Most Chinese Jamaicans are Hakka and can trace their origin to the Chinese labourers that came to Jamaica in the mid-19th to early 20th centuries. The British parliament made a study of prospects for Chinese migration to the West Indies in 1811, and in 1843 made an attempt to recruit Chinese workers to come to Jamaica, British Guiana, and Trinidad, but nothing came of it.
The two earliest ships of Chinese migrant workers to Jamaica arrived in 1854, the first directly from China, the second composed of onward migrants from Panama; they were contracted for plantation work. A further 200 would arrive in the years up until 1870, mostly from other Caribbean islands. Later, in 1884, a third wave of 680 Chinese migrants would arrive; with the exception of a few from Sze Yup, most of these were Hakka people from Dongguan, Huiyang, and Bao'an. This third wave of migrants would go on to bring more of their relatives over from China.
From 1910, Chinese immigrants were required to pay a £30 deposit and pass a written test to demonstrate that they could write 50 words in three different languages; the restrictions on Chinese migrants were tightened even further in 1931, but relaxed again by 1947 due to lobbying by the Chinese consulate.
The 1943 census showed 12,394 Chinese residing in Jamaica; these were divided into three categories by the census, namely "China-born" (2,818), "local-born" (4,061), and "Chinese coloured" (5,515), the latter referring to multiracial people of mixed African and Chinese descent. This made Chinese Jamaicans the second largest Chinese population in the Caribbean, behind Chinese Cubans.
By 1963, the Chinese had a virtual monopoly on retail trade in Jamaica, controlling 90% of dry goods stores and 95% of supermarkets, along with extensive holdings in other sectors such as laundries and betting parlours.
Since the 1970s, thousands of Chinese Jamaicans moved abroad as Jamaica's economy slowed; at first, they went primarily to Canada, which was more open to immigration than the United States, but the U.S. later became a major destination as well. As a result, clusters of Chinese Jamaicans can be found outside of Jamaica as well, in Toronto, New York City, and South Florida. However, in the 1980s and 1990s, there was a new wave of Chinese migration to Jamaica, consisting of Hong Kong and Taiwan entrepreneurs who set up textiles factories on the island targeting the U.S. market, and often brought in migrant workers from China to staff their ventures.
GUARDING JAMAICA 1939-1945
World War II Memories
Lots of forgotten snippets of Caribbean wartime experiences are now coming into print, You Tube and the Internet in general. A good thing, because upcoming generations should know about these.
This past summer, at the World Hakka Chinese conference at York University, I came upon a remarkable black and white photo that opened up a new pathway in understanding Jamaican history.
It is dated 1943, and shows an all Chinese military unit on parade before the shadow of Wareika Hill, just outside of Kingston.
An all Chinese military presence in Jamaica? Why? And what for?
First of all, there were three waves of early 19th century Chinese settlers to Jamaica. The first from the original Panama Canal construction in 1854. The second from Trinidad and British Guiana to take up the labour shortage cutting sugar cane by 1864. The third, directly from China starting in 1884. By the first half of the 20th century all their children and grand-children had become solid citizens, loyal to the island and to the British Crown. Bear in mind as well that the total Chinese population did not exceed 10,000. Yet, Chinese small enterprise had permeated through the fabric of Jamaican society, especially in the form of village shopkeepers.
When the war broke out in 1939, many Jamaicans and other Caribbean citizens felt it their duty to “join up.” Young Hakka Chinese men volunteered willingly to the recently formed Home Guard. Their numbers dominated one unit, though the commanding officer was a requisite British senior.
You must also bear in mind those massive locks of the self-same Panama Canal was the prize of German U-Boat captains. A couple of direct hits and the ensuing naval disaster would have been catastrophic. The ring of protective bases in the Caribbean was essential, not to mention fast possible German commando raids. Guarding the islands was a top priority.
I also found out that one of the surviving soldiers from this Jamaican Home Guard, Joe Young, is still alive and living in Toronto. He is now 91 and his memory is failing. All the same, Dr. Keith Lowe, the distinguished Jamaican born academic and historian accompanied me to Joe Young’s home where we were greeted by his wife Fay. Theirs is a devout Christian home.
We showed Joe Young the historic photo, and his eyes lit up, opening up distant memories, though he struggled to make coherent sentences. He will never forget his badge number LNCA9966. His commanding officer, Peterson, treated his men well. Their unit did the best drilling. He recalled the names of a few in the photograph. One became his future brother-in-law. He recalls with a chuckle the camaraderie of the soldiers- many were family related- and the mischief they got into. He repeats himself a lot.
His unit was shipped out to Italy, but was not allowed to see combat. “There were other Jamaican professional soldiers who fought.” Instead, Young and his fellow soldiers shepherded prisoners of war to holding camps. He laughs when he said that once when they were camped out in the ashes of the hills of Mount Vesuvius, he was assigned guard duty against local thieves looking for military blankets.
As the war ended, they moved to Egypt, where they played a lot of basketball, then ultimately back to Jamaica for demobilization. He received fifty British pounds for civilian clothes and returned to normal life.
“Why did you join the army?” I asked. “When you are young, you want to do something, and that was the right thing to do. Better yet, we all came out alive.”
This Sunday, November 11th, as we pause to remember, give a thought to the likes of Joe Young among the thousands of Caribbean men and women who served.