Laotian Chinese
| Total population | |
|---|---|
|
185,000 1 to 2 percent of the Laotian population (2005)[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Vientiane • Phonsavan • LuangPrabang • Pakse | |
| Languages | |
| Lao • Teochew • Cantonese • Southwestern Mandarin[2] | |
| Religion | |
| Theravada Buddhism • Mahayana Buddhism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Overseas Chinese |
The Laotian Chinese are an overseas Chinese community who live in Laos. At present they constitute an estimated 2% of the population. Most Laotian Chinese are descendants of older generations who moved down from the Southern China provinces from the 19th century and present.Most have ancestry from the provinces of:Yunnan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Sichuan and, Guizhou. Laotian Chinese are mostly Teochew and Cantonese, but some also speak Southwestern Mandarin from the Chinese provinces of Yunnan and Sichuan. Today in Laos, many ethnic Chinese migrants have decided to reside in Laos, making the population rise by a couple of thousands, Many ethnic Chinese were also involved in constructing the 2009 Southeast Asian Games venues held in Vientiane. During the 1970s and 1980s, after the Communist Pathet Lao came into power, some Laotian Chinese fled to Thailand and other countries. The U.S. also has a significant Laotian Chinese population (Laotian Chinese American). Many still practice certain Chinese traditions and customs as their ancestors did.[3] Most of the ethnic Chinese in Laos fled the country during the Communist takeover in 1975.[4]
Economic role
According to Amy Chua, "In Laos, which has almost no indigenous commercial culture, the 1 to 2 percent Chinese minority more or less comprise 100% of the country's entire business community, profiting eagerly from every grudging inch of globalization-induced market opening."[5] Most Laotian Chinese entrepreneurs specialize in retail and repair shops, restaurants, and hotels.[6]
See also
- People's Republic of China – Laos relations
- Laotian Chinese American
References
- ↑ http://www.ocac.gov.tw/english/public/public.asp?selno=1163&no=1163&level=B
- ↑ A. Doak Barnett (1960). Communist China and Asia. Published for the Council on Foreign Relations. p. 175.
- ↑ Joel Martin Halpern (1961). The Role of the Chinese in Lao Society. Rand Corp. p. 4.
- ↑ Frank-Jürgen Richter. Business Networks in Asia: Promises, Doubts, and Perspectives. Retrieved September 12, 2012.
- ↑ Chua, Amy. "World on Fire" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-09-22.
- ↑ Frank-Jürgen Richter. Business Networks in Asia: Promises, Doubts, and Perspectives. Retrieved September 12, 2012.
External links
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