Chinese Influence on Bengal

Tong Achew

Tong Atchew (Achew) arrived in Calcutta in the 1770s. Little is known about his life before this, but it is thought that he spent some time living in Europe before moving to Bengal. Warren Hastings, the Governor General of Bengal, gave Atchew a plot of land near Budge Budge and the banks of the Hooghly River[1]. The 650 bighas of land that he was given to rent, about 33 kilometres south of Calcutta, is now known as Achipur, named after Atchew. In Achipur, Atchew established sugar cultivation and a sugar manufacturing plant in 1778, for which he employed fellow Chinese citizens who had moved to Bengal in his wake. In this way, Achipur became the first Chinese settlement in Bengal. It is thought that this link between China and sugar cultivation is the origin of the Bengali word ‘cini’[2].

Unfortunately, many of Atchew’s workers left him for the other employment opportunities opening up for Chinese labourers in Calcutta. Atchew died by 1783, at which point his remaining workforce moved to Calcutta, where a large number of Chinese migrants were already working at the docks. However, Achipur is still known for its Chinese temple, which honours Khuda and Khudi, and receives annual pilgrims from descendants of the Chinese communities during the Lunar New Year celebrations.

Bengal’s Chinatowns

As an eastern port, Calcutta was the closest entry into India from China. It was on the trade route by which commodities such as tea and silk were brought from China to Britain, which largely explains why most Chinese migrants entered South Asia through Bengal, and why many then chose to settle in and around Calcutta[3]. In the early 20th Century, Bengal had a Chinese population of over 20,000, particularly due to the onset of China’s civil war, China’s conflict with Japan, and the Great Chinese Famine (1959–1961)[4].

A range of Chinese communities settled in Bengal during the 20th century, and each community brought skills and industry to the region. The first ethnic group to arrive in Calcutta (in the 18th century) was the Hakka-speaking Chinese. The Hakka were originally from Northern China, but started to migrate southwards around the 4th century, giving them the name ‘Hakka’ or ‘guest people’[5]. Since upper-caste Hindus did not consider working with leather or in tanneries a respectable profession, the Hakka community were able to fill the demand for high-quality leather goods throughout colonial India[6]. By the early 20th century, Tangra was home to over 200 tanneries, and it became Bengal’s second Chinatown.

The Cantonese migrants were particularly skilled in carpentry and woodworking, and they worked in shipyards, railways and construction, contributing to the infrastructure and architecture of Bengal. The Chinese Consulate building and Great Eastern Hotel still stand as examples of their work. Hubeinese migrants established themselves as dentists, and migrants from Shandong traded high-quality Chinese silk in Calcutta. In addition, most licensed opium dens were run by Chinese migrants[7].

The Chinese community integrated successfully into Bengal society, learning both Bengali and Hindi, marrying Bengali residents, and establishing schools that offered curricula in Mandarin, Cantonese, English and Bangla. These schools acted as community centres, hosting cultural festivals and events. In return, many Bengali vendors learned to speak in Hakka and expanded their stock to include vegetables such as bok choy and mustard greens.

Today, Kolkata has two Chinatowns, one in Tiretta Bazar, where early Chinese migrants settled, and the second in Tangra, created in the early 20th century. Tiretta Bazar blends into its multicultural (e.g. Anglo-Indian, Parsi and Armenian) surroundings, while Tangra has the ornamental gateway typical of Chinatowns[8]. In 2005, Bengal’s first road sign written in Chinese characters was put up in Tangra. Although there are fewer than 2,000 people of Chinese origin left in Kolkata, their culture is still visible in these Chinatowns. Seong Pow, the only Mandarin language newspaper published in India, ceased publication due to the pandemic in 2020[9].

Indo-Chinese Cuisine

Although the Chinese population in Kolkata is dwindling, Chinese influence on the local cuisine has endured. Migrant communities blended traditional Chinese dishes with Bengali spices and flavours, creating Indo-Chinese cuisine. Dishes such as Hakka noodles, Manchurian vegetables and chilli chicken have become integral not only to Bengali cuisine but also throughout India. While chilli chicken is often attributed to Hakka street vendors, chicken Manchurian is credited to Nelson Wang, a Chinese chef who was born in Calcutta[10].

The fusion cuisine originated in the 18th century, when the first Hakka people arrived in Calcutta. Eau Chew, the first Chinese restaurant in Calcutta, was established in the 1920s by a Chinese migrant called Tong Achi. Pou Chong, a brand known for its wide range of sauces, was founded by Lee Shih Chuan, a third-generation Chinese-Indian born in Calcutta. Pou Chong’s first factory was in Tangra, Calcutta. When Lee Shih Chuan noticed the Bengali tradition of eating green chillis dipped in salt, he created the famous green chilli sauce, which is now central to cuisines throughout India[11].

Sino-India War

In response to the onset of the Sino-India war of 1962, India passed the Defence of India Act, which permitted the ‘apprehension and detention in custody of any person [suspected] of being of hostile origin’. The wording of the Act was vague enough that citizens could be arrested for having a Chinese surname or Chinese spouse. Hundreds of Chinese migrants were sent to internment camps in Rajasthan. The Deoli internment camp detained over 3,000 Chinese-Indians without trial, with some kept captive until 1967, and others deported upon their release[12].

Those who weren’t sent to these camps were met with hostility and suspicion, stripped of their citizenship, or barred from owning property, meaning that the businesses that they had established could no longer run. The government also ordered the closure of hundreds of tanneries and leather factories. On returning to Calcutta, many decided to leave Bengal, often moving to Canada, the US, or Australia.

The decline in Bengal’s Chinese population can also be explained by the environmental regulations introduced in the 1990s, which forced many of Tangra’s tanneries to close, and many of the tanneries’ workers to move in search of opportunities[13].

References

[1] Some believe that this land was given in return for a chest of Chinese tea, but there is little evidence to support this

[2] Chakraborty, 2024

[3] Bose and Kumar, 2023

[4] Ramadurai, 2023

[5] https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hakka

[6] https://easternfocus.substack.com/p/kolkatas-chinese-community

[7] Opium was not illegal until after Indian independence in 1947

[8] Ramadurai, 2023

[9] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Youn_Chin

[10] https://easternfocus.substack.com/p/kolkatas-chinese-community

[11] Chakraborty, 2023