Chinese in sugar industry - history repeated

The Editor, Sir:

I read with interest the news that three sugar factories will be acquired by the Chinese company, Complant International.

How ironic that it was the sugar plantations that beckoned the first Chinese arrivals who first came to Jamaica on July 30, 1854 as indentured workers. These brave pioneers answered the call in search of a better life, disregarding whatever advice that may have surfaced to discourage such a step into the unknown.

The first settlers, through their bravery and tenacity of purpose, set the stage for the Chinese community of today's Jamaica. From humble beginnings on the sugar estates to exercising their entrepreneurial spirit as small shop keepers, they always wanted to improve their circumstances for their children. Subsequent genera-tions have built on that foundation and have taken their place in every nook and cranny of Jamaican life.

Identification

While they now identify them-selves as Jamaican Chinese, or Jamaicans of Chinese descent, they continue to celebrate in the development and successes of the motherland - China. The majority may not speak the language of the ancestors, but do practise many of the traditions handed down through the years. Of course, the popularity of the cuisine transcends all boundaries and ethnicity.

Now, on the eve of the 156th anniversary of the first arrival of the Chinese, Complant Inter-national is about to take over the reins of the sugar estates on which its compatriots worked as labourers.

Without doubt, the ancestors must be well pleased and watching over the proceedings.

I am, etc.,

MARCIA HARFORD

marciah@cwjamaica.com