Chinese people in Sri Lanka
Encyclopedia
There have been Chinese people in Sri Lanka since the 1700s. Though their numbers dwindled in the decades after independence, in the 1990s and 2000s a new wave of Chinese international student
s, migrant worker
s, and businesspeople have been coming to Sri Lanka
.
was Faxian
, a 5th-century Buddhist
pilgrim
from Shanxi
who travelled overland from his home through present-day Nepal
and India
before coming to Abhayagiri Dagaba
, where he stayed from 410 to 414. When Ceylon was under Dutch rule
in the 17th and 18th centuries, the Dutch East India Company
authorities at Batavia
(present-day Jakarta
, Indonesia
) would occasionally deport unemployed or illegal
Chinese residents to Ceylon (as well as other Dutch colonies, such as the Cape of Good Hope
and the Banda Islands
), in order to provide manpower and limit the growth of the foreign population in Batavia. In July 1740, a plan was drawn up for mass deportations of Chinese from Batavia to work in cinnamon
harvesting in Ceylon. Rumours spread that the deportees were not taken to Ceylon at all but were instead thrown overboard as soon as they were out of sight of the Java
coastline, provoking unrest in the Chinese community. The resulting conflict between the Chinese and the Dutch eventually led to the 1740 Batavia massacre
.
After the British annexation of Ceylon, the new authorities brought more Chinese workers to the island. Frederick North
, the colonial Governor of Ceylon
from 1798 to 1805, arranged for the import of migrant worker
s and soldiers of various ethnic groups, including Malays
, Malayalis, and Africans; under North's direction, 47 Malayan Chinese
were recruited from Penang
to come to Ceylon for agricultural work near Galle
(hence the local place-name China Garden
) and Trincomalee
. Under his immediate successor Thomas Maitland, another 100 Chinese workers were brought in from Penang for work on the ill-fated Hamilton Canal at Negombo Lagoon
near Negombo
. Local people sometimes mistook these workers for Malays, since they were recruited from British Malaya
. British explorer Samuel Baker
's account of his time in Ceylon in the late 1840s and early 1850s mentions a few Chinese working along the coast in the vicinity of Trincomalee
, harvesting sea cucumbers
and shark fins
to export back to their home country for use in Chinese cuisine
. The 1911 census found a few Chinese speakers remaining in Ceylon.
origin began arriving in the late 1920s. Migrants from Shandong
came later, in the 1940s. They came down by sea via Singapore
and Burma, or overland almost all the way via India
. Many settled at Hultsdorf
; from there, they spread out to other towns including Maradana
, Wellawatte
and Negombo
. Many of these migrants had not really intended to settle on the island, but simply to make money and return home. However, with the outbreak and intensification of the Second Sino-Japanese War
, and following it the victory of the Communist Party of China
in the Chinese Civil War
and the resulting establishment of the People's Republic of China
, these migrants ended up staying in Ceylon far longer than they had intended, and made it their home. The community once numbered in the thousands; however, beginning from the 1960s, its members began to migrate overseas to Europe and North America. 1963 statistics from the Republic of China
on Taiwan
's Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission
showed just 450 registered overseas Chinese
remaining on the island.
However, in the late 1990s and early 2000s, with the easing of immigration regulations, a new wave of Chinese migrants came to Sri Lanka to try their luck in small businesses, braving the violence of the civil war
. These new migrants established various community organisations, including a football team. No Chinese people are known to have been killed in the civil war violence, but there was a close call in the August 2006 attack on Pakistani ambassador to Sri Lanka
: the roadside bomb blew a hole in the wall of the Garden Hotel (花园饭店), a Chinese restaurant in the area. After the end of the civil war
, Sri Lanka has also become a popular destination for rich Hong Kong
people and mainland Chinese to purchase vacation homes
, for example making up 70% of the purchasers at the Thona Bay resort project near Batticaloa
.
