REPORT26–27 SEPTEMBER 2026LONDON

A weekend with the family in London
倫敦

This year the family in London is celebrating 45 years of the Man Clansmen Association. Relatives from the Netherlands went over to celebrate with them: Chinatown, the clubhouse and a lion dance that the whole neighbourhood came out to watch.

A large group of relatives in front of the clubhouse with the red frontage, with a yellow-and-green flag bearing the character 文 and a yellow lion's head in the street — Saturday outside the clubhouse. In the middle, the current and the previous chair of the family in London.

On the weekend of 26 and 27 September, around 30 relatives from the Netherlands, including a few board members, travelled to England for the Mid-Autumn Festival of the Man Clansmen Association. This year they weren't only celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival, but also 45 years of the association. It was warm and sunny.

We started in Chinatown. The gate is impressive and the area is bigger than you'd think. On the first day it really was a matter of finding our way, but luckily there were plenty of people with us who had been before. It felt a bit like Hong Kong: busy, warm and food everywhere.

The richly painted Chinese gate of London's Chinatown against a blue sky, with red lanterns along the buildings — The gate of Chinatown.

The clubhouse of the family in London is right by Chinatown. You can tell it by the big red awning with the name of the Man Clansmen Association on it. We were given a tour of the whole building. Downstairs are the mahjong tables, and on the wall a collage of photos from gatherings and celebrations of recent years.

The front of the clubhouse: a red sign with Chinese characters and MAN CLANSMEN ASSOCIATION above a red awning and a black door — The clubhouse in London.

A bright room with a wooden floor, square mahjong tables with chairs and an embroidered picture on the wall — Downstairs: the mahjong tables and the collage.

Then came the lion dance, in the street outside the clubhouse. It was very busy and the whole neighbourhood came out to watch. Everyone already knew about it: cars went round or waited until the dance was over. It felt just like the old days at the Chinese restaurant, when the whole neighbourhood joined in the celebration.

A yellow lion stands upright in the middle of the street in front of a small table with vegetables and fruit; people are filming from both pavements — The lion outside the clubhouse, with half the neighbourhood there.

On Sunday 27 September we went to the restaurant in Colindale, in north London. Outside the door the lion danced once more, and inside the restaurant there was dancing too, to open the celebration ceremonially.

Lion dance on a square in Colindale: musicians with drum and cymbals, the yellow lion and spectators in a half circle — Sunday in Colindale, with drum and cymbals.

Then the dinner began, for the Mid-Autumn Festival and the 45th anniversary: an impressively full hall, with well over 300 people under the red lanterns. The family from the Netherlands had three tables: you couldn't miss us.

A full hall with round tables under red lanterns; at the back a red banner for the 45th anniversary and the lion's head — The anniversary dinner. On the banner: 45 years of the Man Clansmen Association.

Group photo of relatives in two rows in front of the red anniversary banner, the front row seated in suits with red ties — Family from London and the Netherlands at the banner.

We look back on a lovely weekend, in which we got to meet many relatives from England. Thank you to the family in London for the warm welcome, and to everyone who knew the way in Chinatown. We'll certainly be back next year!

REPORT AND PHOTOS: SIU FONG, CHAIR OF CONNECT

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