88-829: Wong Tai Sin District is one of the 18 districts of Hong Kong . It is the only landlocked district in Hong Kong . It is located in Kowloon , and is the northernmost district in Kowloon. It borders the districts of Kwun Tong to its southeast, Kowloon City to its southwest, Sai Kung to its east, and Sha Tin to its north. The district contains the areas of Diamond Hill , Wang Tau Hom , Lok Fu , Chuk Yuen , Wong Tai Sin , Tsz Wan Shan , Fung Wong [ yue ] , Ngau Chi Wan , Choi Hung and Choi Wan , an area that includes several major public housing estates . Wong Tai Sin District has
176-602: A cheap source of manpower. As a consequence, a large-scale trade of primarily Indian and Chinese indentured labourers began in the 1820s to fill this need. In 1838, 396 South Asian workers arrived in British Guiana, and such a stream of migrant labour would continue until the First World War . Other European nations, especially colonial powers such as France, Spain, and Portugal, soon followed suit, especially as Britain, through several treaties such as Strangford Treaty and
264-547: A district. The eleven-term district councils, comprising 479 members (452 elected, 27 ex officios who are chairmen of the rural committees in the New Territories), commenced on 1 January 2020. The district management committee in each district is chaired by the district officer. It is a government committee consisting of representatives of the core departments in the district, and provides a forum for departments to discuss and resolve district problems. It responds positively to
352-561: A dollar would be taken from coolies every month in order to pay off their debts. Workers from China were mainly transported to work in Peru and Cuba . However, many Chinese labourers worked in British colonies such as Singapore , New South Wales , Jamaica , British Guiana (now Guyana ), British Malaya , Trinidad and Tobago , British Honduras (now Belize ), as well as in the Dutch colonies within
440-413: A labour force, and maintained better hygiene habits in comparison to Indian labourers, who were viewed as being lower in status and treated as children who required constant supervision. Unlike slavery, coolie labour was (in theory) under contract, consensual, paid, and temporary, with the coolie able to regain complete freedom after their term of service. Regulations were put in place as early as 1837 by
528-500: A million indentured labourers were present on the island. They worked on sugar estates, factories, in transport, and on construction sites. In 1837, the British East India Company issued a set of regulations for the trade. The rules provided for each labourer to be personally authorised for transportation by an officer designated by the company, limited the length of service to five years subject to voluntary renewal, made
616-510: A much greater extent than their Indian counterparts, and consequently, there was a much higher level of Chinese emigration during this period. The trade flourished from 1847 to 1854 without incident, until reports began to surface of the mistreatment of the workers in Cuba and Peru. As the British government had political and legal responsibility for many of the ports involved – including Amoy – such ports were immediately closed. Despite these closures,
704-540: A population of 444,630 (2001 figures). The district has the least educated residents with the lowest income, the oldest residents and the second highest population density. Over 85% of the district's residents live in public housing . The district derives its name from the Wong Tai Sin Temple , dedicated to Wong Tai Sin , which is located there. The district is also the location of the Chi Lin Nunnery , built in
792-427: A role to mediate in the resolution of disputes between corporate bodies and residents. He performs an advisory and liaison role in providing assistance to building management bodies. He operates a public enquiry service to enable the community to have easy access to services and information provided by government. In emergency situations, the district officer is responsible for co-ordinating various departments' efforts on
880-404: A severe minority, their morality was questioned and the actions of men as a result of having so few women was blamed on the women. Between 1858 and 1859, laws were put into place stating that the ratio of men to women could not exceed 2:1, whereas before it was 3:1. However, there continued to be a severe shortage of women. This gave women a new sense of power when it came to choosing a partner. With
968-587: A term of service. In 1882, the Chinese Exclusion Act barred the entry of any Chinese labourer to the U.S. Despite attempts to restrict the influx of cheap labour from China, beginning in the 1870s Chinese workers helped construct a vast network of levees in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta . These levees made thousands of acres of fertile marshlands available for agricultural production. Although Chinese workers contributed to
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#17328546683821056-599: A total of up to half a million Chinese workers had been exported. However, by 1890, there were still newspaper reports of coolie labour being used in Madagascar. The term coolie was also applied to Chinese workers recruited for contracts on cacao plantations in German Samoa . German planters went to great lengths to secure access to their coolie labour supply from China. In 1908, a Chinese commissioner, Lin Shu Fen, reported on
1144-485: A transition between slaves and free labour. They were neither free nor slaves. Indentured Chinese servants also laboured in the sugarcane fields of Cuba well after the 1884 abolition of slavery in the country. Two scholars of Chinese labour in Cuba, Juan Pastrana and Juan Pérez de la Riva , substantiated horrific conditions of Chinese coolies in Cuba and stated that coolies were slaves in all but name. Researcher Denise Helly believes that despite their slave-like treatment,
