It is estimated that there are over 20,000 Chinese people in Chile. Chinese immigrants come from both

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

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 no ...

Reasons for immigration

A high demand for manpower in the Southern South American region was present around the 1950s–1960s because of

capitalism Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit. Central characteristics of capitalism include capital accumulation, competitive markets, price system, private ...

in the region. This demand for

manpower Human resources (HR) is the set of people who make up the workforce of an organization, business sector, industry, or economy. A narrower concept is human capital, the knowledge and skills which the individuals command. Similar terms includ ...

also drew in a huge number of Chinese people coming to South America for work, which explains the huge increase of

Chinese people The Chinese people or simply Chinese, are people or ethnic groups identified with China, usually through ethnicity, nationality, citizenship, or other affiliation. Chinese people are known as Zhongguoren () or as Huaren () by speakers of sta ...

1950s–1960s. This immigration was also present in the

War of the Pacific The War of the Pacific ( es, link=no, Guerra del Pacífico), also known as the Saltpeter War ( es, link=no, Guerra del salitre) and by multiple other names, was a war between Chile and a Bolivian–Peruvian alliance from 1879 to 1884. Fought ...

with Chinese immigrating to both

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 ...

and

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...

to enlist into the war effort. After the war came to a close with a Chilean victor, people from Peru also settled in Chile. This was supportive due to the damages of the war done and they could work for construction of the infrastructure or just working inside factories.

Migration history

Between 1,200 and 1,500 Chinese workers in Peru offered support to the Chilean side in the

(1879–1883) and thus went to Chile at the war's end. Today the Chinese people living in Chile work primarily in trade and restaurant jobs. Although in Santiago one can find many local Chinese businesses, including importers, supermarkets, mini markets, malls (shopping centers such as Santiago Centro and Estación Central), Chinatowns are not concentrated in one place, except in the neighborhood of Patronato, where most of the Asian (i.e. mostly Chinese, Korean and Taiwanese) immigrants, niche businesses and supermarkets in Santiago are located.

Notable people

* Jaime Carreño Lee Chong, footballer * Rung Fang Cheng, dancer and participant Rojo * Chinoy, singer songwriter, visual artist * Jorge Chiong, works director of the commune of Lampa * Ximena Chong, fiscal *

Guillermo Chong Guillermo Baltazar Chong Díaz is a Chilean geologist and professor at the Catholic University of the North at Antofagasta, Chile. In 2018 he was named distinguished son ( es, hijo ilustre) of Arica. The mineral chongite is named after him. In 2 ...

, geologist * Óscar Lee Chong, former footballer * Diego Lin Chou, writer * Luis Cruz-Villalobos, poet, psychologist * Quintin Quintana, leader of the

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 ...

s * Viviana Shieh, singer * Yuc Ramón Kong, medical field *

Quintín Quintana Quintín Quintana Lauchen (c. 1845/50 – 1902), born Liu Tang Sin Shin, Leotàn Sin-Shin, or Leo Shin, was a Chinese-Peruvian, later Chinese-Chilean, merchant and police detective. Born in China, he worked as a coolie in Peru and took a Spanish ...

, personality of the

References

Sources

* Asian Chilean Ethnic groups in Chile Chilean Chinese diaspora in South America Chile–China relations Chinese Latin American {{China-hist-stub

Reasons for immigration

Migration history

Notable people

See also

References

Sources