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Chinese Caribbeans (sometimes Sino-Caribbeans) are people of
Han Chinese The Han Chinese () or Han people (), are an East Asian ethnic group native to China. They constitute the world's largest ethnic group, making up about 18% of the global population and consisting of various subgroups speaking distinctiv ...
ethnic origin living in the Caribbean. There are small but significant populations of Chinese and their descendants in all countries of the
Greater Antilles The Greater Antilles ( es, Grandes Antillas or Antillas Mayores; french: Grandes Antilles; ht, Gwo Zantiy; jam, Grieta hAntiliiz) is a grouping of the larger islands in the Caribbean Sea, including Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, a ...
. They are all part of the large Chinese diaspora known as Overseas Chinese.


Sub-groups

Caribbean Islands: *
Chinese Cubans Chinese Cubans ( es, chino-cubano) are Cubans of full or mixed Chinese ancestry who were born in or have immigrated to Cuba. They are part of the ethnic Chinese diaspora (or Overseas Chinese). History Chinese immigration to Cuba started in 183 ...
*
Ethnic Chinese in the Dominican Republic The Chinese community in the Dominican Republic forms one of the largest Chinese communities in Latin America. As of 2012, there are over 3,600 recorded Chinese-born Dominican residents.Chinese Haitians Chinese Haitians ( French: ''Sino-Haïtien'') are Haitians of Chinese ancestry who immigrated to or were born in Haiti. There are about 230 Chinese people living in Haiti as of 2010. Overview Many Chinese people living in Haiti are businessm ...
*
Chinese Jamaicans Chinese Jamaicans are Jamaicans of Chinese ancestry, which include descendants of migrants from China to Jamaica. Early migrants came in the 19th century; there was another moment of migration in the 1980s and 1990s. Many of the descendants of e ...
*
Chinese immigration to Puerto Rico Large-scale Chinese immigration to Puerto Rico and the Caribbean began during the 19th century. Chinese immigrants had to face different obstacles that prohibited or restricted their entry in Puerto Rico. When Puerto Rico was a Spanish colony, ...
*
Chinese Trinidadian and Tobagonian Chinese Trinidadians and Tobagonians (sometimes Sino-Trinidadians and Tobagonians or Chinese Trinbagonians) are Trinidadians and Tobagonians of Han Chinese ancestry. The group includes people from Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Overseas Chinese w ...
Mainland Caribbean: *
Ethnic Chinese in Belize The Chinese community in Belize consists of descendants of Han Chinese immigrants who were brought to British Honduras as indentured labourers as well as recent immigrants from Mainland China and Taiwan. History Early history The importation of ...
* Chinese Guyanese * Chinese Surinamese


Migration history


Enslavement

Between 1853 and 1879, 14,000 Chinese slaves were imported to the British Caribbean as part of a larger system of low-wage labor bound for the sugar plantations. Imported as a low-wage labor force from China, Chinese settled in three main locations:
Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
,
Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...
, and British Guiana (now Guyana), initially working on the sugar plantations. Most of the Chinese slaves initially went to British Guiana; however when importation ended in 1879, the population declined steadily, mostly due to emigration to Trinidad and Suriname. Chinese
immigration Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, a ...
to Cuba started in 1847 when
Cantonese Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding ar ...
low-wage workers were brought to work in the sugar fields, bringing their native
Chinese folk religion Chinese folk religion, also known as Chinese popular religion comprehends a range of traditional religious practices of Han Chinese, including the Chinese diaspora. Vivienne Wee described it as "an empty bowl, which can variously be filled ...
with them. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese slaves were brought in from
Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...
,
Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a p ...
, and
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
during the following decades to replace and / or work alongside African slaves. After obtaining their freedom, some descendants of Chinese slaves settled permanently in Cuba, although most longed for repatriation to their homeland. When the United States enacted the
Chinese Exclusion Act The Chinese Exclusion Act was a United States federal law signed by President Chester A. Arthur on May 6, 1882, prohibiting all immigration of Chinese laborers for 10 years. The law excluded merchants, teachers, students, travelers, and diplo ...
on May 6, 1882, many Chinese in the United States fled to Puerto Rico, Cuba and other Latin American nations. They established small niches and worked in restaurants and laundries.