1232-515: A treaty with the United Kingdom on the recruitment of contract workers in 1870. In Mauritius, the Indian population is now demographically dominant, with Indian festivals being celebrated as national holidays . This system prevailed until the early twentieth century. Increasing focus on the brutalities and abuses of the trade by the sensationalist media of the time incited public outrage and led to
1320-527: A variety of negative implications. In modern-day English, it is usually regarded as offensive. In India, its country of origin, it is considered a derogatory slur. In many respects it is similar to the Spanish term peón , although both terms are used in some countries with different implications. In the 21st century, coolie is generally considered a racial slur for Asians in Oceania , Africa, Southeast Asia, and
1408-486: A way that they became dependent on the plantation owners so that in practice they remained there long after their contracts expired; possibly as little as 10% of the coolies actually returned to their original country of origin. Colonial legislation was also passed to severely limit their freedoms; in Mauritius, a compulsory pass system was instituted to enable their movements to be easily tracked. Conditions were much worse in
1496-576: Is a pejorative term used for low-wage labourers , typically those of Indian or Chinese descent. The word coolie was first used in the 16th century by European traders across Asia. In the 18th century, the term more commonly referred to migrant Indian indentured labourers . In the 19th century, during the British colonial era , the term was adopted for the transportation and employment of Asian labourers via employment contracts on sugar plantations formerly worked by enslaved Africans. The word has had
1584-501: Is a form of human slavery, and is forever prohibited in this State, and all contracts for coolie labour shall be void." In 1938, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt used the term in one of his fireside chats (Number 13, 24 July 1938) while telling a story about "two Chinese coolies" arguing in a crowd. In South America, Chinese indentured labourers worked in Peru's silver mines and coastal industries (i.e., guano , sugar, and cotton) from
1672-532: Is administratively divided into 18 districts. Each district has a district council . District councils was formerly called district boards, for which the boards were established in 1982, when Hong Kong was under British rule . However, the districts have limited relevance to the population, as few public services operate according to district boundaries. The police , fire services , health services, education and hospital authorities , and postal service each define their own idiosyncratic geographic divisions. In
1760-633: Is preferable to life on a par with the Chinese." In 1868, the Burlingame Treaty would ensure certain protections for Chinese immigrants in the U.S. and emphasise that any Chinese immigration to the U.S. must be free and voluntary, reaffirming that "coolies", being unfree, were unwelcome and prohibited from entering the U.S. In 1875, Congress passed the Page Act , which prohibited the bringing of any Chinese subjects without their consent in order to hold them for
1848-621: Is set to release in 2025. It is generally understood that the term comes from the Hindi and Telugu word kulī ( कुली ), (కూలి) , meaning "day-labourer", which is probably associated with the Urdu word quli ( قلی ), meaning "slave". The Urdu word is thought to come from the Tamil word kulī ("hire" or "hireling"). The word kūli , meaning "wages", is present throughout the Dravidian language family, with
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#17328546683821936-646: The Atlantic slave trade and slavery itself, which for centuries had served as the preferred mode of labour in European colonies in the Americas . The British were the first to experiment with coolie labour when, in 1806, two hundred Chinese labourers were transported to the colony of Trinidad to work on the plantations there. The "Trinidad experiment" was not a success, with only twenty to thirty labourers remaining in Trinidad by
2024-581: The Atlantic slave trade . Mortality was very high; it is estimated that from 1847 to 1859, the average mortality rate for coolies aboard ships to Cuba was 15.2%, and losses among ships to Peru were as high as 40% in the 1850s, and 30.44% from 1860 to 1863. Coolies were sold and taken to work in plantations or mines with very bad living and working conditions. The duration of a contract was typically five to eight years, but many coolies did not live out their term of service due to hard labour and mistreatment. Survivors were often forced to remain in servitude beyond
2112-574: The British authorities in India to safeguard these principles of voluntary, contractual work and safe, sanitary transportation. The Chinese government also made efforts to secure the well-being of their nation's workers, with representatives being sent to relevant governments around the world. Some Western abolitionists saw coolie labour as paving the way towards abolition , to gradually and peacefully replace African slave labour without loss of profit. However, other abolitionist groups and individuals – such as
2200-634: The Chinese Engineering and Mining Company was instrumental in supplying Chinese coolie labour to South African mines at the request of mine owners, who considered such labour cheaper than native African and white labour. The horrendous conditions suffered by Indian coolie labourers in South Africa led some politicians in the British Parliament to question the coolie system. In 1866, the British, French and Chinese governments agreed to mitigate
