Chinese South Africans
華裔南非人 华裔南非人 | |
---|---|
Total population | |
300,000 – 400,000 Hokkien | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Overseas Chinese |
Chinese South Africans (
South Africa has the largest population of Chinese in Africa,[3] and most of them live in Johannesburg, an economic hub in southern Africa.
History
South African Chinese Population, 1904–1936[5]: 177 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Gender | 1904 | 1911 | 1921 | 1936 |
Natal Province
| ||||
Male | 161 | 161 | 75 | 46 |
Female | 4 | 11 | 33 | 36 |
Cape Province | ||||
Male | 1366 | 804 | 584 | 782 |
Female | 14 | 19 | 148 | 462 |
Transvaal Province
| ||||
Male | 907 | 905 | 828 | 1054 |
Female | 5 | 5 | 160 | 564 |
Total | 2457 | 1905 | 1828 | 2944 |
First settlers
The first Chinese to settle in South Africa were prisoners, usually debtors, exiled from Batavia by the Dutch to their then newly founded colony at Cape Town in 1660. Originally the Dutch wanted to recruit Chinese settlers to settle in the colony as farmers, thereby helping establish the colony and create a tax base so the colony would be less of a drain on Dutch coffers. However the Dutch failed to find anyone in the Chinese community in Batavia who was prepared to volunteer to go to such a far off place. The first Chinese person recorded by the Dutch to arrive in the Cape was a convict by the name of Ytcho Wancho (almost certainly a Dutch version of his original Chinese name). There were also some free Chinese in the Dutch Cape Colony. They made a living through fishing and farming and traded their produce for other required goods.[6] From 1660 until the late 19th century the number of Chinese people in the Cape Colony never exceeded 100.[5]: 5–6
Chinese people began arriving in large numbers in South Africa in the 1870s
The Chinese community in South Africa grew steadily throughout the remainder of the 19th century, bolstered by new arrivals from China. The
These early immigrants arriving between the 1870s and early 1900s are the ancestors of most of South Africa's first Chinese community and number some 10,000 individuals today.[8]
In 1903, the
Contracted gold miners (1904–1910)
There were many reasons why the British chose to import Chinese labour to use on the mines. After the Anglo-Boer War, production on the gold mines of the Witwatersrand was very low due to a lack of labour. The British government was eager to get these mines back online as quickly as possible as part of their overall effort to rebuild the war-torn country.
Because of the war, unskilled African laborers had returned to rural areas and were more inclined to work on rebuilding infrastructure as mining was more dangerous. Unskilled white labour was being phased out because it was deemed too expensive. The British found recruiting and importing labour from east Asia the most expedient way to solve this problem.[5]: 104
Between 1904 and 1910, over 63,000 contracted miners were brought in to work the mines of the Witwatersrand. Most of these contractors were recruited from the Chinese provinces of Zhili, Shandong and Henan.[5]: 105 They were repatriated after 1910,[3][12] because of strong White opposition to their presence, similar to anti-Asian sentiments in the western United States, particularly California at the same time.[13] It is a myth that the contracted miners brought into South Africa at this time are the forefathers of much of South Africa's Chinese population today.[5]
Herbert Hoover, who would become the 31st U.S. president, was a director of Chinese Engineering and Mining Corporation (CEMC) when it became a supplier of coolie (Asian) labor for South African mines.[14] The first shipment of 2,000 Chinese workers arrived in Durban from Qinhuangdao in July 1904. By 1906, the total number of Chinese workers increased to 50,000, almost entirely recruited and shipped by CEMC. When the living and working conditions of the laborers became known, public opposition to the scheme grew and questions were asked in the British Parliament.[15] The scheme was abandoned in 1911.
