Chinese people in Kyrgyzstan
Encyclopedia
Chinese people in Kyrgyzstan have been growing in numbers since the late 1980s. 2008 police statistics showed 60,000 Chinese nationals living in the country
. However, the 2009 census showed just 1,813 people who declared themselves to be of Chinese ethnicity.
; they settled in Semirechie
as well as the Ferghana Valley. In the early 20th century, Uyghurs, Dungans, and Han Chinese
alike came to the Ferghana Valley as migrant worker
s in coal mines, cotton mills, and farms; some settled down permanently in Kyrgyzstan. The agricultural failures incurred during the 1950s Great Leap Forward
spurred many people from Xinjiang
to flee to the Soviet Union
, including Kyrgyzstan, to escape hardships in China. However, as the Sino-Soviet split
worsened, the border was closed and such migration made impossible.
Migration would begin again in the late 1980s, centred on Chui Province, Bishkek
and its surroundings; people from Xinjiang would come to rent land, and grow vegetables. Others came as cross-border traders, selling Chinese alcoholic beverages and buying up clothing—especially coats made from Karakul sheep pelts—for sale in Xinjiang. In the early 2000s, the majority of PRC nationals
in Kyrgyzstan were of Uyghur ethnicity, but since then, an increasing number of Han Chinese
have been arriving. Kyrgyzstan and other post-Soviet states
are popular destinations for people from Xinjiang because they offer the opportunity to learn Russian
, which has become important in urban job markets such as Urumqi
. Recent migrants state they chose Kyrgyzstan as their destination, rather than join the large numbers of Chinese people in Russia or in Kazakhstan
because Kyrgyzstan is cheaper, and because they perceive public safety as being better in Kyrgyzstan than in Russia where there have been cases of attacks on migrant workers.
. On the outskirts of Bishkek, there is a large Chinese market, described as a "city within a city"; it has its own hospital, mosque, and apartment buildings.
Migrants from China also work in the construction sector, especially on housing projects for low-income people. President Kurmanbek Bakiyev
once gave a speech praising the diligent Chinese workers and contrasting them harshly with local workers, whom he described as "lazy"; however, his speech provoked some resentment from average citizens. Construction company bosses also prefer Chinese workers because they are seen as less litigious than local workers, especially in the case of those living in the country illegally
.
. However, such marriages actually remain relatively rare. There is also concern that Chinese use forged
marriage certificates to obtain Kyrgyzstani passports, which enable them to travel visa-free to Turkey and Russia.
Kyrgyzstanis complain that the Chinese specialists who run factories are secretive and do not wish to train local people how to operate the equipment, just keeping them as low-level manual workers. Kyrgyzstani workers also blame unskilled Chinese migrants for taking jobs away from local people and thus forcing them to migrate to Russia to find work, where they themselves face the danger of violence motivated by xenophobia. Kyrgyzstani merchants have also organised protests against the Chinese traders. There have been numerous incidents of xenophobic violence against Chinese migrants, including one in June 2002 which resulted in three deaths. During the 2010 riots in Bishkek
which overthrew Kurmanbek Bakiyev
's government, the Guoying Center, a prominent symbol of Chinese traders' presence in Kyrgyzstan's capitol city, also became a target for mobs, who looted shops and burned the building.
.
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan , officially the Kyrgyz Republic is one of the world's six independent Turkic states . Located in Central Asia, landlocked and mountainous, Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the southwest and China to the east...
. However, the 2009 census showed just 1,813 people who declared themselves to be of Chinese ethnicity.
History
As China and Kyrgzystan are neighbouring countries, there is a long history of population movements between the lands that today make up their national territories. The Dungan people (Chinese-speaking Muslims from Northwest China) fled to Kyrgyzstan in 1877 after the failure of their uprising against the Qing DynastyQing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
; they settled in Semirechie
Semirechie
Zhetysu is a historical name of a part of Russian Turkestan, corresponding to the South-Eastern part of modern Kazakhstan. It owes its name, meaning "seven rivers" in Kazakh, to the rivers which flow from the south-east into Lake Balkhash.When the region was incorporated into the Russian Empire...
as well as the Ferghana Valley. In the early 20th century, Uyghurs, Dungans, and Han Chinese
Han Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
alike came to the Ferghana Valley as migrant worker
Migrant worker
The term migrant worker has different official meanings and connotations in different parts of the world. The United Nations' definition is broad, including any people working outside of their home country...
s in coal mines, cotton mills, and farms; some settled down permanently in Kyrgyzstan. The agricultural failures incurred during the 1950s Great Leap Forward
Great Leap Forward
The Great Leap Forward of the People's Republic of China was an economic and social campaign of the Communist Party of China , reflected in planning decisions from 1958 to 1961, which aimed to use China's vast population to rapidly transform the country from an agrarian economy into a modern...
spurred many people from Xinjiang
Xinjiang
Xinjiang is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. It is the largest Chinese administrative division and spans over 1.6 million km2...
to flee to the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, including Kyrgyzstan, to escape hardships in China. However, as the Sino-Soviet split
Sino-Soviet split
In political science, the term Sino–Soviet split denotes the worsening of political and ideologic relations between the People's Republic of China and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics during the Cold War...
worsened, the border was closed and such migration made impossible.