The total population of Chinese people in the country is disputed, but it is heavily dominated by recent migrants. The descendants of early migrants who remain in Sri Lanka number only around 200 persons. One source claimed that there are as many as 110,000 Chinese workers in the country. In a 2010 interview, however, President Mahinda Rajapaksa
ridiculed claims of such high numbers. According to 2010 figures from Sri Lanka's Department of Immigration and Emigration, a total of 7,844 Chinese workers resided in Sri Lanka on employment visas, typically of one year's validity. Figures from NationMaster
state that 3,500 Chinese people reside in Sri Lanka.
s or dental assistant
s, while those from Shandong entered the textile and hospitality industries. The textile salesmen would go door-to-door
on foot or bicycle throughout cities and suburbs carrying bundles of silk. The dental clinics, known as "Chinese Dental Mechanics", were often the only providers of dental services in many towns until the government began setting up dental clinics in later years, staffed by graduates of Peradeniya University. There were also Chinese-owned sundry stores in most towns. One major chain, the Chinese Lucky Store, imported goods from Hong Kong; branches still remain in Maradana, Wellawatta, and Trincomalee
. There are also many Chinese restaurants
in Sri Lanka, but they do not necessarily have Chinese owners or staff. Some authentic Chinese restaurants which remain in Sri Lanka include Parkview and Lotus at Chatham Street in Colombo; many other early restaurants which were opened in the past have closed down. However, more recent Chinese migrants have also got involved in the restaurant trade, as well as opening other kinds of businesses such as traditional Chinese medicine
shops and, less reputably, massage parlours
. In the mean time, due to the rise of supermarkets and malls and other modernisation of Sri Lanka's retail and medical sectors, the descendants of early migrants have moved away from their families' traditional businesses into areas as varied as shrimp farm
ing and accountancy
.
Chinese engineering companies who have been contracted for projects in Sri Lanka have also brought in migrant worker
s from China. The earliest such workers came in 1970 to work on the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall
. More recently they are working on infrastructure projects at Hambantota
, such as the Hambantota International Airport and the Port of Hambantota
. The port project, run by China Harbour Engineering Co Ltd
, was reported to employ 328 Sri Lankan and 235 Chinese workers in 2008. Due to the influx of Chinese workers, Hambantota locals have even begun doing business growing and selling Chinese vegetables such as Chinese cabbage
, choy sum
, and kale
for their kitchens. The Norocholai Power Station, a fossil fuel power station construction project near Puttalam
, reportedly employs 900 Chinese engineers
, helpers, welder
s, and fitters, with the assistance of only a few Sri Lankans. Other construction projects known to employ Chinese workers include the Colombo National Performing Art Theatre
(reported to employ 1,000 Chinese workers) and a water-supply upgrade project in Colombo run by China Geo Engineering Corporation. At Trincomalee
, the Singapore
-based Prima Group, itself owned by a Chinese Singaporean, has set up a flour processing plant and sent a Chinese manager to oversee operations.
. In January 2008, after lobbying led by University of Peradeniya
zoology graduate Chwing-Chi Chang, Prime Minister and Internal Administration Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake
presented the Parliament of Sri Lanka
with a draft bill to grant Sri Lankan citizenship to stateless persons of Chinese origin who had been settled in the country for a long time. It was passed into law without debate on 24 September 2008. The new law, the "Grant of Citizenship to Persons of Chinese Origin" Act, applies to persons "belonging to the Chinese Race" who have been permanent residents of Sri Lanka since 15 November 1948 or who are the descendants of such a person and are themselves resident in Sri Lanka. It gives them the right to apply for the status of citizen of Sri Lanka by registration (otherwise than by descent). In the following two years, a total of 80 people acquired Sri Lankan citizenship under the act. The provisions of the act will expire in 2013.
in Sri Lanka. Initially these scholarships were handled through the Sri Lanka–China Friendship Association. When academic exchanges resumed after the Cultural Revolution
, they were handled directly at the governmental level. The most recent group of Chinese students came after discussions during President Mahinda Rajapaksa
's 2007 visit to China. The government provided scholarships for 16 Sinhala language majors from Beijing Foreign Studies University
; they arrived in September 2008, and spent six months in the country. The Chinese government also sends professors of Chinese language to teach at various universities in Sri Lanka, including the Buddhist and Pali University of Sri Lanka
. The country's first Confucius Institute
for the teaching of Chinese as a second language was opened at the University of Kelaniya
in May 2007.
of 1962. Later, the influx of Chinese workers drew concern from various sectors. The use of Chinese workers rather than local workers has provoked criticism from opposition politicians and area residents, and even threats of violence. Some Sri Lankan media reports have accused China of using convict labour
in Sri Lanka. The influx of Chinese workers has also led to tensions in India – Sri Lanka relations, reportedly leading the Sri Lankan side to reassure the Indians that the workers would not settle in the country permanently, but would instead leave after they finished their work.
