New Delhi, Oct. 11 -- At 17 Blackburn Lane, Kolkata stands Huining Huiguan, a native-association place and temple established in 1908 by Chinese migrants from Sihui. It now houses the Cheenapara Heritage Gallery, which opened last month and features photographs and artefacts of the city's Chinese community living in Tiretta Bazaar, or Chinatown. Though the community has dwindled over decades, its legacy, rooted in the 18th and 19th centuries, endures in Kolkata's heritage.

You can see photographs by Kolkata-based documentary photographer and filmmaker Bijoy Chowdhury of Chinese festivals and community life. The gallery highlights the cultural specialisations and occupational niches such as dentistry and carpentry, through which the commu...