2288-521: The Dutch East Indies and Suriname . The first shipment of Chinese labourers was to the British colony of Trinidad in 1806 "in an attempt to establish a settlement of free peasant cultivators and labourers". On many of the voyages, the labourers were transported on the same vessels that had been used to transport African slaves in previous years. The coolie slave trade run by American captains and local agents, mainly consisting of debt slavery ,
2376-560: The Opium Wars , as well as the resulting political and economic instability, to broker deals for "contracted" workers. Anglophone capitalists referred to the opium trade and captive Chinese labour as "poison and pigs". Portuguese Macao was the center of coolie slavery: it was described as "the only real business" in Macao from 1848 to 1873, generating enormous profits for the Portuguese until it
2464-976: The Tang dynasty style, a popular tourist attraction. Schools in Wong Tai Sin District include: Wong Tai Sin is served by Lung Cheung Road and the Kwun Tong line of the MTR metro system. The stations are Lok Fu , Wong Tai Sin , Diamond Hill and Choi Hung . Diamond Hill is also a station of Tuen Ma line . The old airport was located just south of this district. Districts of Hong Kong High Court District Court Magistrates' Court Special courts and tribunals: Chief Executive Elections Legislative elections District council elections Consular missions in Hong Kong Hong Kong–China relations Hong Kong–Taiwan relations Hong Kong
2552-510: The Treaty of Paris of 1814 , also pressured other nations to abolish their involvement in the Atlantic slave trade. In most European colonies, the importation of Asian labourers began in earnest after the abolition of slavery. However, in some colonies, such as Cuba , slavery would not end until 1886, about forty years after coolies were introduced. A number of contemporary and modern historians noted
2640-720: The 1820s. However, such efforts inspired Sir John Gladstone , one of the earliest proponents of coolie labour, to seek out coolies for his sugar plantations in British Guiana in the hopes of replacing his Afro-Caribbean labour force after the abolition of slavery there in 1833 . Social and political pressure led to the abolition of slavery throughout the British Empire in 1833, with other European nations eventually following suit. Labour-intensive work in European colonies, such as those involving plantations and mines, were left without
2728-512: The 1860s, residents speaking the same dialects were often grouped together, and social structure was more important than district structure. Merchants often travelled together as guilds and sold common goods across different areas. Organizations such as Nam Pak Hong , Tung Wah Hospital Committee and "District Watch Committee" often cut across any native district lines. The concept of boundary separation only became important around 1870, when cultural conflicts increased between coolies , Chinese and
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2816-458: The 1866 reforms, the scale of abuse and conditions of near slavery did not get any better – if anything they deteriorated. In the early 1870s, an increased media exposure of the trade led to a public outcry, and the British, as well as the Chinese government, put pressure on the Portuguese colonial authorities in Macau to bring the trade there to an end; this was ultimately achieved in 1874. By that time,
2904-570: The Americas; particularly in the Caribbean . The word originated in the 17th-century Indian subcontinent and meant "day labourer"; starting in the 20th century, the word was used in British Raj India to refer to porters at railway stations. The term differs from the word " Dougla ", which refers to people of mixed African and Indian ancestry. Coolie is instead used to refer to people of fully-blooded Indian descent whose ancestors migrated to
2992-454: The Asian population was soon a major component of the island demographic. Starting in 1879, many Indians were transported to Fiji to work on the sugarcane plantations. Many of them chose to stay after their term of indenture elapsed, and today their descendants account for about 40% of the total population. Indian workers were also imported into the Dutch colony of Surinam after the Dutch signed
3080-582: The British Anti-Slavery Society and the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society , along with American abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison – were highly critical of coolie labour. Proslavery advocates, particularly in the Southern United States , condemned coolie labour but used it to argue against the abolition of American slavery , claiming the latter was more "humane" than the former. In practice, however, as many opponents of
3168-463: The British authorities to regulate and mitigate the worst abuses. Workers were regularly checked up on by health inspectors , and they were vetted before transportation to ensure that they were suitably healthy and fit to be able to endure the rigours of labour. Children under the age of 15 were not allowed to be transported from their parents under any circumstances. The first campaign in England against
3256-817: The British former colonies in Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean. This is particularly so in South Africa , Eastern African countries, Trinidad and Tobago , Guyana , Suriname , Jamaica , other parts of the Caribbean , Mauritius , Fiji , and the Malay Peninsula . In modern Indian popular culture, coolies have often been portrayed as working-class heroes or anti-heroes. Indian films celebrating coolies include Deewaar (1975), Coolie (1983), and several films titled Coolie No. 1 (released in 1991 , 1995 , and 2020 ). A new Tamil movie titled Coolie starring Rajinikanth
3344-482: The British. One of the first legal attempt to control districts came in 1888 under the European District Reservation Ordinance, which reserved areas exclusively to Europeans. The first Town Planning Ordinance did not appear until 1939. The New Territories and New Kowloon became part of Hong Kong since 1898. The colonial government appoints District Officer to oversee the area. At first