British West Indies

The Chinese slaves who entered the
British West Indies The British West Indies (BWI) were colonized British territories in the West Indies: Anguilla, the Cayman Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands, Montserrat, the British Virgin Islands, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Grena ...
in the middle and late nineteenth century formed a marginal but distinct part of the global dispersal of southern Chinese characteristics of the period. Next to those in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
, on the one hand, and in
Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
and
Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...
, on the other, they formed the third largest regional grouping of Chinese arrivals to the Western Hemisphere in the mid-century. About 15,000 arrived in British Guiana, with just under 3,000 going to
Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...
and
Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
, to work as indentured laborers in the sugar industry. Although the patterns of their entry into these new societies represented a microcosmic version of the story of the
Chinese diaspora Overseas Chinese () refers to people of Chinese birth or ethnicity who reside outside Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. As of 2011, there were over 40.3 million overseas Chinese. Terminology () or ''Hoan-kheh'' () in Hokkien, re ...
in the nineteenth century, there were a number of note-worthy distinctive traits attached to this regional experience. The bulk of Chinese
coolies A coolie (also spelled koelie, kuli, khuli, khulie, cooli, cooly, or quli) is a term for a low-wage labourer, typically of South Asian or East Asian descent. The word ''coolie'' was first popularized in the 16th century by European traders acros ...
migration to the
West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greate ...
occurred between 1853 and 1866. By the end of the nineteenth century, some 18,000 Chinese would arrive in the West Indies, with the vast majority of those slaves headed for Guyana. As was the case with most migration out of China in the nineteenth century, the slaves were drawn from southern China and were seeking to escape desperate conditions caused by a combination of environmental catastrophes and political unrest. There were also a considerable number of Christian converts among the
Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
migrants as a result of the colonial government's willingness to rely on Christian missionaries to assist them in their recruitment endeavors, particularly in the recruiting of family units. The use of
Christian mission A Christian mission is an organized effort for the propagation of the Christian faith. Missions involve sending individuals and groups across boundaries, most commonly geographical boundaries, to carry on evangelism or other activities, such as ...
aries in recruitment was just one of many measures that the colonial government used in its venture to avoid accusations that indenture was simply another form of
slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
. The government was particularly sensitive to such accusations because it was competing directly with other
European powers A great power is a sovereign state that is recognized as having the ability and expertise to exert its influence on a global scale. Great powers characteristically possess military and economic strength, as well as diplomatic and soft power inf ...
, particularly
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
, to recruit low-wage laborers from China. The recruitment of Chinese slaves was generally conducted by professional recruiters, known as "crimps", who were paid per individual recruit, while the recruits themselves received a cash advance. In the 1850s, the demand for Chinese slave and the fees paid to the crimps increased so dramatically that the system quickly became notorious for its association with abuse and coercion, including kidnapping. The system was said to be known as " the sale of Little Pigs", alluding to the inhumane treatment migrants often faced. The exposure of this inhumane system led to a series of ordinances being passed which, despite not directly enhancing the state of indentured Chinese, eventually played a key role in ending Chinese slavery in the
West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greate ...
. In 1866, the Kung Convention signed in China, but never ratified in
Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
, specifically provided back passage for the Chinese slaves.
West Indian A West Indian is a native or inhabitant of the West Indies (the Antilles and the Lucayan Archipelago). For more than 100 years the words ''West Indian'' specifically described natives of the West Indies, but by 1661 Europeans had begun to use it ...
planters were not, however, prepared to cover the additional cost that this would incur, especially in light of the fact that India was proving more than sufficient as a source of coolie. After the
Chinese government The Government of the People's Republic of China () is an authoritarian political system in the People's Republic of China under the exclusive political leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It consists of legislative, executive, m ...
refused to back down on the provision, interest in the Chinese Caribbeans as slaves seems to have simply faded.


