British Chinese history is long and complex, and the lives of many British Chinese individuals are marked by both a sense of belonging and experiences of exclusion and marginalisation. While they have been living in Britain for at least two centuries, their (hi)stories and perspectives are often overlooked. Stereotypical representations, such as the ‘takeaway caterer,’ have contributed to their alleged invisibility as social agents and simultaneous hypervisibility as stereotypes and ‘others.’ The COVID-19 pandemic further exposed this racism, leading to increased hostility but also fostering group solidarity and activism among East and Southeast Asian (ESEA) communities in the UK. This chapter introduces the concept of the volume and the following chapters by emphasising the plurality and complexity of British Chinese cultures and identities, challenging essentialist notions of ‘Chineseness,’ and focusing on British Chinese people’s agency and cultural production.