Ep. 301 | The History of the Chinese Jamaicans

For this 301st CHP episode, we cover some more great Overseas Chinese history. Rather than biting off more than I could chew by taking on the bigger story of Chinese emigration to the Caribbean, the focus will be on the island nation of Jamaica. The Chinese Jamaican story is another Hakka story. Contained in this episode is just one sliver of the history of this great and musical nation.

I hope this episode piques your interest. If you want to learn more about Jamaica you're in luck. Lots of great resources out there. I hope I can visit there one day and see it for myself. I flipped a coin to decide what pronunciation of "Caribbean" I would use for the episode. Happy Memorial Day Weekend to all fellow Yanks.

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Terms in Episode

Pinyin/TermChineseEnglish/Meaning
Hakka客家人The Hakka's or Hakka Chinese, are a Han Chinese subgroup whose ancestral homes are chiefly in the Hakka-speaking provincial areas of Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan, Zhejiang, Hainan, Guizhou, as well as Taiwan.
Guangdong广东Coastal province in southern China
Dōngguǎn东莞Major manufacturing center just to the east of Guangzhou (north of Shenzhen)
Huìyáng惠阳District of Huizhou to the southeast of Guangzhou and northeast of Shenzhen
Bǎo’ān宝安Bao'an is one of the nine districts comprising the city of Shenzhen. It is one of the districts formerly lying outside the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone.
Luó Xiánglín罗祥林1906-1978, Also known as Lo Hsiang-lin. He was one of the most renowned researchers in Hakka language and culture. His pioneering research in Hakka genealogy showed that the Hakka are in fact Han Chinese.
Jìn晋朝Chinese dynasty that lasted from 266-420
Wǔhú五胡The so-called "Five Barbarians", a Chinese historical exonym for the five ancient non-Han peoples who immigrated to northern China in the Eastern Han dynasty, and then overthrew the Western Jin dynasty and established their own kingdoms in the 4th–5th centuries. They included the Xiongnu, Jie, Xianbei, Qiang, amd Di people.
Huáng Cháo Rebellion黄巢起义A major rebellion in China that lasyed 875-884 and was led by Huang Chao. This rebellion, more than anything else led to the demise of the Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty唐朝Chinese dynasty that lasted from 618-907 with a short break from 690-705 when Wu Zetian was Empress of China
JürchenEast AsianTungusic-speaking peoples, descended from the Donghu people. They lived in the northeast of China, later known as Manchuria, before the 18th century. The Jurchens were renamed as Manchus in 1635 by the Qing ruler Hong Taiji.
Ming明朝Dynasty in China that lasted 1368-1644
Qing清朝Dynasty in China that lasted 1644-1912
Emperor Kāngxī康熙帝Long-reigning Qing emperor who ruled China from 1661-1722
Hǎijìn海禁The Hăijìn "Sea Ban" was a series of related isolationist policies restricting private maritime trading and coastal settlement during most of the Ming Empire and early Qing Empire. The early Qing dynasty's anti-insurgent "Great Clearance" had a devastating effect on communities along the south and southeast China coast.
Punti-Hakka Clan Wars土客械斗A long-lasting conflict between the Hakka and Cantonese people in Guangdong, China between 1855 and 1867. The wars resulted in roughly a million dead with many more fleeing for their lives.
Chee Kung Tong致公堂1887 the Chee Kung Tong was established to serve the interests of the Chinese community in Jamaica. Initially they were known as the Chinese Freemason Society. There were Chee Kung Tong's established in many Chinese communities around the world
Chin Tung-kaoFounder (in 1891) of the Chinese Benevolent Society (later Association) in Kingston, Jamaica. The aim of the society was to offer humanitarian and social aid to the Chinese Jamaicans, as well as protecting Chinese customs and preserving Chinese ethnic identity”
Chin Lenn-kaoBrother of Chin Tung-kao
Chin Pa-kungAlso known as Robert Jackson Chin, considered the pioneer in the dry goods retail/wholesale business in Jamaica
kuai-loh鬼佬A term used by Cantonese for Western people.
Rìyòngpǐn日用品Daily use articles
Fong SueThe Chinese Jamaican man in Ewarton who played a role in the anti-Chinese riots of July 1918
Gah San挂山Pinyin: Guà Shàn, the Hakka pronunciation of the Qingming Holiday where the faithful honor their ancestors and sweep their graves
Qīngmíng清明节See above
Zhōngguó Huìguǎn中国会馆General name for the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association
Vincent "Randy" Chin1937-2003, Kingston, Jamaica-born record producer and label owner who ran the Randy's shop, recording studio, and record label, later moving to New York City and setting up the VP Records empire, now the world's largest independent label and distributor of Caribbean music.
Patricia ChinWife and business partner of Randy Chin. She was also known as Miss Pat and was an influential figure in the reggae community and the woman who helped popularize the genre in the United States and around the world. Patricia was born to a Chinese mother and an East Indian father
Byron Lee1935-2008, Born Byron Aloysius St. Elmo Lee. He was a Jamaican musician, record producer, and entrepreneur, best known for his work as leader of Byron Lee and the Dragonaires.
Justin YapJustin Yap was a Chinese Jamaican who set up the Top Deck sound system with his brother Ivan in the Barbican district of Kingston, in the back of his parent’s ice-cream parlour. In 1967, Yap emigrated to the USA and a year later was serving in Vietnam. On his return he worked in computing and as a taxi cab driver up to his death from liver cancer in July 1999
Leslie Kong1933-1971, Leslie Kong was an influential Chinese-Jamaican reggae producer. Leslie and his two older brothers Cecil and Lloyd ran a restaurant, ice cream parlour and record shop called Beverley's in Orange Street, Kingston. In 1961, he encountered a young Jimmy Cliff outside of his shop singing a song he had written called "Dearest Beverley," in the hopes that the mention of the establishment would convince Kong to record him. This encounter led Kong to launch his own record label, Beverley's, and to record Cliff's song, launching Cliff's career in the process.
Bunny "Striker" Lee1941-2020, Edward O'Sullivan Lee OD, better known as Bunny "Striker" Lee, was a Jamaican record producer. He was known as a pioneer of the United Kingdom reggae market, licensing his productions to Trojan Records in the early 1970s, and later working with Lee "Scratch" Perry and King Tubby.
Mikey Mao Chung1950-2021, Michael Chung, also known as Mao Chung, was a Jamaican musician who played keyboards, guitar and percussion instruments. He was also an arranger and record producer of Jamaican music, and worked with a wide array of musicians, notably Scratch Perry and Sly & Robbie
Ernest Hoo Kim1842-2018, Joseph "Jo Jo" Hoo Kim was a Jamaican reggae record producer best known for his productions in the 1970s at his Channel One Studios

Resources

Websites

VP Records


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Ep. 302 | Chinese Anarchists of the Late Qing

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Ep. 300 | The History of Chinese Alchemy (Part 2)