The project’s initial concept was to use the Chinese New Year to host a virtual international event with Belfast’s sister city in China. This we achieved and gave us online resources which we have utilised in the current Belfast City Council funded project. This ‘Digital Multiply’ project gave us more time to plan and consider how technology can be used across our operations to address the digital divide . It allowed us to develop our online facilities to ‘host’ events and ‘produce’ virtual spaces which were designed to be used by older people. 

The spaces were specially designed to replicate in a virtual format the Chinese Resource Centre in Belfast which is the hub of the Chinese Community. 

Many of our older members were key players in the work  to achieve a Centre and they see it as their greatest achievement. This meant that as age, disability and then COVID isolation prevented them from using even visiting the Centre there was a real sense of loss. Using technology we have allowed them to revisit and start to reuse the Centre in a virtual way using  hand held devises. 

The project allowed us to involve older people in a safe way and expose them to technology and its benefits effecting a culture shift in the organisation. 

The 8,000 strong Chinese community is the largest ethnic minority group in Northern Ireland but sadly many older Chinese had to travel to England or Scotland or even return to Hong Kong for care and housing as they got older.

Chinese elders are a very isolated group, with many unable to read or write in their own language or speak very little English, they are a core constituency of CWA and we have a long history of working with Belfast City Council to address their growing and complex needs. 

The Chinese Welfare Association first identified the need for a dedicated scheme the early 1990s. After looking at a number of locations the site of a former scrapyard in the Markets was pinpointed as the suitable site.

In a model of cross community living the local housing association also built sheltered accommodation for 72 members of the local community and 20 six-bedroom houses for large families. They spent £9.2m, with £7.2m provided by the Department of Social Development.

CWA has continued to work with and support the community at Hong Ling and Digital Multiply was our answer to the challenges and concerns they faced over COVID. Isolation was the key problem as they were forced to shield and stay indoors. Our Centre and our Chinese New Year celebrations are at the heart of the Community and our aim was to bring both to the older people at home using new digital solutions. 

Working with LEXXER Solutions and digital experts The Flex Studio we pioneered a virtual solution.

Our aim is to educate, engage and excite people encouraging them to visit China and Northern Ireland

As an organisation we are proud of the two countries and cultures which have shaped us. We are passionate about each place and want to help others discover and explore them too. Acting as a bridge between the two countries we aim to help people travel safely and enjoyably.

While international Travel is restricted at present there is a real opportunity to enjoy holidays and adventures closer to home. We are also using this time to prepare new tourism initiatives and ensure that when restrictions are lifted we are best placed to lead the recovery.

Young people are the future and we aim to support them through their studies especially overseas.

Living and learning in Northern Ireland gives you the opportunity to study at one of the world’s finest institutions against the backdrop of some of the UK’s most spectacular places.

You can take advantage of high-quality teaching methods, research facilities and pioneering specialists in a diverse range of areas.

Being the smallest country in the UK, Northern Ireland is easy to travel around. It’s packed with history, culture and myth, and there’s an incredible variety of landscape and scenery.

Northern Ireland’s two universities are a firmly-established part of the history and tradition of UK higher education which is reflected in the quality assurance, research culture and approach to teaching and learning.

Our aim is to get people in China and Northern Ireland doing Business.

As a community we have much to pass on in knowledge and experience as we have built businesses in both counties and have some insight into what makes them successful. We can bridge the language and cultural divide and help us all to trade better.

The contacts and cultural awareness we have developed will be an important assets especially for Northern Ireland businesses as they attempt to do business in China. We are also aware of the huge tourism potential which when international travel resumes will once more be a real windfall for the local hospitality sector.

Getting businesses ready to trade in China or to benefit from Chinese tourism or investment is a key aspect of our plans for the future. Here the skills of the Belfast Chinese Chamber of Commerce will really assist in what we can offer.

Our aim is to educate, engage and excite people encouraging them to visit China and Northern Ireland

As an organisation we are proud of the two countries and cultures which have shaped us. We are passionate about each place and want to help others discover and explore them too. Acting as a bridge between the two countries we aim to help people travel safely and enjoyably.

While international Travel is restricted at present there is a real opportunity to enjoy holidays and adventures closer to home. We are also using this time to prepare new tourism initiatives and ensure that when restrictions are lifted we are best placed to lead the recovery.

Our purpose is to encourage you to explore and that is because of our pride in the place we call home.

Our work is based on our own journey of discovery, as we have taken time to discover and celebrate our own heritage and culture. As a community after fifty years of hard work and success we have taken the time to reflect on just what it means to be Chinese in Northern Ireland. We have been here for half of the time the country has existed and we have given much to it, and are proud of the place and our place in it.

That gives us a unique insight, and a different perspective. Most people were born here and decided to stay – we came here and decided to make it our home. The reasons we have and the experiences of living here are we believe really useful for those who are choosing Northern Ireland as a holiday destination, a place to study or to do business.

