esea contemporary, formerly the Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art, is a contemporary art gallery based in Manchester, England. It is located on Thomas Street in Manchester's Northern Quarter in the renovated part of the Smithfield Market Hall. History Origins of the Chinese Arts Centre (1986-1989) The origins of the CFCCA can be found in the Black Arts Movement of the late 1980s which highlighted the artistic plight of people of African, Caribbean, or South Asian origin yet often excluded artists of Chinese origin. In the mid-1980s, Amy Lai, an artist and radio producer based in Manchester, thought there was a general lack of Chinese cultural activities compared to events arranged by the Asian and Caribbean communities. Using her links at the Eastern Horizon radio programme, Lai organised Chinese View ‘86, a two-week festival celebrating Chinese culture. The aim of the festival was to "engage the local ethnically Chinese community with arts and education programmes that worked to explore Chinese cultural identity". In June 1987, Lai, with Peter Chui, Jenny Clegg, and David Wong, founded the Chinese View Arts Association (CVAA), a charitable organisation with the mission to "advance the education of the public in all forms of Chinese culture". Working under the remit of the CVAA, Amy Lai organised cultural activities across Manchester and north west England working with a group of local artists of Chinese heritage. The events aimed to develop a stronger sense of cultural identity within the local Chinese community by revitalising their interest in traditional arts and crafts, while also increasing awareness of the Chinese way of life in the general population. Lai's philosophy at the time was that the activities had to be "open door, inclusive, and involved in the mainstream community". The members of the CVAA also felt that too few locally-born people of Chinese heritage were growing up with an understanding of, or skills in, traditional Chinese arts and crafts. To address this concern, they opened a Chinese cultural centre. The centre would provide cultural activities, aimed at both the local community and the wider population, to promote an appreciation of "Chinese life, culture, philosophy, and values", and act as a regional focus for information and advice about Chinese culture. Chinese Arts Centre as a grass roots community centre (1989-1992) The CVAA opened the Chinese Arts Centre on 21 October 1989, on the first floor of Frazer House, Charlotte Street, in Manchester's Chinatown.