The mass importation of Chinese labourers to work on the gold mines contributed to the fall from power of the
Passive resistance campaign (1906–1913)
In 1906, about 1,000 Chinese joined Indian protesters led by
Apartheid era (1948–1994)
As with other non-White South Africans, the Chinese suffered from discrimination during
Under the apartheid-era Population Registration Act, 1950, Chinese South Africans were deemed "Asiatic", then "Coloured", and finally:
the Chinese Group, which shall consist of persons who in fact are, or who, except in the case of persons who in fact are members of a race or class or tribe referred to in paragraph (1), (2), (3), (5) or (6) are generally accepted as members of a race or tribe whose national home is in China.[22]
Chinese South Africans, along with Black, Coloured and Indian South Africans, were forcefully removed from areas declared "Whites only" areas by the government under the
In 1966 the
No group is treated so inconsistently under South Africa's race legislation. Under the Immorality Act they are Non-White. The Group Areas Act says they are Coloured, subsection Chinese ... They are frequently mistaken for Japanese in public and have generally used White buses, hotels, cinemas and restaurants. But in Pretoria, only the consul-general's staff may use White buses .. Their future appears insecure and unstable. Because of past and present misery under South African laws, and what seems like more to come in the future, many Chinese are emigrating. Like many Coloured people who are leaving the country, they seem to favour Canada. Through humiliation and statutory discrimination South Africa is frustrating and alienating what should be a prized community.[5]: 389–390
In 1928, the liquor legislation was amended to allow Indian South Africans to purchase liquor.[31][32] Following an amendment in 1962, other non-white South Africans could purchase alcohol, but not drink in white areas.[33] In 1976, the law was amended to allow Chinese South Africans to drink alcohol in white areas.[34]
In 1984, the Tricameral Parliament was established by the government to give Coloured and Indian South Africans a limited influence on South African politics. The Tricameral Parliament was criticised by anti-apartheid groups including the United Democratic Front, who promoted a boycott of the Tricameral Parliament elections, as it still excluded Black people and had very little political power in South Africa.[35] The Chinese South African community refused to participate in this parliament.[36] Previously, the Chinese Association had expelled a member who had been appointed to the President's Council, a body established to advise on constitutional reform.[37]
Immigration from Taiwan
Number of Chinese granted permanent residence in South Africa 1985–1995[5]: 419 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Date | Number | |||
1985 | 1 | |||
1986 | 7 | |||
1987 | 133 | |||
1988 | 301 | |||
1989 | 483 | |||
1990 | 1422 | |||
1991 | 1981 | |||
1992 | 275 | |||
1993 | 1971 | |||
1994 | 869 | |||
1995 | 350 | |||
Total | 7793 |
By citizenship 1994–95[5]: 419 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Citizenship | 1994 | 1995 | ||
Taiwan (ROC) | 596 | 232 | ||
People's Republic of China | 252 | 102 | ||
Hong Kong | 21 | 16 | ||
Total | 869 | 350 |
With the establishment of ties between
The South African government also offered a number of economic incentives to investors from Taiwan seeking to set up factories and businesses in the country. These generous incentives ranged from "paying for relocation costs, subsidised wages for seven years, subsidised commercial rent for ten years, housing loans, cheap transport of goods to urban areas, and favourable exchange rates".[8]
In 1984, South African Chinese, now increased to about 10,000, finally obtained the same official rights as the Japanese in South Africa, that is, to be treated as whites in terms of the Group Areas Act.[34] The arrival of the Taiwanese resulted in a surge of the ethnic Chinese population of South Africa, which climbed from around 10,000 in the early 1980s to at least 20,000 in the early 1990s. Many Taiwanese were entrepreneurs who set up small companies, particularly in the textile sector, across South Africa. It is estimated that by the end of the early 1990s Taiwanese industrialists had invested $2 billion (or $2.94 billion in 2011 dollars)[39] in South Africa and employed roughly 50,000 people.[5]: 427
In the late 1990s and the first decade of the 21st century many of the Taiwanese left South Africa, in part due to official recognition of the
Post-Apartheid
Following the end of
In 2017 the trade union
Black Economic Empowerment ruling
Under
The negative response following Chinese Association of South Africa's (CASA) initial announcement of success in their affirmative action case against the new South African government highlights the prevailing confusion and internal discord among most South Africans regarding the role of the Chinese in South African society.[3] A trend followed where both criminals and corrupt officials disproportionately target Chinese and South Asian migrants, in contrast to the typical focus of violence on migrants from other African nations in South Africa. The heightened incidences of robberies and hate crimes against Chinese south Africans could be associated with their greater representation in the retail sector. [8][3]
Immigration of mainland Chinese