Representations

The manner in which the
colonial powers Colonialism is a practice or policy of control by one people or power over other people or areas, often by establishing colonies and generally with the aim of economic dominance. In the process of colonisation, colonisers may impose their relig ...
introduced Chinese into the
West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greate ...
and the
socioeconomic Socioeconomics (also known as social economics) is the social science that studies how economic activity affects and is shaped by social processes. In general it analyzes how modern societies progress, stagnate, or regress because of their l ...
roles that they afforded to the migrants would directly affect how the Caribbean Chinese were imagined and represented in colonial discourse in terms of where they belonged in the West Indies'
social Social organisms, including human(s), live collectively in interacting populations. This interaction is considered social whether they are aware of it or not, and whether the exchange is voluntary or not. Etymology The word "social" derives from ...
,
economic An economy is an area of the production, distribution and trade, as well as consumption of goods and services. In general, it is defined as a social domain that emphasize the practices, discourses, and material expressions associated with the ...
and
political Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that stud ...
landscapes. The Caribbean Chinese in
literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...
, particularly, were regarded as either valuable additions to the multicultural
mosaic A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly pop ...
of the Caribbean, or an entry into the problematic multiculturalism that existed in the region.
George Lamming George William Lamming OCC (8 June 19274 June 2022) was a Barbadian novelist, essayist, and poet. He first won critical acclaim for ''In the Castle of My Skin'', his 1953 debut novel. He also held academic posts, including as a distinguished v ...
, for example, in his work
Of Age and Innocence
' and
Wilson Harris Sir Theodore Wilson Harris (24 March 1921 – 8 March 2018) was a Guyanese writer. He initially wrote poetry, but subsequently became a novelist and essayist. His writing style is often said to be abstract and densely metaphorical, and his sub ...
in
The Whole Armour
' explored the Chinese character through the lens of the former. More often than not, the Caribbean Chinese are presented as peripheral figures in stereotypical roles, as inscrutable or clever or linguistically deficient rural shopkeepers, preoccupied with money and profit. Such characters appear in the novels of
Samuel Selvon Samuel Selvon (20 May 1923 – 16 April 1994)"Samuel Selvon"
Encyclopædia Brit ...
, Michael Anthony, V.S. Naipaul, and even in the short stories of the
Chinese Trinidadian Chinese Trinidadians and Tobagonians (sometimes Sino-Trinidadians and Tobagonians or Chinese Trinbagonians) are Trinidadians and Tobagonians of Han Chinese ancestry. The group includes people from Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Overseas Chinese w ...
Willi Chen. The distance from other Caribbeans that is attributed to Chinese in literary texts also manifests itself in the depiction of the Chinese as being a fundamentally alien presence in the
West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greate ...
. Indeed, Chinese characters are sometimes depicted as the only individuals who can see the larger themes and issues within the
West Indian A West Indian is a native or inhabitant of the West Indies (the Antilles and the Lucayan Archipelago). For more than 100 years the words ''West Indian'' specifically described natives of the West Indies, but by 1661 Europeans had begun to use it ...
experience because of their purported distance from them. This can be seen in novels such as ''Pan Beat'' by Marion Patrick Jones, ''Mr. On Loong'' by Robert Standish, and ''The Pagoda'' by Patricia Powell.


