Cambodian Chinese
Chinese Cambodians at a wedding celebration in Kampong Thom
|
|
| Total population | |
|---|---|
|
15,000 (est.) 0.1% of the Cambodian population (2013) |
|
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Phnom Penh, Kampong Thom, Battambang, Kampot | |
| Languages | |
| Khmer, Min (Teochew, Hokkien and Hainanese), Hakka, Cantonese | |
| Religion | |
| Chinese folk religion (Taoism and Confucianism), Mahayana Buddhism, Theravada Buddhism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Overseas Chinese |
Chinese Cambodians are Cambodian people of Chinese or partial Chinese descent. The Khmer term Khmer kat Chen (ខ្មែរកាត់ចិន) is used for people of mixed Cambodian and Chinese descent while Khmer Chen (ខ្មែរចិន) can mean Cambodian-born citizens of Chinese ancestry (Khmer is the majority ethnic group of Cambodia and Chen means "Chinese" in the Khmer language). During the late 1960s and early 1970s, they were the largest ethnic minority in Cambodia; there were an estimated 425,000. However, by 1984, there were only 61,400 Cambodians of Chinese ancestry left. That has been attributed to a combination of warfare, economic stagnation, the Khmer Rouge, and emigration. There are, however, tens of thousands of mixed Chinese and Khmer ancestry.
Chinese Cambodians are a well established middle class ethnic group and are well represented in all levels of Cambodian society. Chinese Cambodians also play a leading role in Cambodia's business sector and dominate the Cambodian economy today. In addition, Chinese Cambodians have a strong presence in Cambodia's political scene with many high ranking government officials and much of the political elite being of partial Chinese descent.
The earliest records of Chinese settlement dates back to the late 13th century. When the Yuan emissary Zhou Daguan visited Cambodia in 1296, he noted the presence of Chinese residents at Angkor. Much later in the early 1600s, Portuguese seafarers noted the presence of a Chinese settlement in Phnom Penh. Around the same period a Chinese privateer, Lim To Khieng also made the same observation when he came to Cambodia to conduct trade and sea raids. Shortly after the fall of the Ming dynasty in 1644, Chinese generals under the tutelage of Mac Cuu and Duong Ngan Dich brought many refugees from Fujian and Guangdong provinces to settle in modern-day Cochinchina, which was then under Cambodian rule. Some of these refugees also established settlements in Takeo and Kampot provinces. These Chinese immigrants were almost exclusively male, and they took Khmer women and wives. Their descendants quickly assimilated into the local community by integrating themselves economically and socially into the agricultural commune of ancient Cambodians. Some of them kept up the Ming practice of keeping a Chinese topknot until the 18th century.
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Wikipedia