Chen Daojiang | Commemorating 170 years of Chinese in Jamaica

Time flows quietly and passes by quickly. The journey of life and endeavour of Chinese people of Jamaica, which comprises a spectacular chapter in history, has spanned a total of 170 years. During the past two years, I have made many Chinese friends, visited many communities and heard their stories. It has been my dearest thought that Chinese people’s contribution in Jamaica should be remembered and that no less should be expected of our countries’ future.

On July 30, 1854, in hopes of making a better life, some 200 indentured Chinese labourers boarded SS Epsom in Hong Kong and bade their farewell to the homeland as the siren was wailing. After a long-haul, winding journey, they eventually arrived in Jamaica and started toiling in plantations. This was the prologue to Chinese people’s blending into the one Jamaican people out of many.

SELF-RELIANCE

Over the past 170 years, Chinese people of Jamaica have been pursuing self-reliance and the common good. Following their presence, more and more Chinese people also travelled long distances to Jamaica, the land of verdant wood and lucid water. They bore the brunt of gruelling work and made savings with blood and sweat. Some of them later got vending carts and plied retail trade on the streets. Then their shopfront was set up and received a fondly dubbed household name — Chinese shop. The early people who came from China made painstaking efforts to blaze a trail for their living and development and took actions in their own rustic ways to support local communities. Chinese shops were the first to offer credit to customers, allowing the poor and the frail to purchase life necessities on credit. Such practices made a name for Chinese people among their neighbourhoods and testified to the close affinity between their community and communities of other ethnic descent.

Over the past 170 years, Chinese people have been pursuing integration into Jamaica and excellence in their career. At present, eatery chains set up by Chinese are across the island. Bread baked by Chinese businesses is gaining immense traction. Supermarket chains operated by Chinese always present customers with unique experiences. Patricia ‘Miss Pat’ Chin brought Bob Marley and other reggae musicians into the international spotlight. Prof. Anthony Chen shared in the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 as a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change of the United Nations. Easton Lee wrote prose poems that are widely read and composed plays that have been produced and adapted into films over and over. Jamaica’s inclusive culture created broad platforms for Chinese people’s growth from strength to strength, and in turn, their tenacity and enterprise constantly propped up Jamaica’s drive for the better.

FUNDAMENTAL INTERESTS

Over the past 170 years, Chinese Jamaicans have been pursuing the overall, fundamental interests of our countries. During the tumultuous years of the last century, Chinese people of Jamaica, out of a deep sense of duty and decency, generously contributed whatever they had to China’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and Jamaica’s National Independence. During the past century, Chinese people of Jamaica actively promoted the Chinese language teaching, hosted celebrations of Chinese festivals, and presented performances of traditional Chinese art. These unremitting efforts speak to Chinese people’s abiding commitment to spreading the Chinese culture far and wide and bringing our two peoples and two civilizations closer together. At the height of COVID-19, Chinese Jamaicans, guided by a spirit of unity and solidarity, made donations in cash and in kind to both of our countries, sparing no effort to protect the life and health of our two peoples. Today, many people from China travel between the countries to promote and facilitate our exchanges and cooperation across the board. An increasing number of Chinese businesses, technologies, and projects are coming to Jamaica, and the Blue Mountain Coffee and rum, on which Jamaica prides itself, have made their way into Chinese households. China-Jamaica relations have been developing with sustained dynamism, and our two peoples have been joining hands to create good stories. There have always been Chinese people’s earnest efforts behind the scenes.

Chinese people of Jamaica started from a solitary ship that sailed across oceans, and at this moment, they are devoting themselves to Jamaica’s journey of re-igniting a nation for greatness and striving to be emissaries of friendship between our countries. Chinese people’s footprint has endured for 170 years. To renew commitment to history, one must work to seize the moment.

To pay tribute to history, one must work to deliver a brighter future. It is my firm belief that Chinese people of Jamaica will draw strength and inspiration from their predecessors’ stories and forge ahead together with all other people in Jamaica for greater progress in our countries’ common development and in the building of a community with a shared future for China and Jamaica.

Chen Daojiang is ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to Jamaica and permanent representative of the People’s Republic of China to the International Seabed Authority. Send feedback to xiajamaica@gmail.com.