Total population | |
---|---|
52,341 (by birth, 2023) [1] + 200,000 (by ancestry, 2018) [2] [3] [4] 0.45% of the Argentine population | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Buenos Aires | |
Languages | |
Spanish · Mandarin · Cantonese · Min · Hakka | |
Religion | |
Catholicism · Chinese folk | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Han Chinese · Cantonese · Hakka · Chinese Brazilians · Chinese Uruguayans |
Chinese Argentines are Argentine citizens of Chinese ancestry or Chinese-born immigrants. The Chinese Argentine community is one of the fastest-growing communities in Argentina. As of 2018, the community was made up of 200,000 people. [2] [3] [4]
Since the 20th century, the Chinese in Argentina came in three waves. [5] The first wave of immigrants came from small coastal towns between 1914 and 1949. [5] The second wave of immigrants arrived from Taiwan in the 1980s and over the years, they have become accustomed to the porteño lifestyle. A considerable number of people from Hong Kong and the southern coastal region of China immigrated during the second wave. [5] The third wave came in the 1990s, hailing mostly from China, mostly from the less developed province of Fujian. [5] This group is filled with young drifters who came often through the illegal smuggling route originating in China's Fujian Province. [6] However, many of the small supermarkets that are present in many neighbourhoods of Buenos Aires come from the community present during the third wave of immigration. [5]
Recently, there has been a fourth and newer wave of Chinese immigration who are mostly ambitious and educated members of China's growing middle-class who are looking to find their place in China's growing economy. Young employees of Chinese companies have recently arrived to work for at least two years. Today, many Chinese Argentines usually run supermercados chinos (Chinese supermarkets), which dominate the second tier of grocery stores in Buenos Aires. Tintorerías (Dry Cleaners) for laundry are also a common Chinese-run business.
Since the Argentine economic crisis, many small Chinese-owned businesses have faced significant crime. Robberies are frequent, with one Chinese supermarket reportedly robbed up to 14 times in one year, and stories of family members shot at gunpoint in their store are not uncommon. Tensions have arisen with other immigrant groups as well. [6]
In June 2006, the union of truck drivers began a boycott of Chinese-owned stores. This was due to an alleged gun-related incident between a driver and a store owner, which involved illegal firearms. [7] Shortages in stores were reported due to a lack of deliveries until the boycott was officially lifted the following month. [8]
Buenos Aires' Chinatown is a largely commercial section five blocks long and two blocks wide in the barrio of Belgrano, Buenos Aires. This neighborhood contains several Chinese restaurants, grocery stores, and a Buddhist temple. It is the heart of the Chinese community in Argentina. The neighborhood began to develop in the 1980s when newly arrived Taiwanese and Chinese immigrants settled in this area. [9] The neighborhood is also known for its Chinese New Year celebrations.
Tzong Kuan Temple was founded in 1988 by Master Pu Hsien with the support of Buddhist community in Taiwan, the temple is located in the Belgrano area on Montañeses 2175 Street and has a congregation of five hundred members. [10] [11] The current abbot is Master Zhi Han and the temple is also affiliated to Chinese Buddhist Association in Argentina and Bodhiyana Foundation. [12]
Fo Guang Shan Order from Taiwan also has a branch temple, "Templo Budista Fo Guang Shan" in Argentina since 1992, and the temple offered courses in meditation, martial arts, yoga and hosts vegetarian cooking workshops on regular basis. [10]
Buenos Aires, officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South America's southeastern coast. "Buenos aires" is Spanish for "fair winds" or "good airs". Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha global city, according to the Globalization and World Cities Research Network (GaWC) 2020 ranking.
Chinatowns in Latin America developed with the rise of Chinese immigration in the 19th century to various countries in Latin America as contract laborers in agricultural and fishing industries. Most came from Guangdong Province. Since the 1970s, the new arrivals have typically hailed from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. Latin American Chinatowns may include the descendants of original migrants — often of mixed Chinese and Latino parentage — and more recent immigrants from East Asia. Most Asian Latin Americans are of Cantonese and Hakka origin. Estimates widely vary on the number of Chinese descendants in Latin America but it is at least 1.4 million and likely much greater than this.
Asian Argentines, are Argentine citizens or residents of Asian ancestry. The vast majority trace their ancestry to West Asia, primarily Lebanon and Syria, and East Asia, namely China and Japan. Though there are other communities of South Asian or Southeast Asian origin as well. Asian-Argentines settled in Argentina in large numbers during several waves of immigration in the twentieth century.
