Chinese people in Tanzania
Encyclopedia
There were Chinese people in Tanzania as early as 1891. However, most of the Chinese in the country trace their roots to three distinct waves of migration: 1930s settlement on Zanzibar
, workers sent by the Chinese government in the 1960s and 1970s as part of development assistance to Tanzania
, and private entrepreneurs and traders who began doing business there during the 1990s.
came from other parts of Africa; however, there were a few Chinese as well. In 1891, the German East Africa Corporation hired 491 Chinese and Javanese labourers from Singapore
to work on plantations in Usambara. Separately, a community of overseas Chinese
began to form on the island of Zanzibar
, by then a British possession, in the 1930s. The Chinese noodles
they produced there became a popular staple food for the local population, especially for the evening iftar
meal which marks the end of the day's fasting
during Ramadan
.
In 1969, a few years after Tanganyika and Zanzibar achieved independence from the British Empire and merged to become Tanzania, the People's Republic of China
agreed to provide financing and technical assistance for the construction of the TAZARA Railway, intended to give Zambia
an alternative to an existing railway route passing through Rhodesia
, and allow them to export copper through ports in Tanzania instead. The first thousand Chinese railway workers came to Dar Es Salaam
on board the ocean liner Yao Hao in August 1969.; they would be followed by twenty to thirty thousand more in the next five years. At any given time, Chinese composed between twenty-five and thirty percent, or 13,000, of the thirty to forty thousand workers on the railway. Most of them returned home after their stint in the country, but due to the emphasis placed on speedy construction, they had little time to train their Tanzanian counterparts to replace them; as a result, teams of Chinese experts continued to work for the railway authority as late as 2004. During these years, China also sent some advisors to Zanzibar for work on other development projects. Finally, roughly 200 doctors from Jiangsu
were dispatched all over Tanzania on two-year stints; people's positive experience with these doctors laid the foundations for the later popularity of traditional Chinese medicine
, though they themselves were not TCM practitioners.
The population of old overseas Chinese continued to decrease; by 2008, just twenty remained in Dar Es Salaam, including a Meixian
Hakka
couple from South Africa who ran a Chinese restaurant
, and a number of Burmese Chinese
who traced their roots to the Taishan
and Kaiping
counties of Guangdong
. However, their numbers were bolstered by the arrival of new expatriate businessmen and entrepreneurs beginning in the 1990s.
reported in 2008 that 10,000 Chinese people live in the country.
Zanzibar
Zanzibar ,Persian: زنگبار, from suffix bār: "coast" and Zangi: "bruin" ; is a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania, in East Africa. It comprises the Zanzibar Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of numerous small islands and two large ones: Unguja , and Pemba...
, workers sent by the Chinese government in the 1960s and 1970s as part of development assistance to Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
, and private entrepreneurs and traders who began doing business there during the 1990s.
History
Most foreign labour in Tanganyika's history as a German colonyGerman East Africa
German East Africa was a German colony in East Africa, which included what are now :Burundi, :Rwanda and Tanganyika . Its area was , nearly three times the size of Germany today....
came from other parts of Africa; however, there were a few Chinese as well. In 1891, the German East Africa Corporation hired 491 Chinese and Javanese labourers from 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...
to work on plantations in Usambara. Separately, a community of 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....
began to form on the island of Zanzibar
Zanzibar
Zanzibar ,Persian: زنگبار, from suffix bār: "coast" and Zangi: "bruin" ; is a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania, in East Africa. It comprises the Zanzibar Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of numerous small islands and two large ones: Unguja , and Pemba...
, by then a British possession, in the 1930s. The Chinese noodles
Chinese noodles
Noodles are an essential ingredient and staple in Chinese cuisine. There is a great variety of Chinese noodles, which vary according to their region of production, ingredients, shape or width, and manner of preparation...
they produced there became a popular staple food for the local population, especially for the evening iftar
Iftar
Iftar , refers to the evening meal when Muslims break their fast during the Islamic month of Ramadan. Iftar is one of the religious observances of Ramadan and is often done as a community, with people gathering to break their fast together. Iftar is done right after Maghrib time...
meal which marks the end of the day's fasting
Sawm
Sawm is an Arabic word for fasting regulated by Islamic jurisprudence. In the terminology of Islamic law, Sawm means to abstain from eating, drinking , having sex and anything against Islamic law...
during Ramadan
Ramadan
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which lasts 29 or 30 days. It is the Islamic month of fasting, in which participating Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex during daylight hours and is intended to teach Muslims about patience, spirituality, humility and...