Migration would begin again in the late 1980s, centred on Chui Province, Bishkek
Bishkek
Bishkek , formerly Pishpek and Frunze, is the capital and the largest city of Kyrgyzstan.Bishkek is also the administrative centre of Chuy Province which surrounds the city, even though the city itself is not part of the province but rather a province-level unit of Kyrgyzstan.The name is thought to...
and its surroundings; people from Xinjiang would come to rent land, and grow vegetables. Others came as cross-border traders, selling Chinese alcoholic beverages and buying up clothing—especially coats made from Karakul sheep pelts—for sale in Xinjiang. In the early 2000s, the majority of PRC nationals
Nationality Law of the People's Republic of China
The Nationality Law of the People's Republic of China regulates citizenship in the People's Republic of China . Such citizenship is obtained by birth when at least one parent is of Chinese nationality or by naturalization....
in Kyrgyzstan were of Uyghur ethnicity, but since then, an increasing number of Han Chinese
Han Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
have been arriving. Kyrgyzstan and other post-Soviet states
Post-Soviet states
The post-Soviet states, also commonly known as the Former Soviet Union or former Soviet republics, are the 15 independent states that split off from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in its dissolution in December 1991...
are popular destinations for people from Xinjiang because they offer the opportunity to learn Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
, which has become important in urban job markets such as Urumqi
Ürümqi
Ürümqi , formerly Tihwa , is the capital of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, in the northwest of the country....
. Recent migrants state they chose Kyrgyzstan as their destination, rather than join the large numbers of Chinese people in Russia or in Kazakhstan
Chinese people in Kazakhstan
The number of Chinese people in Kazakhstan is not very clear. There have been various migrations of ethnic minorities from China to Kazakhstan in the 19th and early 20th centuries, such as that of the Dungan people fleeing Qing Dynasty forces after a failed 1862–1877 rebellion in northwest China,...
because Kyrgyzstan is cheaper, and because they perceive public safety as being better in Kyrgyzstan than in Russia where there have been cases of attacks on migrant workers.
Business and employment
Chinese traders often employ local Dungans as assistants. Kyrgyzstani university students of all ethnicities also often seek out employment with Chinese traders, using their job as an opportunity to learn the Chinese languageChinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
. On the outskirts of Bishkek, there is a large Chinese market, described as a "city within a city"; it has its own hospital, mosque, and apartment buildings.
Migrants from China also work in the construction sector, especially on housing projects for low-income people. President Kurmanbek Bakiyev
Kurmanbek Bakiyev
Kurmanbek Saliyevich Bakiyev is a politician who served as the second President of Kyrgyzstan, from 2005 to 2010...
once gave a speech praising the diligent Chinese workers and contrasting them harshly with local workers, whom he described as "lazy"; however, his speech provoked some resentment from average citizens. Construction company bosses also prefer Chinese workers because they are seen as less litigious than local workers, especially in the case of those living in the country illegally
Illegal immigration
Illegal immigration is the migration into a nation in violation of the immigration laws of that jurisdiction. Illegal immigration raises many political, economical and social issues and has become a source of major controversy in developed countries and the more successful developing countries.In...
.
Inter-ethnic relations
There is a popular perception that many Chinese migrants seek to marry Kyrgyz women in order to obtain Kyrgyzstani citizenship; local people, especially the elderly, object to the women marrying men who are not MuslimsInterfaith marriage in Islam
Islam allows a man to marry a woman from the People of the Book, that is, Christians and Jews, however they must be chaste. The early jurists of the most prominent schools of Islamic jurisprudence ruled in fiqh law that the marriage of a Muslim man to a Christian or Jewish woman is makruh if they...
. However, such marriages actually remain relatively rare. There is also concern that Chinese use forged
Identity document forgery
Identity document forgery is the process by which identity documents issued by governing bodies are copied and/or modified by persons not authorized to create such documents or engage in such modifications, for the purpose of deceiving those who would view the documents about the identity or status...
marriage certificates to obtain Kyrgyzstani passports, which enable them to travel visa-free to Turkey and Russia.
Kyrgyzstanis complain that the Chinese specialists who run factories are secretive and do not wish to train local people how to operate the equipment, just keeping them as low-level manual workers. Kyrgyzstani workers also blame unskilled Chinese migrants for taking jobs away from local people and thus forcing them to migrate to Russia to find work, where they themselves face the danger of violence motivated by xenophobia. Kyrgyzstani merchants have also organised protests against the Chinese traders. There have been numerous incidents of xenophobic violence against Chinese migrants, including one in June 2002 which resulted in three deaths. During the 2010 riots in Bishkek
2010 Kyrgyzstani uprising
The 2010 Kyrgyzstani revolution was a series of riots and demonstrations across Kyrgyzstan in April 2010 that led ultimately to the ousting of President Kurmanbek Bakiyev. The uprising stemmed from growing anger against Bakiyev's administration, rising energy prices, and the sluggish economy, and...
which overthrew Kurmanbek Bakiyev
Kurmanbek Bakiyev
Kurmanbek Saliyevich Bakiyev is a politician who served as the second President of Kyrgyzstan, from 2005 to 2010...
's government, the Guoying Center, a prominent symbol of Chinese traders' presence in Kyrgyzstan's capitol city, also became a target for mobs, who looted shops and burned the building.
Media
The Ji'erjisisitan Huaqiao Bao (吉尔吉斯斯坦华侨报, literally "Kyrgyzstan Overseas Chinese Times") began publication in 2006 as a semi-monthly newspaper; it had a circulation of roughly 3,000 . It is printed in Xinjiang by the same department which publishes the Xinjiang Economic DailyXinjiang Economic Daily
The Xinjiang Economic Daily is a state-run daily newspaper published in the Xinjiang autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. It is published in the Chinese language only...
.