The immigration of mainland Chinese, by far the largest group of Chinese in South Africa, can be divided into three periods. The first group arrived in the late 1980s and early 1990s along with the Taiwanese immigrants. Unlike the Taiwanese immigrants, lacking the capital to start larger firms, most established small businesses. Although becoming relatively prosperous a large number of this group left South Africa, either back to China or to more developed Western countries, around the same time and for much the same reason as the Taiwanese immigrants left. The second group, arriving mostly from Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces in the 1990s, were wealthier, better educated, and very entrepreneurial. The latest and ongoing group began arriving after 2000 and primarily made up of small traders and peasants from Fujian province.[3][46] There are also many Chinese from other regions in China. As of 2013, there were 57 different regional Chinese associations operating in the Cyrildene Chinatown.[47]
Although the Chinese South African community is a most law-abiding community that has maintained a low profile in modern South Africa, there is speculation that local criminal gangs in South Africa barter
Disputes within the Chinese community
Tensions among the Chinese community in South Africa have deep historical roots, with early Cantonese and Hakka settlers residing in separate regions until apartheid laws compelled coexistence. Later, conflicts escalated due to the arrival of controversial immigrants associated with Taiwanese investors in the late 20th century, engaging in illegal activities like fishing, smuggling, and drug trafficking. Chinese South Africans, frustrated by being wrongly associated with these actions, expressed anger and a desire to distance themselves from the negative image created by the newcomers.[8]
Over time, the animosity shifted from Taiwanese to Fujianese migrants, who are now the primary target of hostility. Despite South Africans perceiving the Chinese as a singular group, internal divisions persist, particularly between settled Chinese and newer Fujianese migrants, contributing to misunderstandings and occasional difficulties.[50]
Notable Chinese South Africans
- Patrick Soon-Shiong (黃馨祥), surgeon and billionaire
- Chad Ho, six-time titleholder for the Midmar Mile
- Chris Wang (王翊儒), former member of the National Assembly, originally an MP for the ID, now a member of the ANC
- Eugenia Chang, member of the National Assembly, for the Inkatha Freedom Party
- Ina Lu (呂怡慧), Miss Chinese International 2006
- Sherry Chen (陈阡蕙), former Member of Parliament in South Africa, member of the Democratic Alliance
- Shiaan-Bin Huang (黄士豪), Member of Parliament of South Africa, member of the African National Congress
- Shannon Kook, actor
- Jennifer Su, television and radio personality
- Xiaomei Havard, member of the National Assembly, member of the African National Congress
- David Kan, businessman and founder of the electronics company Mustek.
See also
- Chinatowns in Africa
- Asians in South Africa
- History of South Africa
- Overseas Chinese
- Nan Hua Temple
- China–South Africa relations
- South Africa-Taiwan relations
References
- ^ a b Liao, Wenhui; He, Qicai (2015). "Tenth World Conference of Overseas Chinese: Annual International Symposium on Regional Academic Activities Report (translated)". The International Journal of Diasporic Chinese Studies. 7 (2): 85–89.
- ^ Ho, Ufrieda (19 June 2008). "Chinese locals are black". Busrep.co.za. Archived from the original on 22 June 2008.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-904710-81-3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 December 2010. Retrieved 20 September 2010.)
{{cite book}}
:|work=
ignored (help - ^ a b c Leonard, Andrew (20 June 2008). "What color are Chinese South Africans?". Salon.com. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
- ^ ISBN 962-209-423-6.
- ISBN 9780819562111. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
- ^ Clayton, Jonathan (19 June 2008). "We agree that you are black South African court tells Chinese". The Times. London. Retrieved 28 April 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f Park, Yoon Jung (January 2012). "Living in Between: The Chinese in South Africa". Immigration Information Source. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
- ^ Harris, Karen L. (1994). "The Chinese in South Africa: a preliminary overview to 1910". Sahistory.org.za. Archived from the original on 26 June 2008.
- ISBN 9781920655747. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
- ^ "TCA: Our Story – The Chinese Association (Gauteng)". Retrieved 4 January 2024.
- ^ a b "In South Africa, Chinese is the New Black". The Wall Street Journal. 19 June 2008.
- ^ Nativism (politics)#Anti-Chinese nativism
- ^ Walter Liggett, The Rise of Herbert Hoover (New York, 1932)
- ^ "Mr Winston Churchill: speeches in 1906 (Hansard)". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Retrieved 16 March 2017.
- ^ Jain, Ankur (1 February 2014). "Why Mahatma Gandhi is becoming popular in China - BBC News". BBC News. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
Some 1,000 Chinese supporters joined Indians to take part in Gandhi's first peaceful protest in Transvaal province in 1906 to protest against a law that barred Asians from owning property and made it mandatory to carry identity cards, among other things.
- ^ "Chinese had joined Mahatma Gandhi's South Africa struggle". The Times of India. 18 September 2014. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
- ^ "Asiatic Law Amendment Act is passed in Transvaal parliament leading to increased Indian protest under MK Gandhi". South African History Online. 22 March 1907. Archived from the original on 23 June 2014. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
- ^ ISBN 8187358203.
- ^ "Tracing Gandhi in Joburg". joburg.org.za. 1 February 2012. Archived from the original on 28 March 2016. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
It was outside the Hamidia Mosque on 16 August 1908 that Indians and Chinese set alight more than 1 200 registration certificates...
