尼泊爾人在中國 Níbó'ěr rén zài zhōngguó चीनमा रहेका नेपालीहरु Cīnamā rahēkā nēpālīharu | |
---|---|
Total population | |
3,500 (Mainland) [1] 15,950 (Hong Kong) [2] | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Tibet : Lhasa · Shigatse · Gyantse Others: Hong Kong · Guangzhou · Kunming · Dali City | |
Languages | |
Chinese · Tibetan · Newari · Nepali | |
Religion | |
Hinduism | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Nepali diaspora |
The community of Nepalis in China consists of Nepalese immigrants and expatriates to China as well as Chinese citizens of Nepalese descent.
The first Nepalis to arrive in Tibet were Newar merchants. In the early Malla period (1100-1480), evidence of Newar expansion emerges. Trade routes to Tibet via Humla, Mustang, Kyirong, Khasa and Olangchung Gola channeled north–south relations. [3] Following the Shah conquest of the Newars, Prithvi Narayan Shah cut off the flow of trade through Kathmandu, depriving the Malla kings of revenue and undermining the Newar traders' support of their own. After the British Younghusband Expedition opened up the shorter trade route to Tibet through Kalimpong, by 1908 Newar traders had lost their advantaged position in the Lhasa trade.
To trade effectively in Tibet, Newar families sent their brothers or sons to the major cities of Lhasa, Shigatse and Gyantse to live for years at a time. Overtime, these men learned to speak Tibetan, took part in the cultural life centered on Buddhism, and many married Tibetan women. In 1943, Nepalese traders based in Lhasa formed the Nepalese Chamber of Commerce in order to promote trade and coordinated among its members to set uniform prices for their merchandise besides lobbying with the government for business-friendly policy.
The ethnically Nepalese community of Lhasa comprises two prominent groups, Tibetan families who are descendants of Nepalese traders and hotel or restaurant workers from Nepal who come on short-term work visas. [4] The latter, numbering under 100 at least according to consular statistics, are sought after by Lhasa hoteliers for their experience of cooking non-Asian food.
Some of Lhasa's most popular hotels are even owned by mixed Nepali-Tibetan families, known locally as kazara, meaning 'mixed race' in Tibetan. Some of these families have been living in Tibet for more than 300 years, and now speak Chinese alongside Tibetan, Newari and Nepali. While many children attend local Chinese schools, Nepali families may also opt to send their kids to the Gorkha Primary School of Lhasa, established 65 years ago, which has two Nepali teachers and is paid for by the government of Nepal. [5]
The Nepalese Gurkhas who live in Gyirong Town are classified as Daman people.
Some Newari traders settle in Zhangmu, a border town in Nyalam County. There are Sherpa and Kirati communities in Nyalam, Tingri and Zhêntang.
Nepalis form roughly 0.2% of the total population of Hong Kong. Nepalese people began to come to Hong Kong in the 1970s, as part of the British Army's Brigade of Gurkhas. They continued in this employment until 1997. Their primary duties were to deter illegal immigrants and protect local residents. Most of them lived in Whitfield Barracks and Shek Kong Barracks. After 30 June 1997, the British Government withdrew from Hong Kong and the Gurkha brigade disbanded. These Gurkhas and their children had the right to take up residence in Hong Kong. [6]
There are over 40 NGOs organized by Nepalese in Hong Kong and these social organizations got government licenses. The Southern League Organization and Hong Kong Gurkha (Nepal) associations [7] are the two main NGOs helping the Nepalese community in Hong Kong.
A number of Nepalis live and work in Guangzhou consisting mostly of traders and international students from Nepal. [8] The non-Resident Nepalis (NRN) Association in China has demanded that the Chinese government open a Consulate General's Office (CGO) in Guangzhou as the number of Nepalis in the city has soared sharply in recent years after Nepalis residing in Kunming and Hong Kong have started to shift there. [9]
The Dali University in Dali City, Yunnan have attracted Nepalese students who want to pursue their medical courses there. The Nepali medical students started to arrive here from the year 2005. During that time, just two students were enrolled there, but recently the total number of Nepali medical students has gone up to 175. [10]
Kathmandu, officially Kathmandu Metropolitan City, is the capital and most populous city of Nepal with 845,767 inhabitants living in 105,649 households as of the 2021 Nepal census and approximately 4 million people in its urban agglomeration. It is located in the Kathmandu Valley, a large valley in the high plateaus in central Nepal, at an altitude of 1,400 metres.
