{"id":514,"date":"2021-10-14T12:47:16","date_gmt":"2021-10-14T19:47:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/farfromchina.com\/?p=514"},"modified":"2021-10-31T10:34:32","modified_gmt":"2021-10-31T17:34:32","slug":"how-does-a-chinese-association-serve-chinese-jamaicans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/farfromchina.com\/2021\/10\/14\/how-does-a-chinese-association-serve-chinese-jamaicans\/","title":{"rendered":"How does a Chinese association serve Chinese-Jamaicans?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Dalton Yap<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u53f6\u91cd\u6c11<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Born: Hong Kong
Raised: Hong Kong & Jamaica<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Dalton Yap tells one maxim that really hit home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Chinese in general have great economic powers. Unfortunately, we\u2019re not very good at gaining political power.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen things are going bad, we become scapegoats.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This comes from his experience, having gone through the tumultuous \u201870s in Jamaica and then from his 35 years of volunteering with Chinese associations in Jamaica.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chinese activism in Jamaica<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In his time volunteering for the Chinese community, Dalton raised two events where having political influence really made a difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSometimes, public opinion can be very much against the Chinese,\u201d he said. \u201cBecause you know, some of the Chinese community — they\u2019re not freaking angels. They do bad things.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd the newspapers would hammer on them to the extent that it could inflame nationalist sentiments or some sort of anti-Chinese sentiment which we as an association had to bring down the temperature.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cAnd we would approach the ministers and say \u2018you need to tell the newspapers publishers to bring down the temperature, man.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And prior to him, Chinese organizations would also sit with the government to discuss discrepancies in immigration visas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One example he raised involved having overly strict rules applied to a family member coming from China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019d go sit with the minister, and we would air our concerns and ask whether the government can consider it,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd most times, yes, because they are all very reasonable requests.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do Chinese-Jamaicans gain political influence?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I was genuinely curious to learn how the Chinese associations in Jamaica managed to gain the ear of the government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have never heard of this happening anywhere else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chinese-Jamaicans number 50,000 to 200,000 according to Wikipedia. In a country of about 3 million, that is, at best, about 6.7 per cent of the population. That\u2019s very similar to the number of Asian-Americans as a percentage of the U.S. population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s the answer: Chinese-Jamaicans gain political influence through their economic prowess.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf the Chinese decided to close the supermarkets — all the supermarkets the Chinese owned — the people would go hungry,\u201d Dalton said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cSimple as that. I\u2019ll make no bones about that because certain sectors of the economy are largely controlled by the Chinese Jamaicans. The supermarket business being one of them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dalton also pointed out that many Jamaican-born Chinese people have become influential in their professions such as professors, doctors, dentists, architects, and other fields.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some also get a prestigious American education and return to Jamaica to build their family businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In effect, Dalton told me that Chinese-Jamaican political power stems from occupying the higher tiers of the Jamaican economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He did mention that some Chinese people became politicians, but \u201cI was hoping for more.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHaving economic power is great but the downside of that is that when things are going bad, then we become scapegoats,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou may not want to be in the front seat as a politician, but you should be organized in such a way that you should have the power to influence and I don\u2019t believe that we are doing well enough in that regard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s the purpose of a Chinese association?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While Dalton has volunteered for many Chinese associations, the biggest and most enduring Chinese association in Jamaica is the Chinese Benevolent Association of Jamaica (\u4e2d\u534e\u4f1a\u9986)..<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What I learned is that there are two thrusts to the Chinese Benevolent Association\u2019s role: to promote Chinese culture to non-Chinese and to help new Chinese immigrants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dalton explained that new immigrants sometimes seek help to get established and this is where the CBA gets involved to help them find doctors, lawyers, bankers, accountants, schools for their children. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond that, they also offer new immigrants English lessons. The biggest barrier for a newcomer is, after all, a language barrier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To the general public, the CBA hosts different events and activities. The biggest one is the Chinese New Year celebrations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat is our major fundraising event and also one of our events where we really reach out to the Chinese community,\u201d he said. \u201cAt its peak, we had about 2,000 attendees in one day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They\u2019d cook food at the CBA headquarters\u2019 kitchen at 176 Old Hope Road in Kingston, Jamaica, and serve food at the hall. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The event also serves as an intercultural event where both the Chinese community and the wider Jamaican community intermingle. Chinese children would sing the Jamaican national anthem and musicians would perform on Chinese instruments such as the erhu<\/em> and Western instruments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There would also be lion dances which Dalton said was difficult to upkeep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not easy to maintain this part of the culture because Jamaica, unlike the North American countries \u2026 you wouldn\u2019t be able to attract even professionals from China and Hong Kong.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lion dancing requires skill and hence requires skilled performers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is Gah San<\/em>?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\nhttps:\/\/www.bilibili.com\/s\/video\/BV19e411x7er\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Another event that the CBA hosts is gah san<\/em> during the annual Qingming Festival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gah san<\/em> is Hakka and speaks to the strong influence the Hakka have had in Jamaica.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dalton explained that gah <\/em>(\u6302) <\/em>literally meant \u201chang\u201d and it speaks to hanging a floral arrangement on a grave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

