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| Chinatown | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Singapore Chinatown | |||||||||||
| Chinese | 唐人街 | ||||||||||
| Hakka | Tongˇ nginˇ gieˊ | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Alternative Chinese name | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 中國城 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 中国城 | ||||||||||
| Hakka | Zungˊ guedˋ sangˇ | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Second alternative Chinese name | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 華埠 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 华埠 | ||||||||||
| Hakka | Faˇ pu | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Chinatowns |
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Chinatowns in Asia are widespread with large concentrations ofoverseas Chinese inEast Asia andSoutheast Asia, and ethnic Chinese whose ancestors came from southern China — particularly the provinces ofGuangdong,Fujian, andHainan — and settled in countries such asBrunei,Cambodia,East Timor,Indonesia,India,Laos,Malaysia,Myanmar, thePhilippines,Singapore,Sri Lanka,Thailand,Vietnam,Japan andKorea centuries ago — starting as early as theTang dynasty, but mostly notably in the 17th–19th centuries (during the reign of theQing dynasty), and well into the 20th century. Today the Chinese diaspora in Asia is primarily concentrated in Southeast Asia; however, the legacy of the once widespread overseas Chinese communities in Asia is evident in the many Chinatowns found across East,South and Southeast Asia.
These ethnic Chinese often arrived from southern mainland China. They were mainly Chinese people ofCantonese (Vietnam, Cambodia, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia),Hakka (India, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar, Brunei),Hokkien (Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, Myanmar), andTeochew/Chaozhou (Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia) origin and less often ofHainanese,Hokchew andHenghwa origin in some countries.
Binondo, located inManila, Philippines, is considered by many to be the oldest existing Chinatown in the world, having been officially established in 1594 by the Spanish colonial government in the Philippines as a permanent settlement for Chinese who had converted to Christianity. A separate area, called the Parian, was allotted for unconverted Chinese.[1]
Ethnic Chinese represent a large minority population in most of these countries—with Singapore being the exception, where Chinese-origin Singaporeans form the majority of the population.Chinese Indonesians andChinese Filipinos have adapted toIndonesian andFilipino ways. TheThai Chinese andChinese Cambodian people have generally assimilated into the largerThai andCambodian population.
Historically,Southeast Asia,South Asia, and to some extentEast Asia have been areas of overseas Chinese migration within Asia.[2] In the 18th and 19th century there were waves of Chinese migration to other parts of Asia, primarily in Southeast Asia.[2] As a result of this migration, Chinatowns emerged in areas with high amounts of Chinese migrants.
In theTaimani area of the capitalKabul, there is an office building namedChina Town, with spaces for Chinese traders and merchants, as well as a small market.[3]
Cambodia started to contact China as early as the 1st century CE, but it was only until the 19th century that many Chinese started to immigrate to Cambodia. Most Chinese settlers in Cambodia are Teochew people, followed by some Cantonese, Hokkien, and Hakka.[citation needed]
In the late 19th century, during the reign ofLuong Preah Norodom, a plot of land along the riverside, north of the royal palace (Psar Chas) inPhnom Penh, was gifted to the Chinese immigrants. This became Phnom Penh Chinatown. The settlement gradually grew and expanded. However, after the Khmer Rouge, Chinatown was reduced to the areas around Orussey Market andCentral Market. It also lies on Charles de Gaulle Street, Kampuchea Krom Boulevard (west of Central Market),Monivong Boulevard, and Street 166.[citation needed]
Phnom Penh Chinatown is known for its Chinese cuisine, including grilled squids,tea eggs, lamina mee, and stir fry. There are also other businesses such as Feng Shui services and herbal shops.[citation needed]
Phnom Penh Chinatown is also the site of many Chinese festival celebrations. The most prominent of which being Chinese New Year but also the Spirit Parade Day, the Moon Cake Festival, and the Dragon Boat Festival.[citation needed]