Route 60, known locally as El Sesenta, runs from Constitución station, in the centre of the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina to the Tigre Club in the partido of Tigre. The service is operated by Micro Ómnibus Norte S.A. (MONSA). Since November 1980, it has also managed the routes of the defunct bus route 38, which are currently provided under the number and colours of bus route 60, being distinguishable from the rest of the line only by the route indicator.
The history of immigration to Argentina can be divided into several major stages:
Buddhism is a minority religion in Argentina, where, in addition to the majority of the Christian population, the rate of self-professed Buddhists is about 0.5%.
Munro is a city of the Vicente López Partido in northern Greater Buenos Aires, Argentina, best known for its jeans and apparel stores and outlets. It is located some 20 km from the downtown of the city.
Argentina has a racially and ethnically diverse population. The territory of what today is Argentina was first inhabited by numerous indigenous peoples. The first white settlers came during the period of Spanish colonization, beginning in the 16th century. The Spaniards imported African slaves, who would go on to become the first Afro-Argentines. Following independence from Spain in the 19th century and well into the 20th century, numerous migration waves took place, with Argentina being the second most popular destination for migrants in the early 20th century, after the United States. Most of these migrants came from Europe.
In June 2006, the truckers union of Argentina boycotted supermarkets owned by Chinese people in retaliation for the attack of a trucker by a store-owner.
Austrian Argentines are Argentine citizens of Austrian descent or Austrian-born people who emigrated to Argentina. Many Austrian descendants in Argentina arrived in the country from other parts of Europe when Austria was a unified kingdom with Hungary.
Coto C.I.C.S.A., is an Argentine supermarket chain founded by Alfredo Coto in 1970 as a butcher shop. The first Coto supermarket was opened in the city of Mar de Ajó in La Costa Partido in 1987. The chain currently has 120 supermarkets, most of them in Buenos Aires Province.
Argentines are the people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, several of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being Argentine. In the past the National Gentilic for Citizens of Argentina was mistakenly translated as Argentinians, a term that is no longer considered accurate.
Buenos Aires' Chinatown, locally known as Barrio Chino, is a largely commercial section about five blocks long in the barrio of Belgrano, Buenos Aires. The Asian community living in Belgrano is less than 0.5% of the ward's total. Despite the designation of this Belgrano enclave as a Chinese ethnic enclave, the area is populated by different Asian communities, with a predominance of Taiwanese people and, to a lesser extent, Thais.
European Argentines, are Argentines who have predominantly or total European ancestry, belong to several communities which trace their origins to various migrations from Europe and which have contributed to the country's cultural and demographic variety. They are the descendants of colonists from Spain during the colonial period prior to 1810, or in the majority of cases, of Spanish, Italians, French, Russians and other Europeans who arrived in the great immigration wave from the mid 19th to the mid 20th centuries, and who largely intermarried among their many nationalities during and after this wave. No recent Argentine census has included comprehensive questions on ethnicity, although numerous studies have determined that European Argentines have been a majority in the country since 1914.
Portuguese Argentines are Argentines of Portuguese descent or a Portugal-born person who resides in Argentina. Portuguese Argentines are one of the biggest portugueses communities in the world.
Disco is an Argentine supermarket chain. It is one of many supermarket chains part of the Chilean retail conglomerate Cencosud, after it was acquired from the Dutch retailer Ahold in 2004. In Argentina, Cencosud also owns the upscale hypermarket chain Jumbo and the budget oriented supermarket chain Vea.
The CSR EMU is a series of electric multiple unit cars manufactured by CSR Corporation Limited for use on Buenos Aires' commuter rail network. As of 2015, the trains operated on three of the city's lines and 705 cars were manufactured, with each line using a different number of cars per train. They were created for use on lines electrified using both third rail and overhead lines.
Supermercados Llaneza was a supermarket industry pioneer in Latin America that inaugurated La Estrella Argentina, the first self-service market of the region in 1951, in Mar del Plata, Argentina. Its founders were Silvino Llaneza González and Bernardino Brasas, Spanish immigrants who also founded the Camara Argentina de Supermercados.
Iglesia Presbiteriana San Andrés del Centro is a Presbyterian temple of the city of Buenos Aires. It is located in the vicinity of Otto Wulff building, neighborhood of Monserrat.
The relationship between the Argentine Republic and the Republic of China is referred to as Argentina–Taiwan relations. From 1945 to 1972, the two countries had official diplomatic relations, and after the severance of diplomatic relations, they set up representative offices in each other's capitals with the functions of embassies.