.
In 1969, a few years after Tanganyika and Zanzibar achieved independence from the British Empire and merged to become Tanzania, 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...
agreed to provide financing and technical assistance for the construction of the TAZARA Railway, intended to give Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
an alternative to an existing railway route passing through Rhodesia
Rhodesia
Rhodesia , officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state located in southern Africa that existed between 1965 and 1979 following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965...
, and allow them to export copper through ports in Tanzania instead. The first thousand Chinese railway workers came to Dar Es Salaam
Dar es Salaam
Dar es Salaam , formerly Mzizima, is the largest city in Tanzania. It is also the country's richest city and a regionally important economic centre. Dar es Salaam is actually an administrative province within Tanzania, and consists of three local government areas or administrative districts: ...
on board the ocean liner Yao Hao in August 1969.; they would be followed by twenty to thirty thousand more in the next five years. At any given time, Chinese composed between twenty-five and thirty percent, or 13,000, of the thirty to forty thousand workers on the railway. Most of them returned home after their stint in the country, but due to the emphasis placed on speedy construction, they had little time to train their Tanzanian counterparts to replace them; as a result, teams of Chinese experts continued to work for the railway authority as late as 2004. During these years, China also sent some advisors to Zanzibar for work on other development projects. Finally, roughly 200 doctors from Jiangsu
Jiangsu
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
were dispatched all over Tanzania on two-year stints; people's positive experience with these doctors laid the foundations for the later popularity of 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...
, though they themselves were not TCM practitioners.
The population of old overseas Chinese continued to decrease; by 2008, just twenty remained in Dar Es Salaam, including a Meixian
Meixian
Mei County is a county in the municipal region of Meizhou, in northeastern Guangdong province, the People's Republic of China.-Geography:Mei county almost completely surrounds Meizhou's urban districts Jiangnan and Jiangbei...
Hakka
Hakka people
The Hakka , sometimes Hakka Han, are Han Chinese who speak the Hakka language and have links to the provincial areas of Guangdong, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan and Fujian in China....
couple from South Africa who ran a Chinese restaurant
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...
, and a number of Burmese Chinese
Burmese Chinese
The Burmese Chinese or Chinese Burmese are a group of overseas Chinese born or raised in Burma . Although the Chinese officially make up three percent of the population, the actual figure is believed to be much higher...
who traced their roots to the Taishan
Taishan
Taishan is a coastal county-level city in Guangdong Province, China. The city is part of the Greater Taishan Region....
and Kaiping
Kaiping
Kaiping : Hoi3 Pen6) or Hoi Ping is a county-level city in Guangdong Province, southern China. It has a population of 680,000 as of 2003 and an area of 1,659 km². The locals speak a variation of the Taishan dialect.-Administration:...
counties of Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
. However, their numbers were bolstered by the arrival of new expatriate businessmen and entrepreneurs beginning in the 1990s.
Numbers
There are conflicting statistics on the number of Chinese in Tanzania. In 2000, statistics of Tanzania's Immigration Department showed that they had issued work or residence permits to just 239 Chinese nationals, making them one of the smaller groups of foreigners in the country. However, China's official Xinhua News AgencyXinhua News Agency
The Xinhua News Agency is the official press agency of the government of the People's Republic of China and the biggest center for collecting information and press conferences in the PRC. It is the largest news agency in the PRC, ahead of the China News Service...
reported in 2008 that 10,000 Chinese people live in the country.
Business and employment
The new wave of Chinese expatriates in the 1990s initially came to Tanzania with the intention of working in more typical industries, such as construction, textiles, or food products. However, the World Health Organisation's push for privatisation of health care in Tanzania provided unexpected business opportunities to them; despite the fact that most lacked any medical training, they began setting up traditional Chinese medicine clinics, the first of which was established in 1996. Qualified practitioners came later, but in the early 2000s, the majority were still learning on the job.External links
- Chinese in Tanzania, a post from Marc van der ChijsMarc van der ChijsMarc van der Chijs is the co-founder, with Gary Wang, of popular Chinese video sharing website Tudou.com.-Career:...
' weblog - Making Noodles in Zanzibar, a film by Elisabeth Hsu