received racial slurs at least once, and 50% regularly received racial slurs, a significantly higher frequency than experienced by any other racial minority. Racism during the pandemic has also impacted

10614-401: The lowest arrest and incarceration rates , lowest overweight or obesity rates, and the lowest school suspension rates. The term "Asian" in the United Kingdom usually refers to those of South Asian heritage, such as Indians , Pakistanis , Bangladeshis , Sri Lankans and Kashmiris . Furthermore, although Chinese have a long history of settling in the United Kingdom, the 1991 census was

10736-819: The middle of the 19th century. Those who crewed ships to Britain had to spend time in the docks of British ports while waiting for a ship to return to China, establishing the earliest Chinatowns in Liverpool and London . In 1901 there were 387 Chinese people living in Britain, and which grew to 1,219 in 1911. These communities consisted of a transnational and highly mobile population of Cantonese seamen and small numbers of more permanent residents who ran shops, restaurants, and boarding houses that catered for them. During this time period, mixed marriages between Chinese men and white women were increasingly commonplace in Britain. Such relationships often attracted racist attention. In nineteenth century portside communities, for example,

10858-431: The most urgent of reasons. These people knew no way of making a living other than the criminal activities that had made China too hot for them. They brought their crimes with them. It was Rohmer's contention that he based Dr Fu Manchu and other " Yellow Peril " mysteries on real Chinese criminals he met as a newspaper reporter covering Limehouse. In May 2013, General Motors cancelled an advertisement after complaints that

10980-548: The newer term of "British Chinese" began to emerge in the 1990s as a way to articulate a bicultural identity . Diana Yeh argues that the term is also a means to negotiate and offer agency to individuals often rejected as not being "British" or "Chinese" enough, yet also not being as visible as " Black " or " Asian " ethnic minorities. Along with the term "British Chinese," there has been an increasing use of more inclusive umbrella terms such as " British East Asian " (BEA) and " British East and Southeast Asian " (BESEA), especially in

11102-478: The notoriety and income the character provided — Rohmer had other interests and a markedly serious side. The departure from his expected subject matter is plainly signalled by the book's dedication: "To the slaves of the pomegranate, sons of Adam and daughters of Eve, who drink at the fountain of life, this chalice is offered as a loving-cup". In The Quest of the Sacred Slipper (1919) terror comes to Britain when

11224-592: The oldest Chinese community in Western Europe. The first waves of immigrants came between 1842 (the end of the First Opium War ) and the 1940s (the end of World War II ), largely through treaty ports opened as concessions to the British for the Opium Wars , such as Guangzhou , Tianjin , and Shanghai . British Chinese communities began to form in British ports in Liverpool , London , Cardiff , and Glasgow . In

11346-790: The overall population. There are Chinese community centres in Chinatown , Kensington and Chelsea , Southwark , Westminster , Camden , Greenwich , Lewisham and Tower Hamlets . Major organisations include the London Chinese Community Centre, London Chinatown Chinese Association, and the London Chinese Cultural Centre. The Westminster Chinese Library, based at the Charing Cross Library ( simplified Chinese : 查宁阁图书馆 ; traditional Chinese : 查寧閣圖書館 ; pinyin : Chánínggé Túshūguǎn ), holds one of

11468-456: The population. 393,141 in England and Wales (0.7% of total population), 33,706 in Scotland (0.64% of total population), and 6,303 in Northern Ireland (0.35% of total population). Compared with most ethnic minorities in the UK, the British Chinese tend to be more geographically dispersed. However, significant numbers of British Chinese can be found in Greater London (124,250), spread across

11590-785: The pronunciation of her name. Anna May Wong played Ling Moy in Daughter of the Dragon (1931). Myrna Loy portrayed the similarly named Fah Lo See in The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932). Gloria Franklin had the role of Fah Lo Suee in Drums of Fu Manchu (1940). Laurette Luez played Karamaneh in The Adventures of Dr. Fu Manchu (1956), but the character owed more to Fah Lo Suee than to Rohmer's depiction of Kâramanèh. Tsai Chin portrayed Dr Fu Manchu's daughter Lin Tang in

11712-545: The release of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 's film adaptation of The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932), which featured the Chinese villain telling his followers that they must "kill the white man and take his women", the Chinese Embassy in Washington, DC , issued a formal complaint against the film. Following the release of Republic Pictures ' serial adaptation of Drums of Fu Manchu (1940) the U.S. State Department requested that

11834-730: The resources of science past and present ...Imagine that awful being, and you have a mental picture of Dr. Fu-Manchu, the Yellow Peril incarnate in one man. — The Insidious Dr. Fu-Manchu Supervillain Dr. Fu Manchu's murderous plots are marked by the extensive use of arcane methods; he disdains guns or explosives, preferring dacoits (armed robbers in India), Thugs (professional robbers and murderers in India) and members of other secret societies as his agents (usually armed with knives) or using " pythons and cobras  ... fungi and my tiny allies,