Dili, the capital of East Timor, has a Chinatown business area on Hudilaran Street.[4]
Most of the Chinese community in Kolkata live in or nearTiretta Bazaar, the local Chinatown. Many Hakkas live in a community known asTangra, which used to be dominated by leather tanneries (theHindu majority will not touch cattle) and Chinese restaurants.[5] As of 2004[update], there were roughly 7,000 people of Chinese origin in Tangra, but the population was as high as 20,000.[5] The population decline has been attributed to increased pollution regulations on tanneries and the immigration of younger generations to countries such as Australia, Canada, and the United States for better economic opportunities.[5]
Another Chinatown is inByculla,Mumbai. However, it has diminished in population as many of its Indian-born Chinese ethnic residents were denied Indian passports, a backlash from the 1962 Indo-China war.[citation needed]
In Indonesia, many Chinese reside within the Major cities and towns of Java, Sumatra, Sulawesi, Borneo and The Moluccas. There is also a sizeable Chinese population in small towns and villages across Sumatra and Borneo. In Java, especially inJakarta, Chinese people reside in thenorthern,central and thewestern part of the province, such asGlodok,Mangga Dua, Pinangsia,Kelapa Gading,Grogol,Pantai Indah Kapuk, andPluit. Other Chinatowns in Java are located in theTangerang city center; Suryakencana Street inBogor,West Java; Jalan Pekojan inSemarang;Lasem in Central Java; Kampung Ketandan inYogyakarta; Kya-Kya inSurabaya; Kampung Balong inSurakarta; Jalan Kyai Tamin and Pasar Besar inMalang; Jalan Pemuda inMagelang; Pakelan inKediri; Jalan Karyawan baru inMojokerto; Keplekan Kidul and Jalan Blimbing inPekalongan; Jalan Gajah Mada inSidoarjo; and Jalan Veteran inTegal.
As for Sumatra and Borneo, many cities and towns have significant Chinese populations that can be found dispersed in and around the city. Those are:
"Chinatown" inIndonesian is known as Pecinan or Kampung Cina.[citation needed]
In Japan, ethnic Chinese immigrants are calledkakyō. The largest Chinatown in Asia and one of the largest in the world is located inYokohama[citation needed] and the city of Kobe hasa growing Chinatown.[citation needed]Nagasaki's Chinatown (Japanese:Shinchimachi,新地町) was founded in 1698 AD. Most Chinese immigrants in Japan were from Taiwan who arrived during theJapanese colonial period.[citation needed]
Nagashima Resort[citation needed] is Chinese StyleAmusement Park. There is aChinese restaurant calledLinlin, (林林) over there.
Tokyo'sIkebukuro district is home to many ethnic Chinese who arrived in the 1980s. Though in Tokyo, this Chinatown is relatively small and unannounced compared to Yokohama's Chinatown just to the south of the city.[6]
Vientiane contains a Chinatown on Samsenthai Road.[citation needed]
With around a quarter of theMalaysian population of Chinese origin, urban districts with a large concentration of ethnic Chinese are to be found across the country. The termChinatown is rarely used to refer to such places locally except for tourism purposes — particularly aboutPetaling Street, the center ofKuala Lumpur's Chinese business district and is predominantlyCantonese-speaking.[citation needed]
In the northern Malaysia, the population ofGeorgetown on the island ofPenang is essentiallyHokkien-speaking, and close to 90% of the population is of Chinese origin.[7] Other urban areas with a high proportion of Chinese people in the city center includeKuching (90%),[8]Ipoh (82%),[9]Kota Kinabalu (78%),[10] andMalacca (62%).[11]
In the East Coast region of Malaysia, the city ofKuala Terengganu has an old Chinese settlement known asKampung Cina. This area, located at the river mouth ofTerengganu River that empties into theSouth China Sea, is one of Southeast Asia's early Chinese settlements (with many of the current buildings dating back to the late 1800s and early 1900s) and contains stately ancestral homes, temples, townhouses, and businesses. It is a significant area to the city's Chinese community and culture, with many heritage buildings. Kampung Cina is also a significant tourist attraction in Kuala Terengganu.[12][13]
The primary Chinatown inMyanmar is situated in DowntownYangon within theLanmadaw township andLatha township. Other Chinatowns exist in Myanmar's major cities, such asMandalay.[citation needed]
TheKokang Chinese is another significant group in northernShan State who make up 30–40% of the total Chinese Burmese population.[citation needed]Kokang was founded in 1739 as theChiefdom of Kokang and became populated by Ming loyalists during the rise of theQing dynasty.[14] Kokang today is aself-administered zone with a 90% Han Chinese population.[15][16]
