The Chinese in Guyana

A walk down any business street of shopping center in Georgetown would bring you into contact with "local Chinese".  These are the descendants of the original Chinese who came to British Guiana as indentured laborers between 1853 and 1879.

The Chinese brought with them the love of food and ability to cook, so Chinese restaurants can be found on almost every block in the capital and in most country district.  Most of these restaurants are now run by newcomers from mainland China. In transporting their culinary expertise they transform national food found in Guyana by flavoring them with rum and ginger.  In the case the 'Chinese cake', the original was the Chinese bean cake, towsa peng, but with its local incarnation it was made with black eye peas.  They made ham choy (preserved greens) with the local mustard plant that they grew here and salted egg with the local duck's egg to replace the hundred year egg. Today, Chinese fare ahs been taken to new heights with the establishment of high quality eateries.  The New Thriving chain has become a place of choice for Guyanese celebrations.

Over the years, the Chinese have adapted to the English customs through churches like St Saviour's Parish Church, originally know as the Chinese Church, when it was consecrated in 1874 as part of the parish of St Phillip's in Georgetown.

Through the Chinese Sports Club, which became the Cosmos Sports Club, and later acquired by the Guyana Motor Racing Club, Chinese boys and girls excelled at lawn tennis and table tennis giving Guyana the West Indies Championship on several occasions.  Hockey was another popular sport and in the 1960s and 70s the National teams was made up almost entirely of players of Chinese origin.

Through the British Educational system, members of Guyana's Chinese community were able to make their mark as scholars, teachers, university professors, lawyers, doctors, dentists, farmers, shopkeepers, business leaders and political leaders.  Many of the international businesses in Guyana are managed by Chinese.

The only Chinese customs that have withstood the test of time are practiced by individual families; wedding customs, the hospitality of the people and the celebration of any event whatsoever, by a feast of Chinese foods.