Chinese people in Tanzania

Last updated
Chinese people in Tanzania
Total population
30,000+ (2013) [1]
Regions with significant populations
Dar Es Salaam  · Zanzibar
Languages
Chinese [2] , English
Related ethnic groups
Overseas Chinese

There were Chinese people in Tanzania as early as 1891. [3] However, most of the Chinese in the country trace their roots to three distinct waves of migration: 1930s settlement on Zanzibar, workers sent by the Chinese government in the 1960s and 1970s as part of development assistance to Tanzania, and private entrepreneurs and traders who began doing business there during the 1990s. [4]

Contents

History

The Chinese built TAZARA Railway linking Zambia with Tanzania. Rovos Rail on TAZARA track across Mpanga River.jpg
The Chinese built TAZARA Railway linking Zambia with Tanzania.

Most foreign labour in Tanganyika's history as a German colony came from other parts of Africa; however, there were a few Chinese as well. In 1891, the German East Africa Company hired 491 Chinese and Javanese labourers from Singapore to work on plantations in Usambara. [3] Separately, a community of overseas Chinese began to form on the island of Zanzibar, by then a British possession, in the 1930s. The Chinese noodles they produced there became a popular staple food for the local population, especially for the evening iftar meal which marks the end of the day's fasting during Ramadan. [5]

In 1969, a few years after Tanganyika and Zanzibar achieved independence from the British Empire and merged to become Tanzania, the People's Republic of China agreed to provide financing and technical assistance for the construction of the TAZARA Railway, intended to give Zambia an alternative to an existing railway route passing through Rhodesia, and allow them to export copper through ports in Tanzania instead. The first thousand Chinese railway workers came to Dar Es Salaam on board the ocean liner Yao Hao in August 1969.; they would be followed by twenty to thirty thousand more in the next five years. [6] At any given time, Chinese composed between twenty-five and thirty percent, or 13,000, of the thirty to forty thousand workers on the railway. [7] Most of them returned home after their stint in the country, but due to the emphasis placed on speedy construction, they had little time to train their Tanzanian counterparts to replace them; as a result, teams of Chinese experts continued to work for the railway authority as late as 2004. [6] During these years, China also sent some advisors to Zanzibar for work on other development projects. [4] Finally, roughly 200 doctors from Jiangsu were dispatched all over Tanzania on two-year stints; people's positive experience with these doctors laid the foundations for the later popularity of traditional Chinese medicine, though they themselves were not TCM practitioners. [8]

The population of old overseas Chinese continued to decrease; by 2008, just twenty remained in Dar es Salaam, including a Meixian Hakka couple from South Africa who ran a Chinese restaurant, and a number of Burmese Chinese who traced their roots to the Taishan and Kaiping counties of Guangdong. [7] However, their numbers were bolstered by the arrival of new expatriate businessmen and entrepreneurs beginning in the 1990s. [4]

Numbers

In 2000, statistics of Tanzania's Immigration Department showed that they had issued work or residence permits to just 239 Chinese nationals, making them one of the smaller groups of foreigners in the country. [3] However, China's official Xinhua News Agency reported in 2008 that 10,000 Chinese people live in the country. [9] In January 2013, the Chinese Ambassador to Tanzania was quoted saying that there were more than 30,000 Chinese people living in Tanzania. [1]

Business and employment

The new wave of Chinese expatriates in the 1990s initially came to Tanzania with the intention of working in more typical industries, such as construction, textiles, or food products. [10] However, the World Health Organization's push for privatisation of health care in Tanzania provided unexpected business opportunities to them; despite the fact that most lacked any medical training, they began setting up traditional Chinese medicine clinics, the first of which was established in 1996. [11] Qualified practitioners came later, but in the early 2000s, the majority were still learning on the job. [12]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dar es Salaam</span> Largest city in Tanzania and capital of Dar es Salaam Region

Dar es Salaam is the largest city and financial hub of Tanzania. It is also the capital of the Dar es Salaam Region. With a population of over six million people, Dar es Salaam is the largest city in East Africa and the sixth-largest in Africa. Located on the Swahili coast, Dar es Salaam is an important economic center and one of the fastest-growing cities in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tanzania</span> Country in East Africa

Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to the south; Zambia to the southwest; and Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest mountain, is in northeastern Tanzania. According to the 2022 national census, Tanzania has a population of nearly 62 million, making it the most populous country located entirely south of the equator.

