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Chinese Immigration to Cuba started in 1847 when Spanish settlers brought in Cantonese contract workers to work in the sugar fields. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese workers were brought in from Hong Kong , Macau , and Taiwan during the following decades to replace the labor of African Slaves . After completing 8-year contracts, the Chinese immigrants generally settled permanently in Cuba. Havana 's Chinatown (known as ''(El) Barrio Chino de La Habana'') was one of the earliest and largest Chinatowns in Latin America . 5,000 Chinese from the U.S. immigrated to Cuba during the late 1800s to escape the discrimination present at the time. A small wave of Chinese immigrants also arrived during the early 20th century to escape the political chaos in China. The Chinese tended to concentrate heavily in urban areas, especially in the Havana Chinatown. Many used the money they accumulated as indentured laborers to open small grocery stores or restaurants. Many Chinese-Cubans intermarried with African slaves due to the scarcity of Chinese women. Later generations of Chinese-Cubans also intermarried with the Spanish and mulatto populations. Today almost all Chinese-Cubans have African, Spanish, and Chinese ancestry. Many of them have Spanish surnames. A popular person who is a product of Chinese and Cuban marriages is Wifredo Lam . Chinese Cubans, including some Chinese-Americans from California, joined the Spanish-American War in 1898 to achieve independence from Spain , but a few Chinese, who were loyal to Spain, left Cuba and went to Spain. Racial acceptance and assimilation would come much later. When Fidel Castro 's government gained control of Cuba in 1959 , the economic and political situation changed. His opponents, including Chinese, were often jailed or killed directly. Many Chinese grocery store owners, having had their properties seized by Castro, left Cuba. Most of these settled in the United States , particularly nearby Florida , where they and their U.S.-born children are called Chinese-Americans or Cuban-American s of Chinese descent, while a relatively few to nearby Dominican Republic and other Latin America n countries, and also to U.S.-ruled territory of Puerto Rico , where they are called Chinese Puerto Rican s, Cuban-Puerto Ricans of Chinese descent, or Cuban-Americans of Chinese descent. Chinese refugees to United States include people whose ancestors came to Cuba 10 years before the Cuban Revolution and those from United States. These Chinese American refugees, whose ancestors had come from California, were happy to be back in the United States. As a result of this exodus, the number of pure Chinese dropped sharply in Havana’s ''Barrio Chino''. The ''Barrio Chino de La Habana'' today is not the largest Latino Chinatown. Most Chinese Cubans, who number only about 500, live outside ''Barrio Chino''. Some of the Chinese, mostly Castro supporters, stayed after the start of his rule. Younger generations are working in a larger variety of jobs. There are many song composers and entering show-business: actors, actresses, singers, and models. Several community groups, especially Chinatown Promotional Group (Spanish: ''El Grupo Promotor del Barrio Chino''), worked to revive ''Barrio Chino'' and the faded Chinese Culture . Chinese Language and Arts School (''La Escuela de la Lengua y Artes China'') opened in 1993 and has grown since then, helping Chinese Cubans to strengthen their knowledge of the Chinese language. Today, Chinese Cubans tend to speak Mandarin , Cantonese , and a mixture of Chinese and Spanish, in addition to Spanish and English. They also promoted small businesses, like beauty parlors, mechanical shops, restaurants, and small groceries, provided to them to create a view of ''Barrio Chino''. Havana’s ''Barrio Chino'' also experienced buildings of Chinese architecture and museum with backgrounds about China. As a result, the Chinese Cuban community has gained visibility. SEE ALSO |
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