章節 251: Chapter 251: Chinatown and Phoenix Tower
Three cars weaved through the bustling streets of London. After what seemed like a long time, the vehicles turned a corner and a large, red, Chinese-style archway came into view. Without stopping, Wu Hongyi drove directly onto the street that lay ahead.
As soon as they entered, the surroundings changed instantly, and a strong sense of familiarity washed over them.
The cars drove slowly, and Xia Yu kept observing everything outside through the window.
The shops on both sides of the street were decorated with a strong Chinese cultural atmosphere. Each shop's sign had Chinese characters prominently displayed, with a line of English text underneath.
Two large red lanterns hung under the eaves at the entrance of every shop, and some also had couplets written on red paper posted at the door. The calligraphy was bold and fluid, clearly the work of an expert, making the sight pleasing to the eye.
Moreover, as Xia Yu traveled down the road, he noticed that the shops on both sides were mostly Chinese restaurants, supermarkets, barbershops, traditional medicine stores, Chinese souvenir shops, and several other Chinese-style archways, all of which conveyed one clear message: this was the place where the largest concentration of Chinese people lived.
After a while, Wu Hongyi parked his car in a parking lot, and Xia Yu and the others followed suit.
With a smile, Wu Hongyi approached Xia Yu. After Xia Yu had a brief look around, Wu Hongyi said, "This is Juelu Street in Westminster, London."
Xia Yu nodded slightly, sighing, "This feels more comfortable."
"Haha, of course! You know how we Chinese people are; no matter how long we've been away, there are some things ingrained in us that we just can't forget."
Wu Hongyi nodded in agreement, smiling as he explained.
"That's very true!"
Xia Yu nodded in agreement.
"Let's take a walk and chat as we go!"
Wu Hongyi said, and Xia Yu and the others followed him as they strolled along. As they walked, Wu Hongyi continued to introduce various things to Xia Yu.
"Xia Yu, over the past two hundred years, there are now at least half a million Chinese people living in the UK. Although they are scattered across the country, as long as Chinatown exists, the connection between us Chinese people will never be broken. Chinatown can be considered the bond that keeps us together."
"This Chinatown is the most concentrated place for Chinese people in the entire UK and the largest Chinese community."
"However, in the context of all of Europe, London's Chinatown might not be the largest or the oldest, but it is definitely the most authentically 'Chinese' and the liveliest Chinatown in all of Europe."
As he said this, Wu Hongyi couldn't help but show a hint of pride in his voice, which made Xia Yu think even more highly of him.
From this, it was clear that the young Wu Hongyi had been well-raised and had a deep recognition and appreciation for his Chinese identity and traditional Chinese culture, unlike those so-called "banana people" with yellow skin and white hearts. Xia Yu naturally felt more favorable toward him.
After all, both in his previous life and his current one, Xia Yu had always been proud of being Chinese.
As they continued walking, Wu Hongyi would occasionally stop to introduce the surrounding shops to Xia Yu. Many Chinese shop owners greeted Wu Hongyi warmly, and he also introduced Xia Yu and the others to them.
When they reached the middle of the street, Xia Yu saw a pair of imposing, adorably shaped stone lions with strong Chinese characteristics standing silently.
"Xia Yu, there are actually stone lions here!"
Seeing the stone lions, Li Xi couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
"These stone lions were given as a gift by the Chinese Embassy a year ago. They were specially airlifted from the capital as a commemorative gift for the opening of the pedestrian area in Chinatown."
Wu Hongyi timely introduced.
Xia Yu raised an eyebrow, surprised to learn that they had been transported all the way from the capital and personally presented by the Chinese Embassy in the UK. Now placed in the center of Chinatown, the symbolism was extraordinary!
Xia Yu couldn't resist walking closer to examine them more closely, and sure enough, he saw an inscription at the base of the stone lions.
"These stone lions are indeed exquisitely carved!"
After carefully observing, Xia Yu couldn't help but praise them, and upon hearing this, Li Xi curiously moved closer to take a look.
"They really are!"
"Let's keep walking over there!"
After observing for a while, Xia Yu suggested as he took Li Xi's hand and walked forward.
Before they knew it, Xia Yu and the others reached the entrance of the street, where the towering red archway they had seen when they first arrived came into view again. This time, without the car roof obstructing his vision, Xia Yu had a more direct impression of the red archway.
Taking a closer look at the archway, which was full of Chinese cultural marks, Xia Yu felt a bit emotional.
The archway stood about six meters tall, with red pillars, green tiles, and golden edges, exuding a grand and majestic aura.
On the two red pillars of the archway, a couplet was inscribed in black lacquer with gold characters: "London stands tall in the English garden, promoting the grand Han dynasty spirit; Chinese halls echo Tao Gong's legacy, bringing prosperity to the people with a resonant temple bell."
At the top of the archway, a horizontal plaque bore the inscription: "London Chinatown," flanked by phrases like "Favorable Weather" and "Peace and Prosperity," expressing the Chinese people's sincere wishes for both their homeland and the place where they reside.
"This archway is very imposing!"
After a long while, Xia Yu made this conclusion.
Wu Hongyi smiled, feeling pleased, as this archway was something their family had put a lot of effort into. Xia Yu's praise for the archway was indirectly a compliment to the Wu family.
At that moment, a man stepped out from a nearby shop and called out loudly, "Second Young Master, you're here! Why are you standing at the door instead of coming in?"
"Uncle Chang, I brought some friends for a walk, so I didn't notify you."
Wu Hongyi replied with a smile.
Xia Yu turned to look at the person speaking with Wu Hongyi. He was a spirited elderly man in his fifties, dressed in a traditional Chinese outfit, and he greeted Xia Yu and the others with a kindly smile.
"Xia Yu, this is Li Hongchang, our family's old steward."
"Uncle Chang, this is Xia Yu, and the young lady beside him is his girlfriend, Li Xi. These are his three friends, Yan Shining, Hou Sheng, and Li Wuming. They just came from Hong Kong not long ago and are staying next to me. Today, I brought them to visit Chinatown."
Wu Hongyi introduced them to each other.
"Hello, Uncle Chang!"
Xia Yu was very polite, following Wu Hongyi's lead in addressing Li Hongchang. Li Xi and the others also greeted Li Hongchang.
"Hello! I didn't expect more compatriots from Hong Kong. It's wonderful! Please come inside, don't just stand here!"
Li Hongchang was all smiles, warmly inviting Xia Yu and the others into the shop.
"Xia Yu, let's go inside. This restaurant is under my name, and Uncle Chang manages it now."
Wu Hongyi explained with a smile.
Xia Yu raised an eyebrow as he walked and glanced up at the shop in front of him. The decor was classic and grand, with a bright red theme. The signboard read "Phoenix Tower."
It was clearly a Chinese-style restaurant.
"Great name, very grand!"
Xia Yu praised. The name indeed had a grand feel to it, and the decor matched the name perfectly. From the outside, the size of the restaurant was evident. Just by looking at the facade, one could tell that the restaurant was at least twelve meters long and three stories high.
Considering that this restaurant was the first shop at the entrance of Chinatown, its location was excellent. A shop of this size in the heart of London must be incredibly valuable!
And considering that Wu Hongyi mentioned it was under his name, his identity was certainly worth pondering.
"Haha, please come inside!"
Hearing Xia Yu's praise, Wu Hongyi was very pleased and made a welcoming gesture to Xia Yu and the others.
"Let's go in together! Please!"
Xia Yu also politely made a gesture of invitation and then walked in side by side with Wu Hongyi.
每周推薦票狀態
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榜單 
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