Chinatown London in 2014 glows with red lanterns in this Roberts London evening walk. Published on 2 February, the film follows the decorated streets during the Chinese New Year period, passing restaurants, bright shopfronts and crowds beneath the lights.

Rather than settling in one place, the camera keeps moving. It looks along the streets, turns towards windows and tilts up to the decorations overhead. Together, those changing views make a record of the neighbourhood’s evening atmosphere.

Chinatown London 2014 beneath the lanterns

The red lanterns give the walk its rhythm. Rows stretch between the buildings, drawing the eye from one end of the street to the other. At pavement level, the crowd keeps moving through pools of light from the restaurants.

A London Chinatown sign appears above one of the shopfronts. Elsewhere, lettering, window displays and illuminated entrances compete for attention. The film takes in these details as it passes, without turning the walk into a list of recommended stops.

An evening among the restaurants

The original description recalls the smell of food from the local restaurants as part of the experience. On screen, the restaurant lights and busy pavements provide the setting. People pause outside entrances while others thread their way through the crowd.

There is no single performance or parade at the centre of this film. Instead, it follows the streets themselves: the movement of people, the changing shopfronts and the decorations connecting them. That makes the ordinary details of the evening part of the story.

Looking up at the New Year decorations

Several views lift away from the pavement to show the lanterns against the dark sky. Decorations fill the space above the crowds, while the upper floors of the buildings catch the light from below. These upward views give a little breathing room between the busier street scenes.

Further along, a wider view brings the lantern canopy and lit façades together. Red and gold decorations sit above the bright shop signs. The camera then returns to pavement level and continues past the windows.

A street walk from the Roberts London archive

A green corner shopfront stands out towards the later part of the route. It is one of the small visual landmarks that gives the walk its character. The closing stretch returns to lanterns and warmly lit buildings before moving back into the crowd.

This is Chinatown London in 2014 as the original film recorded it. The shops and decorations belong to that visit, while the footage preserves the feeling of walking through the area on a busy winter evening.

Watch the original film

The original production notes list a Canon IXUS 510HS, a Trust Starzz microphone, a Windows PC and Windows Movie Maker. Originally published on YouTube on 2 February 2014.