Notable people

Politics and government * Lee Mark Chang, President of the Senate of Belize *
Arthur Chung Arthur Raymond Chung (10 January 1918 – 23 June 2008) was the 1st President of Guyana from 1970 to 1980.
, first
President of Guyana The president of Guyana is the head of state and the head of government of Guyana, as well as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the Republic, according to the Constitution of Guyana. The president is also the chancellor of the Or ...
*
Eugene Chen Eugene Chen or Chen Youren (; July 2, 1878, San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago – 20 May 1944, Shanghai), known in his youth as Eugene Bernard Achan, was a Chinese Trinidadian lawyer who in the 1920s became Chinese foreign minister. He was know ...
, former foreign minister of China in the 1920s. * Solomon Hochoy, last British
Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
and first Governor General of Trinidad and Tobago. * Franklin Khan, former Member of Parliament, Senator, Cabinet Minister, Chairman of the PNM * George Maxwell Richards, former
President of Trinidad and Tobago The president of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is the head of state of Trinidad and Tobago and the commander-in-chief of the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force. The office was established when the country became a republic in 1976, before ...
* Michael J. Williams, former President of the Senate of Trinidad and Tobago. *
Ronald J. Williams Ronald J. Williams is professor of computer science at Northeastern University, and one of the pioneers of neural networks. He co-authored a paper on the backpropagation algorithm which triggered a boom in neural network research. He also made fund ...
, former Senator, Member of Parliament and Minister of State Enterprises, former Member of the Federal Parliament. * Gerald Yetming, former Senator,
Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...
, Minister of Finance * Stuart Young, politician and lawyer; Minister of National Security and former Attorney General of Trinidad and Tobago Business and industry * Chang Hong Wing - businessman and founder of Hong Wing's coffee * John Lee Lum, businessman and oil-industry pioneer. * Carlton K. Mack, grocer and philanthropist. * William H. Scott, businessman. * Louis Jay Williams, businessman. Arts and entertainment * Sybil Atteck, painter. * Edwin Ayoung, calypsonian known by the sobriquet Crazy. * Anya Ayoung-Chee, Miss Trinidad & Tobago/Universe 2008, model, fashion designer and winner of season 9 of ''Project Runway'' * Carlyle Chang Kezia, sculptor, painter and designer; designed the flag and
coat of arms of Trinidad and Tobago The coat of arms of Trinidad and Tobago was designed by a committee formed in 1962 to select the symbols that would be representative of the people of Trinidad and Tobago. The committee included artist Carlisle Chang (1921–2001) and carnival de ...
. * Raymond Choo Kong, actor, producer, director. * Patrick Jones,
calypsonian A calypsonian,Definition of CALYPSO
sobriquet A sobriquet ( ), or soubriquet, is a nickname, sometimes assumed, but often given by another, that is descriptive. A sobriquet is distinct from a pseudonym, as it is typically a familiar name used in place of a real name, without the need of expla ...
Cromwell, the Lord Protector and mas' pioneer. *
Wifredo Lam Wifredo Óscar de la Concepción Lam y Castilla (; December 8, 1902 – September 11, 1982), better known as Wifredo Lam, was a Cuban artist who sought to portray and revive the enduring Afro-Cuban spirit and culture. Inspired by and in conta ...
, painter * Stephen and Elsie Lee Heung, Carnival bandleaders. * Stephanie Lee Pack, Miss Trinidad and Tobago/Universe 1974 * Amy Leong Pang, artist *
André Tanker André Michael Tanker (25 September 1941 – 28 February 2003) was a Trinidad and Tobago musician and composer. Background and career Born in Woodbrook, Port of Spain, Tanker was considered one of the most original musicians that his country pr ...
, musician and composer. * Chris Wong Won, better known as
Fresh Kid Ice Christopher Wong Won (May 29, 1964July 13, 2017), better known by his stage name Fresh Kid Ice, was an American rapper. He was a co-founder of the rap group 2 Live Crew, appearing on all of the group's albums from 1985 to 1998. Wong Won was born ...
; founding member of