International student
According to Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development , international students are those who travel to a country different from their own for the purpose of tertiary study. Despite that, the definition of international students varies in each country in accordance to their own national...
s, 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, and businesspeople have been coming to Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
.
Early visitors and migrants
Sri Lanka's earliest known visitor from ChinaChina
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
was Faxian
Faxian
Faxian was a Chinese Buddhist monk who traveled to India, Sri Lanka and Kapilavastu in today's Nepal between 399 and 412 to acquire Buddhist scriptures...
, a 5th-century Buddhist
Buddhism in China
Chinese Buddhism refers collectively to the various schools of Buddhism that have flourished in China since ancient times. Buddhism has played an enormous role in shaping the mindset of the Chinese people, affecting their aesthetics, politics, literature, philosophy and medicine.At the peak of the...
pilgrim
Buddhist pilgrimage
The most important places of pilgrimage in Buddhism are located in the Gangetic plains of Northern India and Southern Nepal, in the area between New Delhi and Rajgir. This is the area where Gautama Buddha lived and taught, and the main sites connected to his life are now important places of...
from Shanxi
Shanxi
' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....
who travelled overland from his home through present-day Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
before coming to Abhayagiri Dagaba
Abhayagiri Dagaba
Abhayagiri vihāra is situated in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. It is one of the most extensive ruins in the world and one of the most sacred Buddhist pilgrimage cities in the nation. Historically it was a great monastic centre as well as a royal capital, with magnificent monasteries rising to many...
, where he stayed from 410 to 414. When Ceylon was under Dutch rule
Dutch period in Ceylon
Ceylon was a governorate of the Dutch East India Company between 1658 and 1798 on the island currently known as Sri Lanka.In the early 17th century, Sri Lanka was partly ruled by the Portuguese and the Sinhala kingdom, who were constantly battling each other...
in the 17th and 18th centuries, the Dutch East India Company
Dutch East India Company
The Dutch East India Company was a chartered company established in 1602, when the States-General of the Netherlands granted it a 21-year monopoly to carry out colonial activities in Asia...
authorities at Batavia
History of Jakarta
The history of Jakarta begins with its first recorded mention as a Hindu port settlement in the 4th century. Ever since, the city had been variously claimed by the Indianized kingdom of Tarumanegara, Hindu Kingdom of Sunda, Muslim Sultanate of Banten, Dutch East Indies, Empire of Japan, and finally...
(present-day Jakarta
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
) would occasionally deport unemployed or illegal
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...
Chinese residents to Ceylon (as well as other Dutch colonies, such as the Cape of Good Hope
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
and the Banda Islands
Banda Islands
The Banda Islands are a volcanic group of ten small volcanic islands in the Banda Sea, about south of Seram Island and about east of Java, and are part of the Indonesian province of Maluku. The main town and administrative centre is Bandanaira, located on the island of the same name. They rise...
), in order to provide manpower and limit the growth of the foreign population in Batavia. In July 1740, a plan was drawn up for mass deportations of Chinese from Batavia to work in cinnamon
Cinnamomum verum
Cinnamomum verum, called "true cinnamon", Ceylon cinnamon or Sri Lanka cinnamon is a small evergreen tree belonging to the family Lauraceae, native to Sri Lanka...
harvesting in Ceylon. Rumours spread that the deportees were not taken to Ceylon at all but were instead thrown overboard as soon as they were out of sight of the Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
coastline, provoking unrest in the Chinese community. The resulting conflict between the Chinese and the Dutch eventually led to the 1740 Batavia massacre
1740 Batavia massacre
The 1740 Batavia massacre was a pogrom against ethnic Chinese living in the port city of Batavia, the Dutch East Indies , that occurred between 9 and 22 October 1740....
.
After the British annexation of Ceylon, the new authorities brought more Chinese workers to the island. Frederick North
Frederick North, 5th Earl of Guilford
Frederick North, 5th Earl of Guilford , known as the Honourable Frederick North until 1817, was a British politician and colonial administrator....
, the colonial Governor of Ceylon
Governor of Ceylon
The British Governor of Ceylon was an official who ruled Ceylon during the British colonial period between 1798 and 1948....
from 1798 to 1805, arranged for the import of 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 and soldiers of various ethnic groups, including Malays
Sri Lankan Malays
The Malays of Sri Lanka originated in Southeast Asia and today consist of about 50,000 people...