Our aim is to educate, engage and excite people encouraging them to visit China and Northern Ireland

As an organisation we are proud of the two countries and cultures which have shaped us. We are passionate about each place and want to help others discover and explore them too. Acting as a bridge between the two countries we aim to help people travel safely and enjoyably.

While international Travel is restricted at present there is a real opportunity to enjoy holidays and adventures closer to home. We are also using this time to prepare new tourism initiatives and ensure that when restrictions are lifted we are best placed to lead the recovery.

Young people are the future and we aim to support them through their studies especially overseas.

Living and learning in Northern Ireland gives you the opportunity to study at one of the world’s finest institutions against the backdrop of some of the UK’s most spectacular places.

You can take advantage of high-quality teaching methods, research facilities and pioneering specialists in a diverse range of areas.

Being the smallest country in the UK, Northern Ireland is easy to travel around. It’s packed with history, culture and myth, and there’s an incredible variety of landscape and scenery.

Northern Ireland’s two universities are a firmly-established part of the history and tradition of UK higher education which is reflected in the quality assurance, research culture and approach to teaching and learning.

Our aim is to get people in China and Northern Ireland doing Business.

As a community we have much to pass on in knowledge and experience as we have built businesses in both counties and have some insight into what makes them successful. We can bridge the language and cultural divide and help us all to trade better.

The contacts and cultural awareness we have developed will be an important assets especially for Northern Ireland businesses as they attempt to do business in China. We are also aware of the huge tourism potential which when international travel resumes will once more be a real windfall for the local hospitality sector.

Getting businesses ready to trade in China or to benefit from Chinese tourism or investment is a key aspect of our plans for the future. Here the skills of the Belfast Chinese Chamber of Commerce will really assist in what we can offer.

Our aim is to support students in China and Northern Ireland as an investment in the future

As an organisation we believe that education is the key to the future and as a community we work hard to help young people at every stage in their education. From this work we have learnt just how good Northern Ireland’s schools, colleges and universities really are. We have benefited from a world class education system on our doorstep and we now want to open it to the world.

Our schools and universities are amongst the top performing institutions in the United Kingdom and indeed the world and with opportunities for boarding at some of our top grammar schools or staying and studying at our colleges and universities we would like to help you choose a great educational future.

Our purpose is to help overseas students make the most from their time here

Our work is based on our own journey of discovery, as we learn to live and love Northern Ireland. That means we are well placed to help others who come here either to study or to make it their forever home. That transition can often be challenging with language, culture and the everyday issues we all face in a foreign country.

Our Chinese Resource Centre has long been a haven and a home from home for those who have arrived in Northern Ireland. You can be assured of a warm welcome in the heart of Belfast and a place to relax and enjoy the company of others who were exactly where you were. Most of our members can recall their first day in a new country, and over half a century of shared experience and knowledge is just what is needed to feel at home.

Our aim is to explore and embed business, trade and investment opportunities between China and Northern Ireland

As an organisation we are proud of the two countries and economies which have shaped us. We are a success story as a community as we moved to Northern Ireland and built businesses which are now part of the fabric of the local economy and the local community. We believe that our work ethic and the way we do business is a good model for anyone.

With China offering a massive marketplace the language, cultural and business skills of our community can be harnessed to ensure that local businesses can break into the Chinese market and succeed. In turn we hope to be part of the local effort to attract long term Chinese investment in our own economy.

“Success depends upon previous preparation, and without such preparation there is sure to be failure.”

Confucius places a lot of importance in preparing for the worst-case scenario, regardless of how much success your business is currently enjoying. This is because he believes that when you find success, you have much more to lose and as such must ensure that your business should take any potential crisis into account. Keep in mind that when it comes to running a business, encountering a crisis is an eventuality. It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when.

Our knowledge of not just doing business in both countries but also their people their traditions and wider culture will be crucial for business seeking to set up or trade in a different country. From using the right language to present your case to knowing what areas are best suited to the industry. Sitting down and planning will ensure future and further success.

Our aim is to educate, engage and excite people encouraging them to visit China and Northern Ireland

As an organisation we are proud of the two countries and cultures which have shaped us. We are passionate about each place and want to help others discover and explore them too. Acting as a bridge between the two countries we aim to help people travel safely and enjoyably.

While international Travel is restricted at present there is a real opportunity to enjoy holidays and adventures closer to home. We are also using this time to prepare new tourism initiatives and ensure that when restrictions are lifted we are best placed to lead the recovery.

Our purpose is to encourage you to explore and that is because of our pride in the place we call home.

Our work is based on our own journey of discovery, as we have taken time to discover and celebrate our own heritage and culture. As a community after fifty years of hard work and success we have taken the time to reflect on just what it means to be Chinese in Northern Ireland. We have been here for half of the time the country has existed and we have given much to it, and are proud of the place and our place in it.

That gives us a unique insight, and a different perspective. Most people were born here and decided to stay – we came here and decided to make it our home. The reasons we have and the experiences of living here are we believe really useful for those who are choosing Northern Ireland as a holiday destination, a place to study or to do business.