The modern-day African Great Lakes state of Tanzania dates formally from 1964, when it was formed out of the union of the much larger mainland territory of Tanganyika and the coastal archipelago of Zanzibar. The former was a colony and part of German East Africa from the 1880s to 1919 when, under the League of Nations, it became a British mandate. It served as a British military outpost during World War II, providing financial help, munitions, and soldiers. In 1947, Tanganyika became a United Nations Trust Territory under British administration, a status it kept until its independence in 1961. The island of Zanzibar thrived as a trading hub, successively controlled by the Portuguese, the Sultanate of Oman, and then as a British protectorate by the end of the nineteenth century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TAZARA Railway</span> Railway in Tanzania and Zambia

The Tazara Railway, also called the Uhuru Railway or the Tanzam Railway, is a railway in East Africa linking the port of Dar es Salaam in east Tanzania with the town of Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia's Central Province. The single-track railway is 1,860 km (1,160 mi) long and is operated by the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rashidi Kawawa</span> Tanzanian politician (1926–2009)

Rashidi Mfaume Kawawa was the second Tanganyikan Prime Minister, Preceded by Julius Kambarage Nyerere from 22nd Jan 1962 to 9th Dec 1962 when the post was abolished and the first Tanzanian Prime Minister from 17th Feb 1972 to 13th Feb 1977, succeeded by Edward Sokoine.

Kleist Sykes (1894–1949) was a Tanganyikan political activist. He helped form the Tanganyika African Association.

The Tanganyika Rifles was the sole regiment in the Tanganyikan army, from 1961 to 1964.

The Anglican Church of Tanzania is a province of the Anglican Communion based in Dodoma. It consists of 28 dioceses headed by their respective bishops. It seceded from the Province of East Africa in 1970, which it shared with Kenya. The current primate and archbishop is Maimbo Mndolwa, enthroned on 20 May 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tanzania Cricket Association</span>

Tanzania Cricket Association is the official governing body of the sport of cricket in Tanzania. Its current headquarters is in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. Tanzania Cricket Association is Tanzania's representative at the International Cricket Council and is an associate member and has been a member of that body since 2001. It is also a member of the African Cricket Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tanzania Ports Authority</span> Public corporation in Tanzania

Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) is a parastatal public corporation acting under the aegis of the Ministry of Infrastructure Development, that has the responsibility "to manage and operate" the ocean ports and lake ports of the country of Tanzania. The Tanzania Ports Authrorty headquarters are located in Mchafukoge ward of Ilala District in Dar es Salaam Region. It is a member of the Port Management Association of Eastern and Southern Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Issa G. Shivji</span>

Issa Gulamhussein Shivji is a Tanzanian author and academic, and an experts on law and development issues. He has taught and worked in universities all over the world. He is a writer and researcher, producing books, monographs and articles, as well as a weekly column printed in national newspapers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tanzania Railways Limited</span> Tanzanian railroad company

The Tanzania Railways Corporation(TRC) is a state-owned enterprise that runs one of Tanzania's two main railway networks. the Headquarters are located in Mchafukoge, Ilala District, Dar es Salaam Region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of rail transport in Tanzania</span>

The history of rail transport in Tanzania began in the late nineteenth century.

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">China–Tanzania relations</span> Bilateral relations

China–Tanzania relations are the foreign relations between China and Tanzania. China established diplomatic relations with Tanganyika and Zanzibar on December 9, 1961, and December 11, 1963, respectively. When Tanganyika and Zanzibar were united and became Tanzania on April 26, 1964, China extended its diplomatic ties to it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port of Dar es Salaam</span> Large port located in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

The Port of Dar es Salaam is the principal port serving Tanzania located in Kurasini ward of Temeke District of Dar es Salaam Region. The port is one of three ocean ports in the country and handles over 90% of the country's cargo traffic. According to the International Association of Ports and Harbors, it is the fourth largest port on the African continent's Indian Ocean coastline after Durban, Mombasa and Maputo. The port acts as a gateway for commerce and trade for Tanzania and numerous bordering landlocked states.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tanzania Breweries Limited</span>

Tanzania Breweries Limited, also referred to as TBL, is the oldest and largest brewing company in Tanzania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tanzania–United Kingdom relations</span> Bilateral relations

Tanzania–United Kingdom relations are bilateral relations between Tanzania and the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom has historically been a partner of Tanzania in many areas, particularly trade and security.

Augustine Saidi, or Augustino B. Saidi, was a Tanzanian lawyer who was the first African Chief Justice of Tanzania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Germany–Tanzania relations</span> Bilateral relations

Germany–Tanzania relations are the bilateral relations between Germany and Tanzania. From 1885 to 1918, Tanzania was a German colony as part of German East Africa. In the 21st century, relations are primarily characterized by the joint development cooperation.

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 Tagy, Mwakawago (14 January 2013). "Dar-Beijing for improved diplomatic-ties". Daily News. Dar es Salaam. Archived from the original on 14 May 2013. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
  2. ↑ Hsu 2008, p. 226
  3. 1 2 3 Mwalimu 2004 , p. 15
  4. 1 2 3 Hsu 2006 , p. 113
  5. ↑ Hsu 2006
  6. 1 2 Monson 2004
  7. 1 2 Qu 2008
  8. ↑ Hsu 2008 , p. 222
  9. ↑ Xinhua News Agency (2008-04-13), "达市圣火传递路线精彩纷呈 14名华人参加接力 (14 Chinese march in splendid Dar Es Salaam Olympic torch parade)", People's Daily, retrieved 2008-10-30
  10. ↑ Hsu 2008 , p. 234
  11. ↑ Hsu 2008 , pp. 221, 227
  12. ↑ Hsu 2008 , p. 227

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.