The dynamic dragon dances of Lunar New Year are an annual fixture on our television screens. Like Carnival or Diwali, this point in the calendar offers regional news crews across the country an opportunity to capture colour and spectacle on our doorstep. The history of Britain's Chinese communities is centuries-long, but the wave of postwar immigration in the 20th century coincided with the rise of television, and over the ensuing decades local news has reported on this community, with a mixture of curiosity and novelty, for an implied majority white British audience.

This collection brings together several of these reports, most of which are anchored in areas where British Chinese communities are most visible: restaurants, supermarkets and, naturally, New Year celebrations. And yet, despite the undeniable contribution that this community has made to the changing landscape of British society, there is a dearth of opportunities for British Chinese talent on our screens – with the likes of Bert Kwouk, Gemma Chan and Benedict Wong serving as few exceptions to the norm. So, to complement the news items in this collection, there are also personal documentaries and short films by British Chinese filmmakers who turn the camera around, and offer their perspective on life in Britain.