There is a sizeable community of Chinese people in Pakistan, mainly concentrated in urban centers. The areas ofClifton and DHA inKarachi have many Chinese restaurants and businesses and are sometimes dubbed as Chinatown.[17]
The best-known Chinatown in the Philippines is the district ofBinondo inManila. Binondo is the oldest Chinatown in the world, having been established in 1594,[18] when the Spanish colonial government of the Philippine islands restricted the residence of Chinese who had converted to Christianity to this area. Unconverted Christians were allotted a different enclave, then called the Parian, which is no longer in existence as a Chinatown.[1]
Many prominent Chinese Filipino families have roots in this district. Among the attractions of Binondo is Divisoria, a shopping area popular for bargain shopping.[citation needed]
Chinese settlement—predominantly Hokkien—in the Philippines pre-dates the arrival of the Spanish in 1521. Chinese merchants have been trading with the indigenous tribes of the islands since the 8th century. During Spanish colonial rule, the Chinese were intermediate in Filipino society as middlemen between the Spanish upper class and the native Filipinos.[citation needed]
During the rule ofFerdinand Marcos, bitterness against Chinese Filipinos grew, starting in 1972. Many of the community went toVenezuela,North America,Australia, among other countries. In the first-ever visit to Manila's Chinatown by a Filipino president, PresidentGloria Macapagal Arroyo, who is of part Chinese descent herself, recognized the efforts and contributions of Chinese Filipinos.[citation needed]
In 2006, plans were drawn up to construct a newer but synthetic Chinatown in shopping-mall form alongDiosdado Macapagal Boulevard in theManila Bay area of Manila, which would rival the nearly-400-year-old original Chinatown in the Binondo district. It was to be dubbed "Neo Chinatown" and designed based on traditional Chinese architecture. It was to be a joint venture of local Chinese Filipino andMainland Chinese investors. Neo Chinatown sought to replicate the vibrantnight market scene found on the streets ofHong Kong andTaipei.[19][needs update]
Davao Chinatown, also known as Mindanao Chinatown, is the only Chinatown inMindanao[citation needed], located inDavao City.
Singapore, a multi-racial but predominantly Chinese country, has a relatively large Chinatown in a district to the south of the river initially designated for Chinese settlement bySir Stamford Raffles. It remains known asChinatown in English, andNiú chē shuǐ (牛车水, lit. 'ox cart water') in Chinese, and theMass Rapid Transit (MRT) station that serves the area is known by both names. The area around the station serves as a tourist attraction selling souvenirs, and also locally frequented areas including several traditional stores, markets, restaurants, apartment complexes, nightclubs, and Chinese temples, including theBuddha Tooth Relic temple, and theThian Hock Keng Temple. Festival markets are also set up in the area during special events in the Lunar calendar, such as theChinese New Year or theMid-Autumn Festival.[citation needed]
Chinatown is not exclusively Chinese; theMasjid Jamae and theSri Mariamman Hindu Temple can also be found off the main street.[citation needed]
In 1989, several areas in Chinatown were earmarked by the Urban Redevelopment Authority as historical conservation areas. Under that program, the historic streets of Kreta Ayer Road,Telok Ayer Street,Ann Siang Hill, andBukit Pasoh Road were restored. Because of its proximity to the administrative center and the central business district, specialized professional and consultancy businesses, and upmarket retail and dining establishments, have displaced many traditional companies in the historical shophouses in Chinatown.[citation needed]
South Korea's Chinatowns are located inIncheon andSeoul. Seoul's Chinatown is unofficial. A newly planned Chinatown was built in suburbanGoyang (Ilsan) in 2005.[citation needed]
Incheon's Chinatown is Korea's only official Chinatown. It is inJung-gu and was formed in 1884. It used to be the largest Chinatown in South Korea before the departure of the Chinese from the county. In 2002, to capitalize on the large number of mainland Chinese visitors visiting South Korea, the Incheon city council planned to revive its moribund Chinatown for US$6.2 million (worth about 6.5 billion South Koreanwon). It claims to be the largest Chinatown in South Korea and features an 11-metre-high Chinese-style gateway.[citation needed]
