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Ethnic Chinese in Panama

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ethnic Chinese in Panama
巴拿馬華人
Chino-panameños
Total population
135,000 (2003)
4% of the Panamanian population
Languages
Spanish, Hakka, Cantonese, Taishanese, Mandarin, English
Religion
Buddhism[1] , Christianity[2]
Related ethnic groups
Asian Latinos, Overseas Chinese

Ethnic Chinese in Panama, also variously referred to as Chinese Panamanians, Panamanian Chinese and Panama Chinese (Spanish: chino-panameños; Chinese: 巴拿馬華人; pinyin: Bānámǎ huárén) or in Spanish as chino-panameños, are Panamanian citizens and residents of Chinese origin or descent.[3][4][5]

History

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Sun Yat-sen monument, Panama City

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, many of the Chinese people were experiencing difficulties in their homeland, which led them to leave in search for a better opportunity for their families and themselves.[6]: 300  The Chinese community in Panama began to form in the latter half of the 19th century. The first group of Chinese laborers arrived in the country on 30 March 1854 aboard the Clipper Sea Witch to work on the Panama Railroad and later established in Jamaica.[7][8] However, the Chinese community's labor on the railroad led them into harsh situations, where they faced mistreatment, illness, and dangerous labor. Even though they have contributed to the railroad, their efforts were undervalued and unrecognized at the time.[6]: 300  By the early 20th century, they had already come to play a crucial role in other sectors of the economy as well; they owned over 600 retail stores, and the entire country was said to depend on provisions from their stores.[5] The community faced various challenges, including a 1903 law declaring them as "undesirable citizens", a 1913 head tax, a 1928 law requiring them to submit special petitions in order to become Panamanian citizens, and the revocation of their citizenship under the 1941 constitution promulgated by Arnulfo Arias.[5][8] However, their citizenship was restored in 1946 under the new constitution which declared all people born in Panama to be citizens. Immigration slowed during the 1960s and 1970s, but resumed during the reform and opening up of China, as Deng Xiaoping's government began to relax emigration restrictions.[8] The older Chinatowns, such as the one at Salsipuedes, have become of less importance in the Chinese community recently. Though they were described as "hives" of activity in the 1950s and 1960s, the opening of large department stores reduced the importance of Chinese retailers, and as the years went on, many closed their shops; a few retailers of Chinese products remain in the area, staffed by recent immigrants.[4] Many Chinese emigrated to neighboring Colombia and/or United States [where Chinese and Hispanic populations live] during the dictatorship of Manuel Antonio Noriega. In the mid 1980s, when the new wave of Chinese immigrants arrives to Panama, most of them were illegal. Anti-Chinese became popular again and many of the Chinese Panamanian were forced to question their assimilation into Panamanian society.[9]: 74 

The life of the Chinese in Panama

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In the 19th century and early 20th century, many Chinese laborers arrived in Panama in search of wealth. Some of these laborers were addicted to opium and had been misled and false promises of becoming wealthy or finding a better life in Panama. However, upon arrival, they faced extremely harsh conditions during the construction of infrastructure in Panama. Before arriving, they had high expectations of become rich and improving their lives. In reality they encountered a chaotic environment filled with disease.[6]: 318  During this period, the Chinese community faced racial stereotypes and injustice. When Chinese laborers died due to exploitation, violence, poor working conditions or even opium addiction, their deaths were not treated equally by the Panamanian society. Instead, they were often blamed for their own suffering, with accusations of laziness, weakness or opium addiction. Despite their hard work and contributions, the lives of Chinese laborers were not valued by many of the Panamanians.[6]: 318 

The Chinese community endured widespread discrimination due to their differences in culture, race, and religion. Although they had lived in Panama for decades, they were still not fully accepted by the Panamanians.[9]: 62 

“One hundred thousand Chinese, who are naturalized or born Panamanian . . . while feeling proud or their race or their ethnicity, have united, come together and melted in Panama’s pot that ultimately has produced a rich and collective Panamanian identity." - Eustorgio Chon, a Panamanian writer, cited in "Race and Ethnicity in the formation of Panamanian National Identity: Panamanian Discrimination Against Chinese and West Indians in the Thirties."

