Cambridge Imperial and Post-colonial Studies Series : Chinese in Colonial Burma : A Migrant Community in a Multiethnic State

Using previously unexplored archives from colonial institutions and individuals, and primary materials produced by the Burmese Chinese, this comprehensive study investigates over a century of history of the Burmese Chinese under British colonial rule. Due to the peculiar position of Burma in the British imperial world and the Southeast Asian Chinese network, the Chinese community had a unique experience in a Southeast Asian colony governed by Europeans with an India-based system. This book reveals, through everyday life experience, prominent community figures, and milestone events, the internal rivalry and integration among different regional groups within the community, and the general impressions it left in contemporary observations and communal memories. The book also traces historical roots of some unsolved ethnic issues in present-day Myanmar. Acknowledgments 7 Contents 9 List of Figures 11 List of Tables 12 List of Maps 13 Chapter 1: Introduction 17 1.1 Chinese in Burma 18 1.2 Burma in the British Imperial World and the Southeast Asian Chinese Maritime Network 21 1.3 Structure of the Book 24 1.3.1 Coming to Burma 25 1.3.2 Being Burmese Chinese 26 1.4 Limits of the Current Study 27 1.5 Notes on Transliteration and Spelling 29 Notes 30 Part 1: Coming to Burma 36 Chapter 2: From Frontier to Heartland 37 2.1 A Pre-colonial Frontier 39 2.2 The Yunnanese in Burma Before 1886 41 2.3 British Efforts to Secure the Frontier 44 2.4 Community Reconfiguration Along the Border 52 2.4.1 Chinese Intelligence 53 2.4.2 Building a Migrant Community 56 2.5 Interactions Among Regional Chinese Groups in Burma 60 Notes 67 Chapter 3: A Chinese Mental Map of the Irrawaddy Delta 76 3.1 A Hokkien Individual’s Experience in Lower Burma 78 3.2 Cross-clan Associations in Rangoon 88 3.2.1 Temples as Community Centers 88 3.2.2 Procession of Deities 95 3.2.3 Secret Societies, Their Founding Myths and Protocols 98 3.3 Ceremonies of Spectacles 103 3.3.1 The Chinese New Year Celebrations 104 3.3.2 A Prominent Chinese Family’s Weddings and Funerals 106 3.3.3 Exercising “Chinese-ness” in a Multiethnic Colonial State 110 Notes 113 Part 2: Being Burmese Chinese 122 Chapter 4: Merchants of the Empire 123 4.1 Chinese Merchants in Colonial Publications 125 4.1.1 Main Chinese Businesses in Burma 129 4.1.2 Regional Connections 132 4.1.3 An Affluent and Modern Lifestyle 134 4.2 The “Short-sleeves” Chinese 138 4.3 Merchants of the Empire? 142 4.3.1 Presenting the Chinese in an Imperial World 142 4.3.2 Indian Versus Chinese 145 4.3.3 Chinese Internalization 147 Notes 151 Chapter 5: The Rangoon Vice 158 5.1 Chinese Vices in Public Media 159 5.2 Chinese Corruption in Burmese Lives 166 5.2.1 Opium, Chinese Shops, and Rural Crimes 167 5.2.2 Gambling Clubs and Political Societies 172 5.3 Interpreting Chinese Vices 177 5.3.1 Chinese Vices in a Global Context 180 5.3.2 The Vocabulary of Ethno-crimes in Burma 181 Notes 183 Chapter 6: Making No Political “Noise” 189 6.1 Chinese Domestic Politics and Its Transnational Networks 191 6.1.1 The Reformists and the Conservatives 191 6.1.2 The Republicans 194 6.1.3 The 1911 Revolution of China 197 6.1.4 Post-1911 Rivalry and Solidarity 199 6.2 Slow Response from the Colonial Authority 202 6.3 Political Participation in the Multiethnic Colony 205 6.3.1 Chinese Politicians in Colonial Government 205 6.3.2 The Controversy on the Chinese Minister 209 6.3.3 Chinese Involvement in Burma’s Independence Movement 217 Notes 220 Chapter 7: Epilogue 230 Notes 