“This is the first time a Lord Mayor has ever done this,” said an enthusiastic Jerry Cheung, after Coun Drayton completed her rendition of the traditional song, transcribed phonetically for her benefit.

There have been big changes among Sheffield’s Chinese community in recent years, said Jerry, who has lived here for more than 30 years. “Over the last two years it’s been changing every day. If I walked along London Road a few years ago I’d know the faces of everyone but now nine out of ten people I don’t recognise.”

It’s a sign of the vigour of Sheffield’s Chinese community and of the changes in the country of China, said Jerry’s colleague from the Sheffield and District Chinese Association, Saran Ng.

“The change in China has been incredible. You could say the country has totally flipped, it’s changed so much and now in China anything is possible.”

And for business people among Sheffield’s Chinese, that means new opportunities. Many of the new faces on London Road have strong links with China, it seems, whether they’re students or people with an eye for business opportunities between the world’s newest and largest market state and a growing local community.

And the one thing that Sheffield’s community needs, say Jerry and Sarah, is a Chinatown. It’s been talked about for years, they add, but now, after a feasibility study by Sheffield Hallam University and long discussions with Sheffield council and the local Sharrow organisations and regeneration agencies, it looks as if it’s finally going to happen – maybe even in time for the Chinese Olympics in 2008, said Jerry.

“The feasibility study showed that China is investing in British cities that have already got a Chinatown,” said Sarah Ng. “We want to see Chinese businesses investing in Sheffield and employing local people.”

A persuasive case that is increasingly supported by other local organisations and communities and by Sheffield Central MP Richard Caborn, Jerry added.

The plan would not be to turn all of London Road into a Chinatown but to mark out and identify a section of the street or perhaps develop an area off London Road into Sheffield’s first official Chinatown.

Crucial to the plan would be a Chinese arch, a symbol of Chinese identity, which would mark the start of Chinatown.

Although to many the start of London Road would seem an obvious choice for an arch, Jerry pointed out that a location there would perhaps indicate the whole street was Chinatown, whereas London Road is very much a multicultural area.

“It’s really good that London Road is so multicultural,” said Sarah Ng.