11956-651: The rise of independent British Chinese churches. The next largest religious affiliations are Buddhism and Islam. However, Northern Ireland did not include data on Buddhism or Islam in 2011, but included Islam in 2021. Historically, British Chinatowns originated as enclaves of Chinese communities and can be found in many major cities, such as London , Birmingham , Manchester , Liverpool , Newcastle , Sheffield and Aberdeen . Today, Chinatowns have relatively few Chinese people living there, and they have become tourist attractions where Chinese restaurants and businesses predominate. There exist several organisations in

12078-457: The role in The Return of Dr. Fu Manchu (1930) and Daughter of the Dragon (1931) as well as in the short film Murder Will Out (part of the omnibus film Paramount on Parade ) in which Dr. Fu Manchu confronts both Philo Vance and Sherlock Holmes . The most controversial incarnation of the character was MGM 's The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932) starring Boris Karloff and Myrna Loy . At

12200-567: The same time in the 1980s, the number of students and skilled emigrants from the People's Republic of China began to rise. Since the early 1990s, the UK has also witnessed a rising inflow of economic migrants from areas in China without any previous migratory link to the UK, or even elsewhere in Europe. A relatively small number of Chinese enter Britain legally as skilled migrants. However, most migrants arrive to work in unskilled jobs, originally exclusively in

12322-497: The seamen left behind wives and mixed-race children that they would never see again. A network has also been established for families of Chinese seamen who were repatriated after the Second World War. Government reports in early 2001 highlighted the smuggling of illegal meat as a possible source for the 2001 United Kingdom foot-and-mouth outbreak , some of which was destined for a Chinese restaurant. This reportedly resulted in

12444-552: The second least wealthy among major British ethnic groups. In the three-year period to 2022/23, 45% of children in households from a Chinese ethnic group were experiencing child poverty after housing costs. The British Chinese community place an exceptionally high value on post-secondary educational attainment; emphasise effort over innate ability; give their children supplementary tutoring irrespective of financial barriers; and restrict their children's exposure to counter-productive influences that might hinder educational attainment via

12566-512: The second of three Harry Alan Towers films based on Rohmer's Fu Manchu-like female character Sumuru . He later directed an unauthorized 1986 Spanish film featuring Dr Fu Manchu's daughter, Esclavas del Crimen . In the film Grindhouse (2007), Nicolas Cage makes an uncredited comedic cameo appearance as Dr Fu Manchu during the "trailer" for the fake film Werewolf Women of the SS , directed by Rob Zombie . A composite character of Fu Manchu and

12688-432: The series totals 13 books in all (not counting the posthumous short story collection The Wrath of Fu Manchu and Other Stories ). The Fu Manchu series was criticised by the Chinese government and Chinese communities in the U.S. for what was perceived as negative ethnic stereotyping. Sociologist Virginia Berridge has stated that Rohmer created a false image of London's Chinese community as crime-ridden, further claiming that

12810-500: The shipping companies colluded to forcibly repatriate thousands of Chinese seamen, leaving behind British wives and mixed-race children. More than 50 years later in 2006, a memorial plaque in remembrance for those Chinese seamen was erected on Liverpool's Pier Head . In the 1950s, they were replaced by a rapidly growing population of Chinese from the rural areas in Hong Kong's New Territories . Opening restaurants across Britain, they established firm migration chains and soon dominated

12932-524: The source of the 1911 seamen's strike in Cardiff, which resulted in rioting and the destruction of about 30 Chinese laundries. While Chinese were recruited to support British war efforts, after the end of the Second World War , the British Government sought to forcibly repatriate thousands of seamen in a Home Office policy HO 213/926 to "Compulsory repatriation of undesirable Chinese seamen." Many of

13054-455: The studio make no further films about the character, as China was an ally against Japan during the Second World War. Likewise, Rohmer's publisher, Doubleday , refused to publish additions to the best-selling series for the duration of the Second World War once the United States entered the conflict . BBC Radio and Broadway investors subsequently rejected Rohmer's proposals for an original Fu Manchu radio serial and stage show during

13176-479: The supposed worldwide conspiracy of the " Yellow Peril ". The Fu Manchu stories, together with his more conventional detective series characters — Paul Harley, Gaston Max, Red Kerry, Morris Klaw (an occult detective ), and the Crime Magnet — made Rohmer one of the most successful and financially well-off authors of the 1920s and 1930s. Rohmer believed that conditions for launching a Chinese villain were ideal because

13298-471: The time of its first release the film was considered racist and offensive by representatives of the Chinese government . The film was suppressed for many years, but has been released on DVD uncut. Dr Fu Manchu returned to the serial format in Republic Pictures ' Drums of Fu Manchu (1940), a 15-episode serial considered to be one of the best the studio ever made. It was later edited and released as

13420-418: The top 5 in British as well as international scholastic mathematical and scientific aptitude tests and tend to score better in these subjects than the general population average. British Chinese remain rare among most Special Educational Needs types at the primary and secondary school level, except for Speech, Language and Communication needs, where first-generation Chinese pupils are greatly over-represented with