, Malayalis, and Africans; under North's direction, 47 Malayan Chinese
Malaysian Chinese
Malaysian Chinese is a Malaysian of Chinese origin. Most are descendants of Chinese who arrived between the fifteenth and the mid-twentieth centuries. Within Malaysia, they are usually simply referred to as "Chinese" in all languages. The term Chinese Malaysian is also sometimes used to refer to...
were recruited from Penang
Penang
Penang is a state in Malaysia and the name of its constituent island, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. It is bordered by Kedah in the north and east, and Perak in the south. Penang is the second smallest Malaysian state in area after Perlis, and the...
to come to Ceylon for agricultural work near Galle
Galle
Galle is a city situated on the southwestern tip of Sri Lanka, 119 km from Colombo. Galle is the capital city of Southern Province of Sri Lanka and it lies in Galle District....
(hence the local place-name China Garden
China Garden
China Garden is a small town in Sri Lanka. It is located in Southern Province. The name is believed to refer to Chinese migrant labourers who were brought to the area for agricultural work in the early 19th century by Frederick North, then the colonial Governor of Ceylon.-External links:*...
) and Trincomalee
Trincomalee
Trincomalee is a port city in Eastern Province, Sri Lanka and lies on the east coast of the island, about 113 miles south of Jaffna. It has a population of approximately 100,000 . The city is built on a peninsula, which divides the inner and outer harbours. Overlooking the Kottiyar Bay,...
. Under his immediate successor Thomas Maitland, another 100 Chinese workers were brought in from Penang for work on the ill-fated Hamilton Canal at Negombo Lagoon
Negombo Lagoon
Negombo Lagoon is a large estuarine lagoon in Gampaha District, south-west Sri Lanka.The lagoon is fed by a number of small rivers and a canal. It is linked to the sea by a narrow channel to the north, near Negombo town. It is surrounded by a densely populated region containing rice paddies,...
near Negombo
Negombo
Negombo is a town of about 121,933, approximately 37 km north of Colombo, in Sri Lanka. It is located at the mouth of the Negombo Lagoon, about 7 km from the Bandaranaike International Airport...
. Local people sometimes mistook these workers for Malays, since they were recruited from British Malaya
British Malaya
British Malaya loosely described a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the Island of Singapore that were brought under British control between the 18th and the 20th centuries...
. British explorer Samuel Baker
Samuel Baker
Sir Samuel White Baker, KCB, FRS, FRGS was a British explorer, officer, naturalist, big game hunter, engineer, writer and abolitionist. He also held the titles of Pasha and Major-General in the Ottoman Empire and Egypt. He served as the Governor-General of the Equatorial Nile Basin between Apr....
's account of his time in Ceylon in the late 1840s and early 1850s mentions a few Chinese working along the coast in the vicinity of Trincomalee
Trincomalee
Trincomalee is a port city in Eastern Province, Sri Lanka and lies on the east coast of the island, about 113 miles south of Jaffna. It has a population of approximately 100,000 . The city is built on a peninsula, which divides the inner and outer harbours. Overlooking the Kottiyar Bay,...
, harvesting sea cucumbers
Sea cucumber (food)
Sea cucumbers are marine animals of the class Holothuroidea used in fresh or dried form in various cuisines.The creature and the food product is commonly known as bêche-de-mer in French, trepang in Indonesian, namako in Japanese and in the Philippines it is called balatan...
and shark fins
Shark finning
Shark finning refers to the removal and retention of shark fins and the discarding of the rest of the fish. Shark finning takes place at sea so the fishers only have to transport the fins.Shark finning is widespread, and largely unmanaged and unmonitored...
to export back to their home country for use in Chinese cuisine
Chinese cuisine
Chinese cuisine is any of several styles originating in the regions of China, some of which have become highly popular in other parts of the world – from Asia to the Americas, Australia, Western Europe and Southern Africa...
. The 1911 census found a few Chinese speakers remaining in Ceylon.
Recent waves of migration
Independent migrants of HubeiHubei
' Hupeh) is a province in Central China. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Lake Dongting...
origin began arriving in the late 1920s. Migrants from Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
came later, in the 1940s. They came down by sea via Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
and Burma, or overland almost all the way via India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Many settled at Hultsdorf
Hultsdorf
Hultsdorf is a suburb in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It is part of the postal area known as Colombo 12. It has been known historically as Hulffsdorp, Hulfsdorp, Hulftsdorp, Hulsdorp, Hulstsdorp and Hülffsdorf.-History:...