Busan is also considering reviving its Chinatown.[citation needed]
Due to institutionalized anti-Chinese discrimination during thePark Chung Hee administration and lack of economic opportunities, manyethnic Chinese left South Korea during the 1960s and 1970s forTaiwan or the United States.[20] Since then the actual Chinese populations of many Chinatowns inSouth Korea declined. Ethnic Koreans own many businesses in these Chinatowns.[citation needed]
Chinese Thais ofTeochew (Chaozhou) descent are the dominant group of ethnic Chinese, with smaller numbers of those of Cantonese and Hakka origin as well. Rama, I was the founder and the first monarch of the reigning House of Chakri of Siam. His mother, Daoreung (original name Yok), was part-Chinese.[21]
TheChinatown ofBangkok is located onYaowarat Road andSampeng Lane, includingHuai Khwang District especiallyPracha Rat Bamphen Road. It is considered the "New Chinatown" of modern Chinese such as students and tourists.[22]
The city ofPhuket is home to Thailand's second Chinatown, which is on Phang Nga Road, Thalang Road, Krabi Road, Phuket Road, Ratsada Road, Yaowarat Road, Deebook Road, and Thepkrasattree Road Phuket. Early Chinese settlers founded it.[when?][citation needed]
There is a Chinese community in northern Thailand, in a town calledMae Salong, nearMyanmar. After the defeat and exile ofKuomintang (KMT) from mainland China by forces led byMao Zedong, several KMT army divisions inYunnan Province fled into neighboring Myanmar. After being expelled from that country, the mainland Chinese veterans fought Thai communists on behalf of the Thai government and were granted citizenship. Veterans of the Kuomintang Army 93rd Division established Mae Salong. Many Thai-born Chinese generations have relocated toTaiwan, although their fathers and grandfathers refuse because of an owed apology from the KMT for refusing them in the 1950s and 1960s. They have since made a retirement home-styled town called "the home to the glorious people" (榮民之家). Today, Mae Salong is a spot for tourists from Taiwan and mainland China.[citation needed]
Ashopping district inChiang Mai city called Trok Lao Zhou has been dubbed the "Chinatown of Chiang Mai." It is a historic alleyway withinWaroros Market (Kad Luang) that is of Chinese andHmong origins.[23]
The community ofChak Ngaeo inBang Lamung District has been dubbed the "Chinatown of the East."[24]
There are approximately 180,000Chinese people in theUnited Arab Emirates,[25] 150,000 of whom are inDubai.[26] ManyChinese expatriates hail from theWenzhou region.[citation needed]
In 2018, Emirati-based developerEmaar announced a project to build the Middle East's largest Chinatown in Dubai Creek Harbour. The plan coincided with the visit of China'sparamount leader,Xi Jinping.[27]
In Abu Dhabi, a small Chinatown exists inMadinat Zayed.[citation needed]
Ethnic Chinese have migrated to and lived in Vietnam for centuries. During the transition of power from the Ming Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty in China, many anti-Qing elements fled prosecution and came to Vietnam. To avoid angering the Qing government, the Vietnam government sent them south to populate the scarcely-populated area. They pioneered many settlements in the south of the country, including what was then referred to as Saigon, nowHo Chi Minh City.[citation needed]
Ho Chi Minh City's Chinatown is theChợ Lớn ("Big Market") district, which has been a stronghold for theChinese-Vietnamese community since the late 1770s when many Cantonese and Teochew Chinese arrived. Its main thoroughfares are Nguyễn Trãi Street and Trần Hưng Đạo Street. The Cholon area was the bastion of ethnic Chinesefree enterprise, until the victorious communist government confiscated private property after theVietnam War's conclusion in 1975.[citation needed]
During the prelude to theSino-Vietnamese War, the Vietnamese government decided to expel the Sino-Vietnamese from the Northern part of the country, creating a second wave of boat people, many of whom returned to China.[citation needed] After the Sino-Vietnamese War's conclusion (the late 1970s and early 1980s), many Chinese Vietnamese (called in Vietnamese theViet Hoa) along with their ethnic Vietnamese, or theViet Kinh, compatriots fled the country as "boat people." However, this third wave was mostly ethnic Vietnamese. As a result, many overseas Chinese-Vietnamese communities were founded in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and the United States. Nevertheless, Vietnam still has a remnant ethnic Chinese community.[citation needed]