236 Glossary 238 Bibliography 247 Archives 247 Newspaper and Journals 248 Government Reports, Private Writings and Chronicles 248 Community Publications 249 Inscriptions 250 Books, Articles, Unpublished Papers and Online Sources 251 Index 263 "Acknowledgments"--"Contents"--"List of Figures" -- "List of Tables" -- "List of Maps" -- "Chapter 1: Introduction" -- "1.1 Chinese in Burma" -- "1.2 Burma in the British Imperial World and the Southeast Asian Chinese Maritime Network" -- "1.3 Structure of the Book" -- "1.3.1 Coming to Burma" -- "1.3.2 Being Burmese Chinese" -- "1.4 Limits of the Current Study" -- "1.5 Notes on Transliteration and Spelling" -- "Notes" -- "Part 1: Coming to Burma" -- "Chapter 2: From Frontier to Heartland" -- "2.1 A Pre-colonial Frontier" -- "2.2 The Yunnanese in Burma Before 1886" -- "2.3 British Efforts to Secure the Frontier" -- "2.4 Community Reconfiguration Along the Border" -- "2.4.1 Chinese Intelligence" -- "2.4.2 Building a Migrant Community" -- "2.5 Interactions Among Regional Chinese Groups in Burma" -- "Notes" -- "Chapter 3: A Chinese Mental Map of the Irrawaddy Delta" -- "3.1 A Hokkien Individualâ#x80;#x99;s Experience in Lower Burma" -- "3.2 Cross-clan Associations in Rangoon" -- "3.2.1 Temples as Community Centers" -- "3.2.2 Procession of Deities" -- "3.2.3 Secret Societies, Their Founding Myths and Protocols" -- "3.3 Ceremonies of Spectacles" -- "3.3.1 The Chinese New Year Celebrations" -- "3.3.2 A Prominent Chinese Familyâ#x80;#x99;s Weddings and Funerals" -- "3.3.3 Exercising â#x80;#x9C;Chinese-nessâ#x80;#x9D; in a Multiethnic Colonial State" -- "Notes" -- "Part 2: Being Burmese Chinese" -- "Chapter 4: Merchants of the Empire" -- "4.1 Chinese Merchants in Colonial Publications" -- "4.1.1 Main Chinese Businesses in Burma" -- "4.1.2 Regional Connections" -- "4.1.3 An Affluent and Modern Lifestyle" -- "4.2 The â#x80;#x9C;Short-sleevesâ#x80;#x9D; Chinese" -- "4.3 Merchants of the Empire?" -- "4.3.1 Presenting the Chinese in an Imperial World" -- "4.3.2 Indian Versus Chinese" -- "4.3.3 Chinese Internalization" -- "Notes" -- "Chapter 5: The Rangoon Vice." Being a southwest neighbor of China, Burma has seen waves of Chinese immigrants for centuries. It reached the peak in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries when Burma was part of British India. Due to the peculiar position of Burma in the British imperial world and the Southeast Asian Chinese network, the Chinese community had a unique experience in a Southeast Asian colony governed by Europeans with an India-based system. Using previously unexplored archives from colonial institutions and individuals, and primary materials produced by the Burmese Chinese, this is the first-ever comprehensive study in the English language that investigates more than a century of history of the Burmese Chinese under colonial rule. It reveals, through everyday life experience, prominent community figures, and milestone events, the internal rivalry and integration among different regional groups within the community, and the general impressions it left in contemporary observations and communal memories. The book also traces historical roots of some unsolved ethnic issues in present-day Myanmar. Front Matter....Pages i-xviii Introduction....Pages 1-19 Front Matter....Pages 21-21 From Frontier to Heartland....Pages 23-61 A Chinese Mental Map of the Irrawaddy Delta....Pages 63-108 Front Matter....Pages 109-109 Merchants of the Empire....Pages 111-145 The Rangoon Vice....Pages 147-177 Making No Political “Noise”....Pages 179-219 Epilogue....Pages 221-228 Back Matter....Pages 229-262