Newar, known officially in Nepal as Nepal Bhasa, is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken by the Newar people, the indigenous inhabitants of Nepal Mandala, which consists of the Kathmandu Valley and surrounding regions in Nepal. The term "Newari" is also used to refer to the language, although it is considered to be a derogatory term by some Newar speakers.
Newar, or Nepami, are primarily inhabitants in Nepal's Kathmandu Valley and its surrounding areas and the creators of its historic heritage and civilisation. The Newar are a distinct linguistic and cultural group, primarily Indo-Aryan and Tibeto-Burman ethnicities, who share a common language, Nepal Bhasa, and predominantly practice Hinduism. Newars have developed a division of labour and a sophisticated urban civilisation not seen elsewhere in the Himalayan foothills. Newars have continued their age-old traditions and practices and pride themselves as the true custodians of the religion, culture and civilisation of Nepal. Newars are known for their contributions to culture, art and literature, trade, agriculture and cuisine. Today, they consistently rank as the most economically and socially advanced community in Nepal, according to the annual Human Development Index published by UNDP. Newars are ranked the 8th largest ethnic group in Nepal according to the 2021 Nepal census numbering 1,341,363 people constituting 4.6% of the total population.
The Malla dynasty also known as the Malla confederacy, was the ruling dynasty of the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal from 1201 to 1779. This dynasty was founded by Arideva Malla. Though the latter Mallas were regarded as belonging to the Raghuvamsha dynasty, they were also seen as continuations and descendants of the Licchavi dynasty. Later Malla kings also traced one section of their lineage from Nanyadeva, the founder of the Karnat dynasty of Mithila. The term malla means wrestler in Sanskrit. The first use of the word malla in the Kathmandu Valley began in 1201.
The Newar language of Nepal has the fourth oldest literature tradition among the Sino-Tibetan languages.
Nyalam is a small town in and the county seat of Nyalam County in the Shigatse Prefecture of the Tibet Autonomous Region, near the Nepal border. It is 35 km from Zhangmu town in the same county, which is the point of entry to Nepal. Nyalam is situated at 3,750 metres (12,300 ft) above sea level.
Newar caste system is the system by which Newārs, the historical inhabitants of Kathmandu Valley, are divided into groups on the basis of Vedic varna model and divided according to their hereditary occupations. First introduced at the time of the Licchavis, the Newar caste system assumed its present shape during the medieval Malla period. The Newar caste structure resembles more closely to North India and Madheshis than that of the Khas 'Parbatiyas' in that all four Varna and untouchables are represented. The social structure of Newars is unique as it is the last remaining example of a pre-Islamic North Indic civilisation in which Buddhist elements enjoy equal status with the Brahmanic elements.
Zhangmu or Dram in Tibetan, or Khasa in Nepali, is a customs town and port of entry located in Nyalam County in Tibet, China close to the Nepal-China border, just uphill and across the Bhotekoshi River from the Nepalese town of Kodari. At 2,300 metres (7,500 ft) above sea level, Zhangmu has a mild and humid subtropical climate, which is a rarity for Tibet.
The bilateral relation between Nepal and China is defined by the Sino-Nepalese Treaty of Peace and Friendship signed on April 28, 1960, by the two countries. Though initially unenthusiastic, Nepal has been of late making efforts to increase trade and connectivity with China. Relations between Nepal and China got a boost when both countries solved all border disputes along the China–Nepal border by signing the Sino-Nepal boundary agreement on March 21, 1960, making Nepal the first neighboring country of China to agree to and ratify a border treaty with China. The government of both Nepal and China ratified the border agreement treaty on October 5, 1961. From 1975 onward, Nepal has maintained a policy of balancing the competing influence of China and Nepal's southern neighbor India, the only two neighbors of the Himalayan country after the accession of the Kingdom of Sikkim into India in 1975.
The Nepalese Chamber of Commerce, Lhasa opened in 1943, the first ever organization of businesses formed by Nepalese traders based in the Tibetan capital. The Newar merchants conducted trade between Lhasa and Kolkata transporting goods over the Himalaya by mule caravan. The chamber of commerce worked to promote trade and coordinated among its members to set uniform prices for their merchandise besides lobbying with the government for business-friendly policy.