2 Live Crew 2 Live Crew is an American hip hop group from Miami, Florida, which had its greatest commercial success from the late 1980s to the early 1990s. The group's most well-known line up was composed of Luke Campbell, Fresh Kid Ice, Mr. Mixx, and ...
. Science and medicine * Dr. Bert Achong, co-discoverer of the Epstein-Barr virus. * Fr. Arthur Lai Fook, educator and cleric. * Dr.
Joseph Lennox Pawan Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...
, discoverer of the transmission of
rabies Rabies is a viral disease that causes encephalitis in humans and other mammals. Early symptoms can include fever and tingling at the site of exposure. These symptoms are followed by one or more of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, vi ...
by
vampire bat Vampire bats, species of the subfamily Desmodontinae, are leaf-nosed bats found in Central and South America. Their food source is blood of other animals, a dietary trait called hematophagy. Three extant bat species feed solely on blood: the com ...
s. * Dr. David Picou. * Dr. Theodosius Poon-King. * Dr. Oswald Siung. Sports *
Ellis Achong Ellis Edgar Achong (16 February 1904 – 29 August 1986) was a sportsman from Trinidad and Tobago in the West Indies. He played cricket for the West Indies and was the first person of known Chinese descent to play in a Test match. Achong was ...
, first
Test cricket Test cricket is a form of first-class cricket played at international level between teams representing full member countries of the International Cricket Council (ICC). A match consists of four innings (two per team) and is scheduled to last fo ...
er of Chinese descent * Richard Chin A Poo, former national footballer * David Chin Leung, karate pioneer, first Caribbean JKA judge *
Rupert Tang Choon Rupert Paul Tang Choon (31 May 1914 – 5 September 1985) was a cricketer who played first-class cricket for Trinidad from 1934 to 1955. All-rounder, 1934-35 to 1942-43 Tang Choon played the first part of his career as a leg-spinning all-rou ...
, Trinidad cricketer, 1940s to 1950s * Darwin LeonJohn, Elite Martial Arts Teacher * Bert Manhin, winner of Trinidad and Tobago's first medal in shooting (
1978 Commonwealth Games The 1978 Commonwealth Games were held in Edmonton, Alberta from 3 to 12 August 1978, two years after the 1976 Summer Olympics were held in Montreal, Quebec. They were boycotted by Nigeria, in protest at New Zealand's sporting contacts with apar ...
) *
Tahith Chong Tahith Jose Girigorio Djorkaef Chong (born 4 December 1999) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a winger for club Birmingham City. Chong joined the Manchester United Academy aged 16, after progressing through the Feyenoord youth ...
Other * James Chow Bing Quan, first President of Chinese Association 1913, first President of Trinidad branch of
Chee Kung Tong The Chee Kung Tong (), or Gee Kung Tong, was a Chinese secret society established in 1880 and holds an active presence still. In earlier years, the society has also been recognized as the "Chinese Masons" and has been identified under various names ...
1915/The Chinese FreeMasons of Trinidad (18) * Kwailan La Borde, sailor; together with her husband Harold La Borde and son Pierre, the first Trinidadian to circumnavigate the globe. * Lyle Townsend, Former Secretary-General, Communication Workers' Union


See also

*
Coolie A coolie (also spelled koelie, kuli, khuli, khulie, cooli, cooly, or quli) is a term for a low-wage labourer, typically of South Asian or East Asian descent. The word ''coolie'' was first popularized in the 16th century by European traders acros ...
* Overseas Chinese *
Chinese emigration Waves of Chinese emigration have happened throughout history. They include the emigration to Southeast Asia beginning from the 10th century during the Tang Dynasty, to the Americas during the 19th century, particularly during the California go ...
* Caribbean Chinese cuisine *
Chinese Trinidadian and Tobagonian Chinese Trinidadians and Tobagonians (sometimes Sino-Trinidadians and Tobagonians or Chinese Trinbagonians) are Trinidadians and Tobagonians of Han Chinese ancestry. The group includes people from Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Overseas Chinese w ...
*
Chinese Exclusion Act The Chinese Exclusion Act was a United States federal law signed by President Chester A. Arthur on May 6, 1882, prohibiting all immigration of Chinese laborers for 10 years. The law excluded merchants, teachers, students, travelers, and diplom ...


References

{{Overseas Chinese Ethnic groups in the Caribbean Chinese diaspora