Chinese people in Burma
| Total population | |
|---|---|
|
1,637,540 3.0% of the Burmese population (2012) |
|
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Yangon, Mandalay, Kokang, Taunggyi | |
| Languages | |
|
Burmese, Varieties of Chinese (Hokkien, Hakka, Cantonese, Southwestern Mandarin) |
|
| Religion | |
|
Theravada Buddhism, Mahayana Buddhism |
|
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Kokang, Panthay, Overseas Chinese, Dai people, Jingpo people, Lahu people |
| Chinese people in Myanmar | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simplified Chinese | |||||||||||
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| Alternative Chinese name | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | |||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | |||||||||||
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| Transcriptions | |
|---|---|
| Standard Mandarin | |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Miǎndiàn Huárén |
| Yue: Cantonese | |
| Yale Romanization | Míhndihn Wàyàn |
| Transcriptions | |
|---|---|
| Standard Mandarin | |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Miǎndiàn Huáqiáo |
| Yue: Cantonese | |
| Yale Romanization | Míhndihn Wàkìu |
Theravada Buddhism, Mahayana Buddhism
Taoism, Confucianism, Christianity,
The Chinese people in Burma, Burmese Chinese, or Sino-Burmese (Burmese: မြန်မာတရုတ်လူမျိုး) are a group of overseas Chinese born or raised in Burma (Myanmar). Burmese Chinese constitute one group of Overseas Chinese and is relatively small compared to other Overseas Chinese communities in Southeast Asia. Although the Chinese officially make up three percent of the population, the actual figure is believed to be much higher. Among the under-counted Chinese populations are: those of mixed background; those that have registered themselves as ethnic Bamar to escape discrimination; those kicked out of China during the Manchu rule in the Qing Dynasty; illegal Chinese immigrants that have flooded Upper Burma since the 1990s (up to 2 million by some estimates) but are not counted due to the lack of reliable census taking. As of 2012, the Burmese Chinese population is estimated to be at 1.6 million.
Burmese Chinese are well represented in all levels of Burmese society and play a leading role in the Burmese commerce and business sector as well as public service. Several Burmese Chinese such as Khin Nyunt, Ne Win, and San Yu have been major figures in the Burmese political scene. The Burmese Chinese are also a well established middle class ethnic group and dominate the Burmese economy today. Moreover, the Burmese Chinese have a disproportionately large presence in Burmese the high powered, private sector, white collar jobs and highly educated class in Burma.
In the Burmese language, the Chinese are called Tayoke (တရုတ်, tarut), pronounced: [/təjoʊʔ/], and formerly spelt တရုပ် (tarup). The etymology of the term remains uncertain. The earliest evidence of this term dates to the Bagan era, in the 13th century, during which it referred to the territory and a variety of peoples to the north and northeast of Burma. Various scholars have proposed that it comes from the Chinese term for "Turk" (突厥, Tūjué); from the name of Dali (大理國, Dàlǐguó), the capital of the Kingdom of Nanzhao; a Chinese corruption of the term Dàyuèzhī (大月支 or 大月氏), a Chinese term referring to Mongol-speaking Kushan Huns. The adoption of Tayoke to refer to the Han Chinese was not an established practice until the 19th century.
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Wikipedia