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Early Migration of the Chinese community in Kolkata

 Early Migrations of the Chinese community in Kolkata The early migration of the Chinese people occurred in three distinct phases and people probably came to the city of Kolkata as refugees -  the first wave of migration occurred in the 18th century where the Chinese immigrants reached Kolkata, the second wave of Chinese migration occurred during the first half of the 20th century, and the third phase of the migration of Chinese immigrants occurred after the end of the Second World War after the 1945. Most of the Chinese settlers in Kolkata had migrated from Shanghai. As Kolkata is one of the biggest ports in India, it is seen that the early migrants were the Chinese sailors and indentured labor. The reason why Chinese sailors and indentured labor start settling down in Kolkata is that during the war with Japan, Americans offered and employed Chinese labor in military work. The Chinese labor had to travel a lot for eastern side to western side through ships. They had to pass t...
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Influence made by the Chinese community

 Influence made by the Chinese community  Within mere decades of the Chinese coming to Calcutta, the migrants established multiple temples, cemeteries and other native associated structures like Huiguans. Huiguans were merchant guilds that majorly impacted the social, economic and cultural background of calcutta. Other associations like clubs came up due to the booming number of migrants coming to Calcutta. The tomb of Atchew in Achipur was one of the most important sites for the migrants. It has become a yearly pilgrimage site as well. In Calcutta, the Huiguans were named after specific regions in the Guangdong province off the South China sea. There were 5 such Huiguans, all established by Cantonese immigrants. Initially the Huiguans were attributed to bringing together immigrants from the various regions. They served as guest houses, school sponsors, community gathering sites etc.  As is a general trend with migration, with the people came the food. And Chinese food ha...
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Economic Activities of the Chinese community in Kolkata

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 Economic Activities of the Chinese community in Kolkata These early sailors, stopping over in Kolkata for one return or another had to wait for ships to carry them to their next destination. As they spent many months ashore, because journeys by sea were slow and ships were sailing infrequently, these Chinese sailors did not just sit around idly, but soon made multiple connections in their new environment. Having to work for their maintenance, they started offering their service to local people. It seems from available sources that many of these early sailors were trained in carpentry and mechanical work.  When it comes to the early activities (1901-1910) of this community they were employed in rum manufacturing companies. Not only this but also cabinet work, clearance of tanks, along with pulling rickshaws in the streets of Kolkata.  By the end of the 20th century, their jobs became Indianised. A few of them were hired for circus performances and others became petty trad...
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The Struggle of Chinese community in Kolkata

 The Struggle of Chinese community in Kolkata The Chinese community in Kolkata, India is unique and little known. A majority of the Chinese in Kolkata migrated from China during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Mostly escaping turmoil in their homeland or seeking better economic prospectus by the early twentieth century . they had established south Asia's only china town in Kolkata.  Chinese Indian nationality laws have become even more restrictive and powerful after the 1962 war period. After the Indo-China war in 1962, the Indian government changed its foreign policy. Since then Chinese Communist activists were detained at concentration camps in Deoli, Rajasthan and sent back to Mainland China (Kwai-YunLi, 2011). The Chinese community felt like they were living under a cloud of official suspicion as well as in distrust and that the Government was treating them as Communist spies, and AntiIndians even twenty years after the war. Their movement was restricted and ...
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Occupational specialization of the Chinese community

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Occupational specialization The majority of the Chinese immigrants to Kolkata are laborers, both skilled and unskilled. The Chinese communities were majorly engaged in "three or four business ventures," including restaurants, manufacturing units, retail souvenirs, and dental services. 1. Carpentry Business:- The Cantonese subgroups migrating to the South appear to primarily work in the carpentry industry in Asia. They worked in Calcutta (now known as Kolkata) and other South Asian cities after learning their carpentry skills in China. The Cantonese carpenters were in high demand due to their reputation for being diligent, friendly, and skilled craftsmen. At first, they were work in part-time jobs but slowly they started working in interior wormwood companies and carpentry factories. 2. Shoe-Making Business:- Another of the most significant jobs was in the shoe and tannery industries. The Chinese Hakka immigrants lacked specialized knowledge of their line of work when they ...
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