- ^ a b "S Africa Chinese 'become black'". BBC News. 18 June 2008. Retrieved 28 April 2010.
- ^ Perry, Alex (1 August 2008). "A Chinese Color War". Time. Johannesburg. Archived from the original on 2 November 2012.
- ISBN 978-0826416629. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
- ^ Otzen, Ellen (11 February 2015). "The town destroyed to stop black and white people mixing". BBC News. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
- ISBN 9780864866486. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
- ^ Masilela, Johnny (1 January 2015). "The broken miracle of Marabastad". Mail and Guardian. Archived from the original on 2 January 2015. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
- ^ Mamdoo, Feizel (24 September 2015). "Fietas streets by any other name are not as sweet". Mail and Guardian. Archived from the original on 27 September 2015. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
- ^ Ho, Ufrieda (14 August 2012). "Fietas vanished like dream". IOL. The Star. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
- ^ "South End Museum, Port Elizabeth". southafrica.net. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
- ISBN 978-0761811992. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
- ^ "Apartheid Legislation 1850s-1970s". South African History Online. Archived from the original on 9 September 2011. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
The Liquor Bill Section 104 of the Liquor Bill of 1928 Prohibiting Indians from entering licensed premises is withdrawn.
- ^ "The Liquor Laws Amendment Bill comes into effect". South African History Online. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
Section 104 of the liquor bill was withdrawn, and Indians were once again allowed to enter licensed premises. Despite this, Africans were still not allowed to buy beer legally.
- ^ Naidoo, Aneshree (12 August 2014). "Long reign of the South African shebeen queen". Media Club South Africa. Archived from the original on 27 March 2015. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
The Act had restricted profits for commercial brewers, and in 1962 the apartheid government caved under pressure from the industry and opened up sales to black South Africans. They could not drink in town – white areas – but they could now buy commercial beer at off-sales.
- ^ ISBN 0313318778.
As of 14 May 1976, Chinese were treated as whites in terms of the Liquor Act.
- ^ Brooks Spector, J (22 August 2013). "The UDF at 30: An organisation that shook Apartheid's foundation". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
- ISBN 978-1431407378. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
...and the refusal of the Chinese to participate in the Tricameral Parliament.
- ISBN 978-0-520-05066-2. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
- ^ "Premier Sun visits four African countries". Taiwan Review. 5 January 1980. Archived from the original on 7 February 2012.
- Consumer Price Index, retrieved on 26 January 2011
- ^ Nyoka, Nation (3 October 2017). "Cosatu Apologises For Racial Insults Hurled at City of Johannesburg's Michael Sun". HuffPost UK. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
- ^ Mashaba, Herman (5 April 2019). "When the liberators become the oppressors". politicsweb.co.za. Politicsweb. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
- ^ Ho, Ufrieda (14 March 2019). "ANTI-CHINESE SENTIMENT: Hate speech case a message about racism, discrimination". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
- ^ Ho, Ufrieda (28 July 2022). "EQUALITY COURT: SA Chinese communities elated after winning hate speech case". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
- ^ "Chinese qualify for BEE". News24. 18 June 2008. Archived from the original on 9 January 2016. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
- ^ Mashego, Penelope (18 September 2015). "State defends BEE benefits for Chinese". BdLive. Archived from the original on 18 September 2015. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
- ^ Y. J. Park and A. Y. Chen, "Intersections of race, class and power: Chinese in post-apartheid Free State", unpublished paper presented at the South African Sociological Association Congress, Stellenbosch, July 2008.
- ^ Ho, Ufrieda (12 July 2013). "The arch angle on booming Chinatown". Mail and Guardian Online. Archived from the original on 14 July 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
- ^ "Cape Argus". Cape Argus. 11 April 2009. Retrieved 29 July 2010.[dead link]
- ^ Gastrow, Peter (2 February 2001). "Triad societies and Chinese organised crime in South Africa, Occasional Paper No 48" (PDF). ISS Africa. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
- ^ "In Johannesburg, a Tale of Two Chinatowns". Voice of America. 27 April 2022. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
Further reading
- Yap, Melanie; Man, Dianne (1996). Colour, Confusion & Concessions: The History of the Chinese in South Africa. Hong Kong University Press. ISBN 962-209-424-4.
- Park, Yoon Jung (2008). A Matter of Honour: Being Chinese in South Africa (Paperback ed.). Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd. ISBN 978-1-77009-568-7.
- Bright, Rachel (2013). Chinese Labour in South Africa, 1902-10: Race, Violence, and Global Spectacle. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-230-30377-5.