Nepalese Muslims are Nepalis who follow Islam. Their ancestors arrived in Nepal from different parts of South Asia, Central Asia and Tibet during different epochs, and have since lived amidst the numerically dominant Hindus and Buddhists. About 80% of the Muslim community live in the Terai region, while the other 20% are found mainly in the city of Kathmandu and Gorkha and the western hills. The community numbers 971,056, about 4.2% of the total population of Nepal. Districts with large Muslim population include Sarlahi (9.9%), Rautahat (17.2%), Bara (11.9%), and Parsa (17.3%) and Banke (16%) in the western Terai and Siraha (7%) and Sunsari (10%) and Saptari (10%) hill.
Lhasa Newar refers to the expatriate Newar traders and artisans who traveled between the Kathmandu Valley and Tibet from centuries ago. These Nepalese merchants conducted trade between Nepal, Tibet and Bengal, India over the Silk Road, and acted as a bridge for economic and cultural exchanges between South Asia and Central Asia.
Pratap Malla was a Malla king and the eighth King of Kantipur from 1641 until his death in 1674. He attempted to unify Kathmandu Valley by conquering Lalitpur and Bhaktapur, but failed in the effort. He was successful in extending and securing the borders of Kantipur and was responsible for the monopoly over trade with Tibet. The resulting prosperity led to the construction of the majority of the buildings around Durbar Square during his reign. His reign is seen as a cultural and economic high point of the Malla dynasty.
The Sino-Nepalese War, also known as the Sino-Gorkha War and in Chinese as the campaign of Gorkha, was a war fought between the Qing dynasty of China and the Kingdom of Nepal in the late 18th century following an invasion of Tibet by the Nepalese Gorkhas. It was initially fought between Gorkhas and Tibetan armies in 1788 over a trade dispute related to a long-standing problem of low-quality coins manufactured by Nepal for Tibet. The Nepalese Army under Bahadur Shah plundered Tibet which was a Qing protectorate and Tibetans signed the Treaty of Kerung paying annual tribute to Nepal. However, Tibetans requested Chinese intervention and the Chinese imperial military forces under Fuk'anggan were sent to Tibet and repulsed the Gurkhas from the Tibetan plateau in 1792. Sino-Tibetan forces marched into Nepal up to Nuwakot but faced a strong Nepalese counterattack. Thus, both countries signed the Treaty of Betrawati as a stalemate. The war ended with Nepal accepting terms dictated by China. Nepal became a tribute state under Qing. Nepal paid tribute to China in 1792, 1794, 1795, 1823, 1842 and 1865. Both Nepal and Tibet also agreed to accept the suzerainty of the Qing emperor.
Kodari is a small village located at the border with Tibet-China. The village is located at the end–point of the Arniko Highway, which connects Kodari with the capital city of Kathmandu. Kathmandu is 144 kilometres (89 mi) away from Kodari. Kodari is a major border crossing from Nepal into the Tibet Autonomous Region.
Triratna Man Tuladhar (1905-1986) was one of the largest Nepalese traders in traditional Tibet and the president of the Nepalese Chamber of Commerce, Lhasa in the 1940s.
Urāy is a Newar Buddhist merchant caste of Kathmandu in Nepal. They are a prominent community in the business and cultural life of Kathmandu. Urays have played key roles in the development of trade, industry, art, architecture, literature and Buddhism in Nepal and the Himalayan region.
Caravan to Lhasa is a travel book and an account of the lives of expatriate Nepalese merchants in Lhasa from the 1920s to the 1960s. Written by Kamal Ratna Tuladhar, the book describes the caravan journey from Kathmandu across the Himalaya, and the life and times of the Newar traders in Tibet through the experiences of his merchant father Karuna Ratna Tuladhar (1920-2008) and uncles.
The Treaty of Thapathali was a treaty signed between the Tibetan government of Ganden Phodrang and the Kingdom of Nepal in Thapathali Durbar in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, following the Nepal-Tibet War (1855–1856). In January 1856, a representative group of Tibet came to Kathmandu for discussion of the treaty. After a long discussion, the representative group ultimately signed a treaty on 24 March.
Pratek Man Tuladhar (1924–1991) was a Nepalese trader and philatelist. Born in Kathmandu into a family of hereditary merchants, he spent his youth in Lhasa, Tibet, where they owned a business house.