; from there, they spread out to other towns including Maradana
Maradana
Maradana is a suburb of Colombo city, Sri Lanka. Maradana is the site of Maradana Railway Station, one of the primary railway hubs in the country, serving intercity rail and commuter rail. Maradana also has many railway yards and running sheds...
, Wellawatte
Wellawatte
Wellawatte, a suburb in Colombo, lies immediately south of Bambalapitiya and is classified as zone 6 within the Colombo Municipal region. The town begins at the old Dutch canal just before the Savoy Cinema and extends all the way south to the same canal that spills into the sea just before the...
and Negombo
Negombo
Negombo is a town of about 121,933, approximately 37 km north of Colombo, in Sri Lanka. It is located at the mouth of the Negombo Lagoon, about 7 km from the Bandaranaike International Airport...
. Many of these migrants had not really intended to settle on the island, but simply to make money and return home. However, with the outbreak and intensification of the Second Sino-Japanese War
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...
, and following it the victory of the Communist Party of China
Communist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
in the Chinese Civil War
Chinese Civil War
The Chinese Civil War was a civil war fought between the Kuomintang , the governing party of the Republic of China, and the Communist Party of China , for the control of China which eventually led to China's division into two Chinas, Republic of China and People's Republic of...
and the resulting establishment of the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, these migrants ended up staying in Ceylon far longer than they had intended, and made it their home. The community once numbered in the thousands; however, beginning from the 1960s, its members began to migrate overseas to Europe and North America. 1963 statistics from the Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
on Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
's Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission
Overseas Compatriot Affairs Commission
The Overseas Compatriot Affairs Commission is a cabinet-level commission of the Executive Yuan of the Republic of China . Its main objective is to serve as a cultural, education, economic, and informational exchanges organization between Taiwan and overseas Chinese...
showed just 450 registered overseas Chinese
Overseas Chinese
Overseas Chinese are people of Chinese birth or descent who live outside the Greater China Area . People of partial Chinese ancestry living outside the Greater China Area may also consider themselves Overseas Chinese....
remaining on the island.
However, in the late 1990s and early 2000s, with the easing of immigration regulations, a new wave of Chinese migrants came to Sri Lanka to try their luck in small businesses, braving the violence of the civil war
Sri Lankan civil war
The Sri Lankan Civil War was a conflict fought on the island of Sri Lanka. Beginning on July 23, 1983, there was an on-and-off insurgency against the government by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam , a separatist militant organization which fought to create an independent Tamil state named Tamil...
. These new migrants established various community organisations, including a football team. No Chinese people are known to have been killed in the civil war violence, but there was a close call in the August 2006 attack on Pakistani ambassador to Sri Lanka
Attack on Pakistani ambassador to Sri lanka
On August 14, 2006, a convoy carrying the Pakistani High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Bashir Wali Mohamed, was attacked by a claymore antipersonnel mine concealed within an auto rickshaw...
: the roadside bomb blew a hole in the wall of the Garden Hotel (花园饭店), a Chinese restaurant in the area. After the end of the civil war
Sri Lankan civil war
The Sri Lankan Civil War was a conflict fought on the island of Sri Lanka. Beginning on July 23, 1983, there was an on-and-off insurgency against the government by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam , a separatist militant organization which fought to create an independent Tamil state named Tamil...
, Sri Lanka has also become a popular destination for rich Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
people and mainland Chinese to purchase vacation homes
Vacation property
Vacation property is a niche in the real estate market dealing with residences used for holiday vacations . In the United Kingdom this type of property is usually termed a holiday home, in Australia, a holiday house/home, or weekender, in New Zealand, a bach or crib...
, for example making up 70% of the purchasers at the Thona Bay resort project near Batticaloa
Batticaloa
Batticaloa is a city in the Eastern province of Sri Lanka. It is the seat of the Eastern University of Sri Lanka. It is on the east coast, south by south east of Trincomalee, and is situated on an island.-Etymology:...
.