San<\/em> translated to \u201cmountain\u201d (\u5c71) which points to how Hakka graves were generally placed on a mountain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Baidu further explains that this aspect of Chinese culture comes from the Changsha, Hunan region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Hakka to Hong Kong to mainland China<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Dalton explained to me that the Chinese community in Jamaica has seen a change in its composition in the last 50 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dalton\u2019s father once said that within the Chinese community, you could not find a job if you didn\u2019t speak Hakka. That\u2019s because the Hakka were the first group of Chinese-Jamaicans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hakka lost its predominance as it made way for Cantonese and then Mandarin as migrants came from various parts of China such as Fujian, Guangdong, Taishan (Guangzhou area) and Wenzhou (Zhejiang).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So why are there Chinese people in Jamaica? It turns out that the reason is simple opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1970s: Bye bye Chinese Jamaicans<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Dalton explained that in 1972, Jamaica elected a left-wing government under Michael Manley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A 1992 New York Times<\/em> article<\/a> clarified Manley\u2019s stance as \u201ca keen admirer of Fidel Castro, a prominent spokesman of militant third worldism\u201d who \u201cpreached to his followers that capitalism was \u2018a morally bankrupt way of life.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd remember many of the Chinese that came to Jamaica initially, they already suffered under communism,\u201d Dalton said. \u201cSo, wow, deja vu? What is this? Jamaica is now falling in the hands of ideology?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That period of history saw a wave of emigration of many professionals and wealthy Chinese to North American destinations such as Miami.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMichael Manley famously said, doubling down on this migration fever to say, look, there are five flights a day to Miami. Go,\u201d Dalton said. \u201cA lot of Chinese just packed up their bags, sold their assets for cheap, especially after the 1976 election when Michael Manley won again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1980s: Thanks to America, Chinese people move to Jamaica<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The 1980s was a decade where even the biggest champions of communism abandoned their pursuit of that ideology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The USSR pursued perestroika<\/em>, China pursued Reform and Opening Up and Vietnam pursued Doi Moi<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jamaica was no different in pursuing what the previous prime minister termed a \u201cmorally bankrupt way of life\u201d in the 1980s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Chinese came back after the election of a new government in 1980 who created the Free Zone which brought Chinese workers into Jamaica.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It helped that Jamaica had special trade terms with the United States under the Caribbean Basin Initiative in 1984.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A lot of garment companies, based in Hong Kong, would send their managers and skilled workers to Jamaica. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chinese staff primarily came from mainland China provinces such as Sichuan, Jiangsu and Lanzhou.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey would rent a house and they will have all of these Chinese packed in the house and in the morning they\u2019ll have a bus to truck them to the factory and in the evening they\u2019ll send them back and they\u2019ll use the same bus to take them shopping on a Saturday or Sunday. They\u2019re tightly monitored,\u201d Dalton said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More importantly, this marked the first time Chinese migration to Jamaica was not primarily Hakka, unlike the shiploads of Hakka people that came in the 19th century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those favourable trade terms with the United States ended with the passing of NAFTA, which caused manufacturing to go to Mexico and a lot of workers returned to China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some remained and started what Dalton called the \u201cthird wave\u201d of Chinese migration to Jamaica.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The cycle begins where these remainers (not a Brexit pun) who have established their homes, businesses and work in Jamaica brought their families from their villages from China to Jamaica to join their businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJamaica is very much where my heart is\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s talk about Dalton.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dalton was born in Hong Kong and spent 12 years there before moving to Jamaica. He considers himself a third-generation Chinese Jamaican. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

His grandfather moved to Jamaica in 1918 following his grandfather\u2019s uncle who did very well in Jamaica and started \u201cbandwagon immigration.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou do well, you start to ask your family to come,\u201d he said. This started from immediate family, then extended family, then people from the same village.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dalton family members came, worked for the grandfather\u2019s uncle for a while and then started their own businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dalton\u2019s father was born in Jamaica in 1924 and was sent back to China for education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLike most of the Chinese boys \u2026 they were sent back for education,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apparently, his father did return to Jamaica for a while but fell out with Dalton\u2019s grandfather and returned to China. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dalton\u2019s father lived through Mao\u2019s China and that was when he migrated to Hong Kong in the late 1950s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1960, Dalton was born.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By 1968, his father took the first steps to return to Jamaica by making an exploratory trip to speak to Dalton\u2019s grandfather\u2019s uncle (the first person in the Yap family to move to Jamaica). His father received a promise that he would receive assistance if he wanted to move to Jamaica.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was curious to know why his father would move to Jamaica. Were the opportunities in Jamaica better than in Hong Kong?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turns out, there\u2019s a whole host of reasons. His father had no formal qualifications and would have hit a glass ceiling at the cargo department of Pan Am airlines. He also wanted to start a business and saw the opportunity Jamaica presented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also pointed to Hong Kong\u2019s return to China in 1997, which was about 30 years in the future at that time. Dalton sarcastically commented that his father was \u201cway ahead of his time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And this started a few batches of familial migration in the Yap family. His siblings and mother went first. Then, Dalton arrived in Jamaica in the last batch on Sept. 9, 1972 with a sister.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJamaica is very much where my heart is. I grew up here, I have a lot of network and I am still with the CBA, and I am very deep in working in the community,\u201d he said. \u201cSo, I am very comfortable with what I do here and what I have established here.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When things are going bad, we become scapegoats,” says Chinese Jamaican Dalton Yap in an interview about growing up in Jamaica.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":523,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/farfromchina.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/514"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/farfromchina.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/farfromchina.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farfromchina.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farfromchina.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=514"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/farfromchina.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/514\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":532,"href":"https:\/\/farfromchina.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/514\/revisions\/532"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farfromchina.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/523"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/farfromchina.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=514"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farfromchina.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=514"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farfromchina.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=514"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}