Dragons of the Pool
Monday 8th October – Friday 23rd November
10.00am – 5.00pm, Monday to Friday
FREE Exhibition

A multimedia exhibition exploring the hidden history of the forced repatriation of Chinese seamen.

Artist, filmmaker and academic, Rosa Fong worked with community group, The Dragons of the Pool, to create a multimedia exhibition, which documents the story of the forced repatriation of Chinese seamen in Liverpool just after the Second World War.

The Dragons of the Pool are a group of sons and daughters who believe that their Chinese fathers were repatriated by the British government between 1945-46. They grew up believing their fathers had abandoned them: A feeling of loss, betrayal and longing pervades the stories.

In 1946, over two successive nights, hundreds of men were seized without warning, taken down to the river and forced on board cargo ships bound for China. Over a thousand Chinese seamen disappeared from families in Liverpool, never to be heard of again. Video interviews and an audio installation called Chinese Whispers give a historical and personal account of this hidden history with an introduction by actor, David Yip. Also featured are Bert Hardy’s iconic photographs of Chinese seamen in Liverpool taken in 1942. A specially produced edition of ‘Sea Dragons’ book (Foley, Y. & C. 2018), accompanies the exhibition and gives a factual account of the repatriation.

Exhibition and set design created by Olivia du Monceau.