The total population of Chinese people in the country is disputed, but it is heavily dominated by recent migrants. The descendants of early migrants who remain in Sri Lanka number only around 200 persons. One source claimed that there are as many as 110,000 Chinese workers in the country. In a 2010 interview, however, President Mahinda Rajapaksa
Mahinda Rajapaksa
Percy Mahendra "Mahinda" Rajapaksa ; ; born November 18, 1945) is the 6th and current President of Sri Lanka and Commander in Chief of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces. A lawyer by profession, Rajapaksa was first elected to the Parliament of Sri Lanka in 1970, and served as prime minister from April 6,...
ridiculed claims of such high numbers. According to 2010 figures from Sri Lanka's Department of Immigration and Emigration, a total of 7,844 Chinese workers resided in Sri Lanka on employment visas, typically of one year's validity. Figures from NationMaster
NationMaster
NationMaster is a statistical website that aims to facilitate comparison of publicly available data on all countries of the world. Self-described as "a massive central data source," the developers bring together information found in a wide range of documents, including the Central Intelligence...
state that 3,500 Chinese people reside in Sri Lanka.
Business and employment
Early migrants from Hubei often found work as dental technicianDental technician
A dental technologist is a member of the dental team who, upon presciption from a dental clinician, constructs custom made restorative and dental appliances.There are four major disciplines within dental technology...
s or dental assistant
Dental assistant
Dental assistants assist the dental operator provide more efficient dental treatment, by preparing the patient for treatment, sterilizing instruments, passing instruments during the procedure, holding a suction device, exposing dental radiographs, taking impressions, and fabricating provisional...
s, while those from Shandong entered the textile and hospitality industries. The textile salesmen would go door-to-door
Door-to-door
Door-to-door is a sales technique in which a salesperson walks from the door of one house to the door of another trying to sell a product or service to the general public. A variant of this involves cold calling first, when another sales representative attempts to gain agreement that a salesperson...
on foot or bicycle throughout cities and suburbs carrying bundles of silk. The dental clinics, known as "Chinese Dental Mechanics", were often the only providers of dental services in many towns until the government began setting up dental clinics in later years, staffed by graduates of Peradeniya University. There were also Chinese-owned sundry stores in most towns. One major chain, the Chinese Lucky Store, imported goods from Hong Kong; branches still remain in Maradana, Wellawatta, and Trincomalee
Trincomalee
Trincomalee is a port city in Eastern Province, Sri Lanka and lies on the east coast of the island, about 113 miles south of Jaffna. It has a population of approximately 100,000 . The city is built on a peninsula, which divides the inner and outer harbours. Overlooking the Kottiyar Bay,...
. There are also many Chinese restaurants
Chinese cuisine
Chinese cuisine is any of several styles originating in the regions of China, some of which have become highly popular in other parts of the world – from Asia to the Americas, Australia, Western Europe and Southern Africa...
in Sri Lanka, but they do not necessarily have Chinese owners or staff. Some authentic Chinese restaurants which remain in Sri Lanka include Parkview and Lotus at Chatham Street in Colombo; many other early restaurants which were opened in the past have closed down. However, more recent Chinese migrants have also got involved in the restaurant trade, as well as opening other kinds of businesses such as traditional Chinese medicine
Traditional Chinese medicine
Traditional Chinese Medicine refers to a broad range of medicine practices sharing common theoretical concepts which have been developed in China and are based on a tradition of more than 2,000 years, including various forms of herbal medicine, acupuncture, massage , exercise , and dietary therapy...
shops and, less reputably, massage parlours
Massage parlor
A massage parlor is a business where customers can receive a massage. Sometimes the term is synonymous with brothel as the term "massage" may be used as a euphemism for paid sexual favours....
. In the mean time, due to the rise of supermarkets and malls and other modernisation of Sri Lanka's retail and medical sectors, the descendants of early migrants have moved away from their families' traditional businesses into areas as varied as shrimp farm
Shrimp farm
A shrimp farm is an aquaculture business for the cultivation of marine shrimp or prawns for human consumption. Commercial shrimp farming began in the 1970s, and production grew steeply, particularly to match the market demands of the United States, Japan and Western Europe...
ing and accountancy
Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka is a professional accountancy body in Sri Lanka. The Institute is established by Act of Parliament, No. 23 of 1959 as the sole organisation in Sri Lanka with the right to award the Chartered Accountant designation...
.
Chinese engineering companies who have been contracted for projects in Sri Lanka have also brought in 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 from China. The earliest such workers came in 1970 to work on the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall
Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall
The Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall , is a convention center located in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Built between 1970 and 1973 the convention center was a gift from the People's Republic of China in memory of Solomon Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 1956 to...
