Shortly
after Emancipation, the English Plantation owners realized that the African
descendants having been freed from slavery were reluctant to work on the sugar
estate. Based on this realization, they decided to import Chinese and East
Indians to work for them.
By
1854, the first group of four hundred and seventy two (472) Chinese come
toJamaica from Panama . Prior to this time there were about
thirty Chinese living in Jamaica . The second batch, of about two
hundred, coming from Trinidad and British Guiana arrived
inJamaica between 1864-1870. On June 12, 1884 , a third group of
about six hundred and eighty arrived straight from China , all having
three year contracts.
In
1905, the Jamaican Government noticed the increased population of Chinese
immigrants and passed a law that restricted entry to the country if certain
criteria were not met. The law passed emphasized three main areas:
1. Immigrants had to be
registered with immigration authorities before entry.
2. Immigrants had to have a
guarantor from a reliable shop. This guarantor should be able to prove that the
immigrant is law-abiding and will not be a burden on society.
3. Having arrived in Jamaica the
authorities need to know their address and contact information. From this point
onward the immigration law had become very strict.
By
1930, there were four thousand Chinese immigrants in Jamaica. By 1931 the
government had stopped issuing passports as an effort to reduce the “Chinese
Invasion” as it was called then. In another six years the figure
reached to a high of six thousand. As a result of this between 1931 and 1940
they were additions to the immigration law that includes:
1. The immigrants having to
successfully pass a written and oral English Language test;
2. Paying a fee before
entry;
3. Doing a medical
examination which should prove whether or not the immigrant is physically fit
and healthy.
After
their contracts had expired many were reluctant to return to China as
they knew what effect communism would have had on their return. Over
population, drought, flood and famine were added reasons why they left China as
well as why they remained in Jamaica.
In
1880, many of those who had remained in Jamaica started retail businesses
trading in grocery items with a few shops set up in Kingston. They as a
group developed the Chinese Benevolent Society, founded by Chung Fah Fuicon in
1890. The purpose of the society was to look after their interest and welfare,
to promote charitable activities and mutual assistance among themselves, and to
act as arbitrator in the settlement of their disputes.
By
1954, there were over one thousand commercial establishments owned by the
Chinese. In 1970 the number amounted to .7 percent of Jamaica ’s
population. In 1982, this fell to .2 percent as many migrated to Canada and
the United States of America .
The
Chinese, were noted for their acumen business and for the caring and nurturing
of their children placing great emphasis on education and family life. To date,
these characteristics have positively impacted the Jamaican society. Over the
years the Chinese became integrated in many professions such as law, medicine,
business, retailers, civil servants and teachers, while others remained wage
earners in the banking and manufacturing sectors. Jamaican Chinese are greatly
admired for being hardworking, diligent and courteous. They have added another
dimension to the plurality of the cultural heritage of Jamaica . During
Christmas and other special occasions one can always look forward to
performances of the Dragon Dance in the floats in the city.
References
Chen,
Julie. “The Chinese in Jamaica.” The Daily Gleaner 29
June, .:p15.
Lee, Easton. “Jamaican
culture: the Chinese connection.” The Observer 31 May 1997.
Yap,
Stephen. “The Chinese Community”. The West Indian Review.
[ ] 1954.
Yin,
Lee Tom. Chinese in Jamaica . Kingston ,
1957.
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