13542-463: The twenties as a pair of serials. Rohmer's first effort at reviving the Fu Manchu property was ultimately reworked as The Emperor of America . The original intent had been for the head of the organisation to be Fu Manchu's daughter. He kept Head Centre as a female criminal mastermind to combat Drake Roscoe, but was very unhappy with the book both as it started and in its finished form. He would later return to Drake Roscoe and his female supervillain for

13664-414: The wives of Chinese men were often given nicknames such as "Canton Kitty" and "Chinese Emma" to ridicule their interracial relationships. Racist attitudes continued into the twentieth century as Chinese men were increasingly vilified and associated with the " Yellow Peril ," a racist stereotype that depicts people from East and Southeast Asia as an existential threat to the West . Yellow Peril imagery

13786-676: Was Shen Fu Tsong ( c.  1657  – 1691), a Jesuit scholar who was present in the court of King James II in the 17th century. Shen was the first person to catalogue the Chinese books in the Bodleian Library . The King was so taken with him he had his portrait painted by Sir Godfrey Kneller and hung it in his bed chamber. The portrait of Shen is in the Royal Collection ; it currently hangs in Windsor Castle . William Macao ( c.  1753  – 1831)

13908-578: Was a photo comics , but later it was illustrated by a unicredit artist. Between 1962 and 1973, the French newspaper Le Parisien Libéré published a comic strip by Juliette Benzoni (script) and Robert Bressy (art). Fu Manchu appears in the adventures Night Moves and Night Live for the role-playing game Marvel Super Heroes . The stories of Dr Fu Manchu, both in print and on screen, have sparked accusations of racism and orientalism , from his fiendish design to his nonsensical Chinese name . After

14030-457: Was created and performed by the comedian Spike Milligan , who used it to mock the racist attitudes which had led to the creation of the character. The character was also parodied in a later radio comedy, Round the Horne , as Dr Chu En Ginsberg MA (failed), portrayed by Kenneth Williams . Dr. Fu Manchu was parodied as the fiendish Dr. Wu in the action-comedy film Black Dynamite (2009), in which

14152-599: Was in the Peter Sellers spoof The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu (1980), with Sellers featured as both Dr Fu Manchu and Nayland Smith. The film bore little resemblance to any earlier film or the original books. Fu Manchu claims he was known as "Fred" at public school, a reference to the character in "The Terrible Revenge of Fred Fu Manchu", a 1955 episode of The Goon Show which had co-starred Sellers. Jesús Franco , who directed The Blood of Fu Manchu and The Castle of Fu Manchu , also directed The Girl from Rio ,

14274-681: Was involved in a significant naturalisation law case and for two years, until the first decision was overturned on appeal, was legally deemed a naturalised Scotsman. A Chinese man known as John Anthony ( c.  1766  – 1805) was brought to London in 1799 by the East India Company to provide accommodation for the Lascar and Chinese sailors in Angel Gardens, Shadwell in London's East End . Antony had left China around 11 years of age in

14396-478: Was issued in 1903, when the short story "The Mysterious Mummy" was sold to Pearson's Weekly . Rohmer's main literary influences seem to have been Edgar Allan Poe , Arthur Conan Doyle and M. P. Shiel . He gradually transitioned from writing for music hall performers to concentrating on short stories and serials for magazine publication. In 1909 he married Rose Elizabeth Knox. He published his first book Pause! anonymously in 1910. In 1934, Sax Rohmer moved into

14518-526: Was one percentage point above the British Indians and remained the highest rate among all ethnic groups in the United Kingdom. The British Chinese community has been hailed as a socioeconomic "success story" by British sociologists, who have for years glossed over socioeconomic difficulties and inequalities among the major ethnic groups in Britain. The degree educational advantages varies widely however: minorities of European descent fare best, together with

14640-455: Was the earliest recorded Chinese person to settle in Britain. He lived in Edinburgh , Scotland from 1779. Macao married a British woman and had children, and was the first Chinese person to be baptised into the Church of Scotland . He worked for The Board of Excise at Dundas House , St Andrew Square, Edinburgh for 40 years, beginning as a servant to the clerks and retiring as Senior Accountant. He

14762-574: Was used to shame mixed marriages, portraying Chinese men as a danger to white women and "the purity of the Anglo-Saxon blood". In World War II as more men were required to crew British merchant ships, the Chinese Merchant Seamen's Pool of approximately 20,000 was established with its headquarters in Liverpool. However, at the end of the war few Chinese who had worked as merchant seamen were allowed to remain in Britain. The British Government and

14884-575: Was voiced by Arthur Hughes . A self-titled show on CBS followed in 1932–33. John C. Daly, and later Harold Huber , played Dr. Fu Manchu. In 2010, Fu Manchu's connections with the University of Edinburgh where he supposedly obtained a doctorate were investigated in a mockumentary by Miles Jupp for BBC Radio 4 . Additionally, there were "pirate" broadcasts from the continent into Britain, from Radio Luxembourg and Radio Lyons in 1936 through 1937. Frank Cochrane voiced Dr. Fu Manchu. The BBC produced

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