. More recently they are working on infrastructure projects at Hambantota
Hambantota
Hambantota is a coastal city in the south of Sri Lanka. It is the capital of the Hambantota District...
, such as the Hambantota International Airport and the Port of Hambantota
Port of Hambantota
The Port of Hambantota is a maritime port in Hambantota, Sri Lanka. The first phase of the port was opened on 18 November 2010, with the first ceremonial berthing of the naval ship "Jetliner" to use the port facilities. Hambantota Port is built inland and operated by the Sri Lanka Ports...
. The port project, run by China Harbour Engineering Co Ltd
China Harbour Engineering Co Ltd
China Harbour Engineering Co Ltd or CHEC is an engineering contractor which provides infrastructure construction, such as marine engineering, dredging and reclamation, road and bridge, railways, airports and plant construction...
, was reported to employ 328 Sri Lankan and 235 Chinese workers in 2008. Due to the influx of Chinese workers, Hambantota locals have even begun doing business growing and selling Chinese vegetables such as Chinese cabbage
Chinese cabbage
Chinese cabbage can refer to two distinct varieties of Chinese leaf vegetables used often in Chinese cuisine. These vegetables are both related to the Western cabbage, and are of the same species as the common turnip...
, choy sum
Choy sum
Choy sum or choi sum literally means "vegetable heart" in Cantonese. While frequently used to describe edible stem of either of the two varieties of Chinese cabbage, usually the soft inner core of bok choy with the tougher outer leaves removed, the term can be applied to the "heart"–the soft core...
, and kale
Kale
Kale is very high in beta carotene, vitamin K, vitamin C, lutein, zeaxanthin, and reasonably rich in calcium. Kale, as with broccoli and other brassicas, contains sulforaphane , a chemical with potent anti-cancer properties. Boiling decreases the level of sulforaphane; however, steaming,...
for their kitchens. The Norocholai Power Station, a fossil fuel power station construction project near Puttalam
Puttalam
Puttalam is the capital city of the Puttalam District in North Western Province, Sri Lanka.-History:The history of this dry zone dates back to the arrival of Prince Vijaya, nearly 2500 years ago, when his vessel washed ashore. The name "Puttalam" may be a modification of the Tamil word Uppuththalam...
, reportedly employs 900 Chinese engineers
Construction engineering
Construction engineering is a professional discipline that deals with the designing, planning, construction, and management of infrastructures such as highways, bridges, airports, railroads, buildings, dams, and utilities. Construction Engineers are unique such that they are a cross between civil...
, helpers, welder
Welder
A welder is a tradesman who specializes in welding materials together. The materials to be joined can be metals or varieties of plastic or polymer...
s, and fitters, with the assistance of only a few Sri Lankans. Other construction projects known to employ Chinese workers include the Colombo National Performing Art Theatre
Colombo National Performing Art Theatre
The National Performing Arts Theatre is a performing arts centre in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The theatre is set to open in October 2011, though construction has been completed.- Design and features :...
(reported to employ 1,000 Chinese workers) and a water-supply upgrade project in Colombo run by China Geo Engineering Corporation. At Trincomalee
Trincomalee
Trincomalee is a port city in Eastern Province, Sri Lanka and lies on the east coast of the island, about 113 miles south of Jaffna. It has a population of approximately 100,000 . The city is built on a peninsula, which divides the inner and outer harbours. Overlooking the Kottiyar Bay,...
, the Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
-based Prima Group, itself owned by a Chinese Singaporean, has set up a flour processing plant and sent a Chinese manager to oversee operations.
Citizenship
Many descendants of early Chinese migrants are statelessStatelessness
Statelessness is a legal concept describing the lack of any nationality. It is the absence of a recognized link between an individual and any state....