However, they still faced criticism just like the West Indians, even though both groups experienced unfair blame, but while the West Indians were often stereotyped as violent, the Chinese were seen as sneaky or corrupt.[9]: 74  Many Chinese men intermarried with Panamanian women to be able to fit into the community, while West Indians in the community tended to marry within their own community.[9]: 85  In addition, the Chinese community was often accused of dominating most of the retail trade. At one point, they owned nearly 38.34% of retail commerce compared to 38.88% owned by Panamanians.[9]: 75 

Demographics

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As of 2003, there were estimated to be between 135,000 and 200,000 Chinese in Panama, making them the largest Chinese community in Central America; they are served by thirty-five separate ethnic representative organisations.[10][11] Their numbers include 80,000 new immigrants from mainland China and 300 from Taiwan; 80% are of Hakka origin, with the rest being Cantonese and Mandarin speakers.[8][10] In the aftermath of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, many mainland Chinese fled to Panama by way of Hong Kong on temporary visas and short-term residency permits; estimates of the size of the influx ranged from 9,000 to 35,000.[12] The latest wave of immigrants are less educated than earlier arrivals, and their presence has caused internal tensions within the Chinese community.[8] Tensions have also arisen due to external factors; the government of the People's Republic of China vies with the Republic of China on Taiwan for influence among the local Chinese community, hoping to gain formal diplomatic recognition from the Panamanian government. Both sides have funded the building of schools and other community facilities and donated millions of dollars worth of Chinese textbooks.[11] The National Chinese Ethnic Council created by Law 32 of 2014, made up of nine members, six are ethnic Chinese, the first secretary of the council is Juan Tam, and representatives of the Ministry of Social Development (MIDES), Ministry of Education (MEDUCA) and Ministry of Culture (MICULTURA).

Notable individuals

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References

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  1. ^ "Panama", International Religious Freedom Report, U.S. Department of State, 2004. "5 percent of the population includes the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), with an estimated 15,000 members, Seventh-day Adventists, members of Jehovah's Witnesses, Episcopalians with between 5,000 and 9,000 members, and other Christians. It also includes small but influential Jewish and Muslim communities, each with about 10,000 members; Baha'is, who maintain one of the world's seven Baha'i Houses of Worship; and recent Chinese immigrants practicing Buddhism" (emphasis added).
  2. ^ "Panama Updates 1". July 2011.
  3. ^ Siu, Lok (Summer 2005), "Queen of the Chinese Colony: Gender, Nation, and Belonging in Diaspora", Anthropological Quarterly, 78 (3): 511–42, doi:10.1353/anq.2005.0041, S2CID 144872291, retrieved 2007-11-07
  4. ^ a b Vega Abad, Lina (2003-07-20), "De Salsipuedes al 'barrio chino'", La Prensa, Panamá (in Spanish), archived from the original on 2007-07-16, retrieved 2007-11-07
  5. ^ a b c "May Expel Panama Chinese; Those Who Refuse to Pay a Head Tax to be Deported To-morrow" (PDF), The New York Times, 1913-11-12, retrieved 2007-11-07
  6. ^ a b c d Sang Ben, Mu-Kien Adrianna; et al. (et al.) (2022). Chinese presence in the Greater Caribbean: Yesterday and today (1st ed.). Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic: Centro de Estudios Caribeños. ISBN 978-9945-22-226-5.
  7. ^ Mon, Ramon (Spring 2013), "The Chinese of Panama also have a story to tell...", ReVista Harvard Review of Latin America
  8. ^ a b c d e Jackson, Eric (May 2004), "Panama's Chinese community celebrates a birthday, meets new challenges", The Panama News, 10 (9), archived from the original on 2007-09-16, retrieved 2007-11-07
  9. ^ a b c d e De Paulis, Marixa Lasso (2007). "Race and Ethnicity in the formation of Panamanian National Identity: Panamanian Discrimination Against Chinese and West Indians in the Thirties" (PDF). Revista Panameña de Política. 61 (4): 61–92 – via Retrieved from google scholar.
  10. ^ a b President Chen's State Visit to Panama, Government Information Office, Republic of China, October 2003, archived from the original on December 4, 2008, retrieved 2007-11-07
  11. ^ a b Hua, Vanessa (2002-06-23), "Playing the Panama card – The China-Taiwan connection", The San Francisco Chronicle, archived from the original on March 12, 2005, retrieved 2007-11-07
  12. ^ Johnston, David (1990-06-18), "Officials Brace for Exodus of Foreigners from Panama", The New York Times, retrieved 2007-11-07
  13. ^ "Piled Higher and Deeper". Phdcomics.com. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  14. ^ Arangure, Jorge (2006-04-05), "Chen Grew From Distinct Roots", Washington Post, retrieved 2007-08-06
  15. ^ Rodríguez, Gabriel (2007-10-29), "Con destino a Sanya", La Prensa, Panamá (in Spanish), retrieved 2007-11-11

Further reading

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  • Siu, Lok (2005), Memories of a Future Home: Diasporic Citizenship of Chinese in Panama, Stanford University Press, ISBN 0-8047-5302-4
  • Tam, Juan (2006), Huellas China en Panama: 150 años de presencia, Panama: Unico Impresores, ISBN 9962-02-444-7
  • Tam, Juan (2004), 巴拿馬華僑150年移民史 (in Chinese (Taiwan)), Taipei: 秀威資訊科技股份有限公司, ISBN 986-7614-45-3
  • Tam, Juan (2003), Wah On: La Necropolis Oriental, Panama: Unico Impresores, ISBN 9962-02-435-8
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