University of Azuay Legal Sciences Faculty School Of
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UNIVERSITY OF AZUAY LEGAL SCIENCES FACULTY SCHOOL OF INTERNATIONAL STUDIES Cultural adaptation of the Chinese community in Cuenca since 2000 to 2013. Thesis prior to obtaining the degree in International Studies, bilingual mention in Foreign Trade Author: Tamara Anabel Bernal Pesántez Director: Phd. Miguel Llora Cuenca, Ecuador 2015 II Acknowledgments I would like to express my gratitude to all the people who have supported me during the development of this research. Especially, to my family, professors and to all the Chinese immigrants who were willing to help and now we have become friends. III Index Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................ III Resumen ........................................................................................................................ VI Abstract ........................................................................................................................ VII Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 8 CHAPTER 1: METODOLOGY AND THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ............. 10 1.1 Type of research ........................................................................................................... 10 1.2 Data collection and methodology ................................................................................ 10 1.3 Terms and definitions .................................................................................................. 11 1.3.1 Migration: definition ....................................................................................... 11 1.3.2 Terms related to migration .............................................................................. 11 1.3.3 Migration: causes ............................................................................................ 12 1.3.3.1 Migration theories .......................................................................................... 12 1.3.4 Migration: consequences ................................................................................ 14 CHAPTER 2: CHINESE DIASPORA ........................................................................ 15 2.1 Chinese immigration to Latin America ........................................................................ 15 2.1.1 History and situation in China ........................................................................ 15 2.2 Chinese immigration to Ecuador .................................................................................. 18 2.2.1 19th century, coolie trade................................................................................ 19 2.2.1.2 Situation in Ecuador ....................................................................................... 19 2.2.1.3 1889 and the entry ban on Chinese to Ecuador .............................................. 20 2.2.1.4 Chinese and their environment: dispute with traders from Guayaquil ........... 22 2.2.1.5 Chinese community in Ecuador ..................................................................... 24 2.2.2 20th century ............................................................................................... 26 2.2.2.1 Repeal of the banning of entry of Chinese to Ecuador .................................. 27 2.2.3 21st century ..................................................................................................... 29 2.2.3.1 Chinese community in Ecuador at the moment ............................................. 32 2.3 Chinese citizens in Cuenca .......................................................................................... 33 CHAPTER 3: CULTURAL BACKGROUND ........................................................... 35 3.1 Chinese thought and philosophy .................................................................................. 35 3.2. Food and drinks ........................................................................................................... 37 3.3 Chinese festivals .......................................................................................................... 39 3.3.1 The lantern festival ......................................................................................... 40 3.4 Their language ............................................................................................................. 40 IV CHAPTER 4: THE CHINESE COMMUNITY IN CUENCA ................................. 42 4.1 When did they come? ................................................................................................... 42 4.2 Where do they come from? .......................................................................................... 42 4.2.1 Their level of education and jobs back in China ............................................ 43 4.3 Why did they choose to come to Cuenca? ................................................................... 44 4.4 Chinese immigrant’s current status in Cuenca ............................................................. 45 4.4.1 Current employment status ............................................................................. 45 4.4.2 Generations of Chinese living in Cuenca ...................................................... 45 4.4.3 Spanish fluency ............................................................................................... 46 4.4.3.1 Language gap ................................................................................................. 47 4.4.4 How do they describe their life in Cuenca? .................................................... 48 4.4.4.1 Their perception of the city and its society .................................................... 49 4.4.4.2 Local’s perception about this group ............................................................... 50 4.4.5 Cuenca’s tradition and typical food ................................................................ 53 4.4.6 Religion ........................................................................................................... 53 4.4.7 How do they feel in Cuenca’s society? ........................................................... 55 4.4.8 Comunicación e interacción entre inmigrantes chinos ................................... 56 4.4.9 Their connection with China and its traditions ............................................... 57 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 60 Recomendations ............................................................................................................ 62 Bibliography .................................................................................................................. 63 Ilustrations Index Ilustration 1. People’s Republic of China map ...................................................................... 16 Ilustration 2. Navigation route from Macao, China to Callao, Perú ...................................... 18 Ilustration 3. Lee Sam’s store ................................................................................................ 22 V Resumen La inmigración china ha sido visible en Cuenca a partir de inicios siglo XXI pues antes de esta fecha, los inmigrantes chinos que venían a Ecuador se asentaban principalmente en las cuencas de los ríos de la Costa. La historia migratoria china a Ecuador data desde hace varios siglos; sin embargo, es lamentable que no haya sido tema de estudios exhaustivos, probablemente debido a la barrera lingüística que nos separa. En general los inmigrantes chinos han sido catalogados como emprendedores en el ámbito comercial, pero si hablamos del ámbito social y cultural su aislamiento es notorio. En el caso específico de Cuenca, tanto el nivel de organización entre ellos como el nivel de interacción con su entorno es casi nulo lo que es preocupante ya que a pesar de que ellos son parte de la sociedad cuencana, su participación social en la misma, no ha sido visible y esto ha dado lugar a su aislamiento. VI Abstract Chinese immigration was evident in Cuenca only since the early 21st century. Before this period, Chinese immigrants who came to Ecuador were mainly settled in the watersheds of the coastal rivers. Despite the fact that the history of Chinese immigration to Ecuador dates back several centuries, it has not been subject of extensive studies. One of the reasons for this could be the language barrier between Chinese immigrants and locals. In general, Chinese immigrants have been considered as entrepreneurs in the commercial field, but if we talk about the social and cultural aspects, their isolation is notable. In the specific case of Cuenca, the level of organization among the Chinese immigrants, and also the level of interaction with their environment, is almost nil. This situation is worrying because even though they are part of Cuenca’s society, in the social and cultural field they do not participate actively in it and this has led to their isolation. VII Introduction Around the 19th century and after the abolition of slavery, the first Chinese immigrants came to the Americas. At first, the Chinese immigrants were brought from Hong Kong and Macao ports under a neo-slavery system. They were brought to work on the cotton and sugar cane fields on the coasts of the continent. In the specific case of Ecuador, Chinese “coolies” came from the Guangdong and Fujian provinces located in the south of China. And they worked on farms located