Chinese Guyanese
Encyclopedia
The Chinese community of Guyana consists mainly of descendants of Chinese laborers who were taken to British Guiana
in the 19th century.
, and Trinidad
, captured from Spain in 1797. In British Guiana, they stayed on the plantations much longer compared to other British colonies in the Caribbean because other occupational outlets such as retail trade and market gardening were monopolized by the Portuguese and were thus closed to Chinese. Because almost all of the Chinese indentured immigrants were men, they tended to intermarry with both East Indians and Africans, and thus the Chinese of Guyana did not remain as physically distinct as other groups. Most of the Chinese laborers initially went to British Guiana; however, importation ended in 1879, and the population declined steadily. Because almost all of the Chinese indentured immigrants were men, they tended to intermarry with both East Indians and Africans, and thus the Chinese of Guyana did not remain as physically distinct as other groups. In the 1960s the Chinese comprised 0.6 percent (i.e., about 4,800) of the Guyanese population of 800,000.
In a document detailing instructions for the Dutch Postholder in Cuyuni, it was mentioned that Indians (Guyanese Amerindians) trading in Chinese slaves to sell to people who lived along the Essequibo
river were to be allowed to conduct their business.
The Chinese, including those born in China, were quick to convert to Christianity. By 1891, a majority had become Anglican, and many had become Catholic, the two major denominations, whereas a few became Presbyterians, Methodists, and so on.
British Guiana
British Guiana was the name of the British colony on the northern coast of South America, now the independent nation of Guyana.The area was originally settled by the Dutch at the start of the 17th century as the colonies of Essequibo, Demerara, and Berbice...
in the 19th century.
History
Between 1853 and 1879, 14,000 Chinese laborers mostly Cantonese arrived to the British Caribbean as part of a larger system of contract labor bound for the sugar plantations. Most of the laborers were destined for British Guiana (Guyana), taken from the Dutch in the Napoleonic WarsNapoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
, and Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
, captured from Spain in 1797. In British Guiana, they stayed on the plantations much longer compared to other British colonies in the Caribbean because other occupational outlets such as retail trade and market gardening were monopolized by the Portuguese and were thus closed to Chinese. Because almost all of the Chinese indentured immigrants were men, they tended to intermarry with both East Indians and Africans, and thus the Chinese of Guyana did not remain as physically distinct as other groups. Most of the Chinese laborers initially went to British Guiana; however, importation ended in 1879, and the population declined steadily. Because almost all of the Chinese indentured immigrants were men, they tended to intermarry with both East Indians and Africans, and thus the Chinese of Guyana did not remain as physically distinct as other groups. In the 1960s the Chinese comprised 0.6 percent (i.e., about 4,800) of the Guyanese population of 800,000.
In a document detailing instructions for the Dutch Postholder in Cuyuni, it was mentioned that Indians (Guyanese Amerindians) trading in Chinese slaves to sell to people who lived along the Essequibo
Essequibo
Essequibo may refer to:* The Essequibo River is one of the larger South American rivers located in the country of Guyana.* The former Dutch colony of Essequibo, in the region of the river...
river were to be allowed to conduct their business.
Culture and religion
The Chinese in Guyana have been described as "scarcely Chinese" in matters of culture. In the realm of kinship, for instance, although a broad range of kin ties was recognized and kin were scattered throughout the colony in separate households, there were no clans, no attempt to trace lineages or to keep genealogies, no ancestral tablets or ancestor worship, and no common burial ground. There was no Chinese newspaper, nor were there Chinese schools to teach Chinese language and culture or to provide other features of a formal Chinese education. There was no Chinatown nor a concentration of Chinese businesses.The Chinese, including those born in China, were quick to convert to Christianity. By 1891, a majority had become Anglican, and many had become Catholic, the two major denominations, whereas a few became Presbyterians, Methodists, and so on.