. In January 2008, after lobbying led by University of Peradeniya
University of Peradeniya
The University of Peradeniya is a world renowned state university in Sri Lanka, funded by the University Grants Commission...
zoology graduate Chwing-Chi Chang, Prime Minister and Internal Administration Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake
Ratnasiri Wickremanayake
Ratnasiri Wickremanayake MP is a Sri Lankan politician who was Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 2000 to 2001 and again from 2005 to 2010. He is currently a National List member of the Parliament of Sri Lanka....
presented the Parliament of Sri Lanka
Parliament of Sri Lanka
The Parliament of Sri Lanka is the 225-member unicameral legislature of Sri Lanka. The members of Parliament are elected by proportional representation for six-year terms, with universal suffrage. Parliament reserves the power to make all laws...
with a draft bill to grant Sri Lankan citizenship to stateless persons of Chinese origin who had been settled in the country for a long time. It was passed into law without debate on 24 September 2008. The new law, the "Grant of Citizenship to Persons of Chinese Origin" Act, applies to persons "belonging to the Chinese Race" who have been permanent residents of Sri Lanka since 15 November 1948 or who are the descendants of such a person and are themselves resident in Sri Lanka. It gives them the right to apply for the status of citizen of Sri Lanka by registration (otherwise than by descent). In the following two years, a total of 80 people acquired Sri Lankan citizenship under the act. The provisions of the act will expire in 2013.
Education
The Sri Lankan government has also long provided scholarships for Chinese students to study abroadStudy abroad
Studying abroad is the act of a student pursuing educational opportunities in a country other than one's own. This can include primary, secondary and post-secondary students...
in Sri Lanka. Initially these scholarships were handled through the Sri Lanka–China Friendship Association. When academic exchanges resumed after the Cultural Revolution
Cultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
, they were handled directly at the governmental level. The most recent group of Chinese students came after discussions during President Mahinda Rajapaksa
Mahinda Rajapaksa
Percy Mahendra "Mahinda" Rajapaksa ; ; born November 18, 1945) is the 6th and current President of Sri Lanka and Commander in Chief of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces. A lawyer by profession, Rajapaksa was first elected to the Parliament of Sri Lanka in 1970, and served as prime minister from April 6,...
's 2007 visit to China. The government provided scholarships for 16 Sinhala language majors from Beijing Foreign Studies University
Beijing Foreign Studies University
Beijing Foreign Studies University is the best foreign language and international studies university in China, often named "the cradle of diplomats" in the country.It is located in Weigongcun, Beijing, People's Republic of China...
; they arrived in September 2008, and spent six months in the country. The Chinese government also sends professors of Chinese language to teach at various universities in Sri Lanka, including the Buddhist and Pali University of Sri Lanka
Buddhist and Pali University of Sri Lanka
The Buddhist and Pali University of Sri Lanka is a Buddhist university located in Pitipana North, Homagama, Sri Lanka. It was founded in 1981 and is organized in two faculties.-Mission:...
. The country's first Confucius Institute
Confucius Institute
Confucius Institutes are non-profit public institutions that aim to promote Chinese language and culture, support local Chinese teaching internationally, as well as facilitating cultural exchanges. They are sometimes compared to language and culture promotion organizations such as France's...
for the teaching of Chinese as a second language was opened at the University of Kelaniya
University of Kelaniya
The University of Kelaniya is a state university of Sri Lanka. Situated just outside the municipal limits of Colombo, in the ancient and historic city of Kelaniya, the University has two major campuses, seven locations, six faculties and four institutions....
in May 2007.
Community relations
In the early days after Sri Lanka's independence, the Chinese community, small and powerless, were seen as alien and unimportant, and were mostly ignored by the Sri Lankans. Older children made insulting rhymes about Chinese door-to-door salesmen, while parents would scare their younger children by claiming that the salesmen would kidnap them if they misbehaved. Chinese children also sometimes endured racial taunts from their local classmates. However, on the whole, Sri Lankans were not actively hostile towards their Chinese minority, except during the Sino-Indian WarSino-Indian War
The Sino-Indian War , also known as the Sino-Indian Border Conflict , was a war between China and India that occurred in 1962. A disputed Himalayan border was the main pretext for war, but other issues played a role. There had been a series of violent border incidents after the 1959 Tibetan...
of 1962. Later, the influx of Chinese workers drew concern from various sectors. The use of Chinese workers rather than local workers has provoked criticism from opposition politicians and area residents, and even threats of violence. Some Sri Lankan media reports have accused China of using convict labour
Penal labour
Penal labour is a form of unfree labour in which prisoners perform work, typically manual labour. The work may be light or hard, depending on the context. Forms of sentence which involve penal labour include penal servitude and imprisonment with hard labour...
in Sri Lanka. The influx of Chinese workers has also led to tensions in India – Sri Lanka relations, reportedly leading the Sri Lankan side to reassure the Indians that the workers would not settle in the country permanently, but would instead leave after they finished their work.