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March 8, 2014 |
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The Burmese Chinese (緬甸華人; Pinyin: Miǎndi??n hu??r??n; Burmese language|Burmese: Image:Bscript_thayoulumyo.png|tayo lumyo) are a group of overseas Chinese born or raised in Myanmar (formerly Burma). Although the Chinese officially make up three percent of the population (1,078,000), this is underestimated because of intermarriages between ethnic Bamar, and because of widespread discrimination against minorities (which compels many to refer to themselves as ethnic Burmans). Traditionally, the Chinese have dominated Burmese economy, although many enterprises today are co-owned by the military. Generally, the Burmese Chinese are divided into three main groups. The first consists of Cantonese language|Cantonese-speakers (Burmese language|Burmese: einjido) who arrived from Guangdong Province. The largest group consists of Hokkien (dialect)|Hokkien-speakers (Burmese language|Burmese: einjishei), who came from Fujian Province. The third consists of Hakka language|Hakka-speakers (Burmese language|Burmese: saka). The groups have different stereotypical associations. The Cantonese are commonly thought of as the poorest of the Chinese, the Hakka are stereotypically wealthier, occupying high positions in the economy, and having connections to the government, and the Hokkien are considered to be womanisers, who practise polygamy (although polygamy is rare in modern times). The kabya The kabya are of Bamar and Chinese blood. They are often children of Chinese fathers and a Bamar (Burman) mothers. They have a tendency to follow the customs of the Chinese. A large portion of Chinese have some kabya blood, because Burmese citizenship can only be acquired by immigrants through intermarriage with persons of Bamar descent. The Burmese Chinese speak their respective mother tongues at home, and use Burmese for business. For three decades, Ne Win's ban on Chinese-language schools caused declining numbers of Mandarin speakers. Chinese schools are growing in number today, because of the importance of Mandarin Chinese. Mandarin is considered to be the language of the elite. British colonialism The earliest records of Chinese migration to Myanmar were in the 1700s, when Ming Dynasty princes settled in Kokang (the northern part of present-day Myanmar). Another wave of immigration occurred in the 1800s, because of British Empire|British colonialism. This prompted opportunities of wealth, and many Chinese became entrepreneurs in the highly lucrative rice and gem industries. Post-independence During the 1950s, Myanmar was one of the first countries to recognise the People's Republic of China as a nation, yet it treated its own Chinese population as aliens. The Burmese Chinese were issued foreign registration cards, which declared that they were citizens of China. A similar discrimination policy was set up for Indians. When the Chinese Communists expelled the Kuomintang, many fled to Myanmar and Thailand over the borders of Yunnan Province. The Burmese government removed the KMT and forced them to Taiwan; those who managed to stay, became successful and powerful. The Ne Win era When Ne Win took power in 1962, he began suppressing minorities. Although half Chinese, he banned Chinese-language education, and created other measures to compel the Chinese to leave. Ne Win's government prompted violent uprisings against the Chinese, who were terrorised by Burmese citizens. When Ne Win implemented the "Burmese Way to Socialism", a plan to nationalise all industries, the livelihoods of many entrepreneurial Chinese were destroyed. Many Burmese Chinese left the country during his rule as dictator, largely because of a failing economy and widespread discrimination. Present day Today, the majority of Burmese Chinese live in the major cities of Yangon and Mandalay and surrounding areas. Although there are Chinatowns in the major cities, the Chinese are widely dispersed. The northern portion of Myanmar is flooded with mainland Chinese immigrants, many of whom have come for money. Drugs and prostitution are rampant along the Chinese–Burmese border, and are mostly funded by mainland Chinese. Typically, the Chinese in Myanmar have placed a high importance on education. However, a citizenship issue prevents many Chinese from pursuing Ph.D.s and medical degrees. During the Ne Win era, persecution of minorities caused an exodus of the highly educated workforce. <!-- This is unclear: Although taxes were issued to those fleeing the country with tertiary degrees, m -->Many Chinese left for the United States. This has caused dire problems for the Burmese economy, because the current workforce is not as well educated. Many Burmese Chinese study overseas, particularly in Thailand and Singapore. Image:Chaotajipeiyaspirit.jpg|200px|thumb|A Chinese spirit in Chaohtaji Paya Temple The majority of Burmese Chinese practise Theravada Buddhism, incorporating some Mahayana Buddhism|Mahayana Buddhist and Taoism|Taoist beliefs. Chinese New Year celebrations, as well as other Chinese festivals, are subdued and held privately. Clan associations are often the only places where the Chinese culture is embraced. There is a small minority of Chinese Muslims (回教華人; Pinyin: hu??ji??o hu??r??n; Burmese language|Burmese: panthei) most of whom live in Mandalay.
Category:Ethnic groups of Myanmar|Chinese Category:Overseas Chinese groups This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Burmese Chinese".
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