3432-477: The Chinese coolies who arrived in Peru between 1849 and 1874 died within the contract period. In 1860, it was calculated that of the 4,000 coolies brought to the Chinchas since the trade began, not one had survived. Because of these unbearable conditions, Chinese coolies often revolted against their Ko-Hung bosses and foreign company bosses at ports of departure, on ships, and in foreign lands. The coolies were put in
3520-526: The French colonies of Réunion, Guadeloupe, and Martinique, where workers were 'systematically overworked' and abnormally high mortality rates were recorded for those working in the mines. Generally, Indian coolies were noted to have higher mortality rates as a whole, and were less likely to be able to return home. Companies would often promise good food, durable clothing, adequate housing, safe passage, and schools. However, these promises were rarely kept, leading to
3608-666: The Grenadines , Grenada , Saint Kitts and Nevis , British Honduras , Barbados , the rest of the British West Indies , and British Malaya . The Dutch shipped workers to labour on the plantations on Surinam , the Netherlands Antilles , and the Dutch East Indies . The French shipped labourers to Guadeloupe , Martinique , French Guiana , the rest of the French West Indies , and Réunion . A system of agents
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3696-597: The Northern District Officer was stationed in Tai Po . The Northern District and Southern District was later split into Islands District Office, Tuen Mun District Office, Yuen Long District Office, Sai Kung District Office, etc. Following the appointment of district officers in urban Hong Kong, Kowloon and New Kowloon since 1968, the District Administration Scheme was implemented in 1982 with
3784-456: The abuse by requiring all traders to pay for the return of all workers after their contract ended. The employers in the British West Indies declined these conditions, bringing the trade there to an end. Until the trade was finally abolished in 1875, over 150,000 coolies had been sold to Cuba alone, the majority having been shipped from Macau. These labourers endured conditions far worse than those experienced by their Indian counterparts. Even after
3872-503: The advice and requests of the district council and submits a comprehensive written report on its work to each meeting of the district council. To enhance communication between the district management committee and the district council, the district council chairman, vice-chairman and chairmen of district council committees are invited to join district management committee as members. Coolie Coolie (also spelled koelie , kouli , khuli , khulie , kuli , cooli , cooly , or quli )
3960-478: The authorities when the scale of the abuses became known, but it was soon renewed due to its growing economic importance. A more rigorous regulatory framework was put into place and severe penalties were imposed for infractions in 1842. In that year, almost 35,000 people were shipped to Mauritius. In 1844, the trade was expanded to the colonies in the West Indies , including Jamaica, Trinidad, and Demerara , where
4048-532: The beginning of the end of slavery; in September of that year, Lincoln would also issue the Emancipation Proclamation . In another aspect, it was the beginning of Chinese exclusion in the U.S. and the beginning of federal immigration restriction. Within a decade, significant levels of anti-Chinese sentiment had built up, stoked by populists such as Denis Kearney with racist slogans – "To an American, death
4136-525: The building of the first transcontinental railroad in the United States and of the Canadian Pacific Railway in western Canada, Chinese settlement was discouraged after completion of the construction. State legislation, such as California's Foreign Miners' Tax Act of 1850 and 1852, would target Chinese immigrants in the U.S. The 1879 Constitution of California declared that "Asiatic coolieism
4224-558: The combination of Mong Kok and Yau Tsim districts in 1995, Mong Kok District had the highest density (~120,000/km ) . * Source from the Census and Statistics Department , data taken from Ming Pao dated 1 May 2005. * 2019 figures, source from the Census and Statistics Department . The Home Affairs Department is responsible for the District Administration Scheme, community building and community involvement activities, minor environmental improvement projects and minor local public works, and
4312-461: The community and reflect their concerns and problems to the Government. It is his duty to ensure that district problems are resolved promptly through inter-departmental consultation and co-operation. Also, he acts as a link between the district council and departments and serves as a mediator between them when problems arise. The district officer is also involved with the community at every level. He has
4400-667: The contracted period. The 1860 Reglamento para la introducción de trabajadores chinos a la isla de Cuba (Regulation for the Introduction of Chinese Workers to the Island of Cuba) passed in Cuba. This regulation stipulated that the Coolie workers must recontract with their previous employer or another employer or they must leave Cuba at their own expense within 2 months after the end of their contract. Coolies were usually unable to afford to leave Cuba and were forced to recontract. This regulation blurred
4488-637: The contractor responsible for returning the worker after the contract elapsed, and required the vessels to conform to basic health standards . Despite this, conditions on the ships were often extremely crowded, with rampant disease and malnutrition . Coolies were also not informed about the length of the trip or about the island that they would be going to. The workers were paid a pittance for their labour, and were expected to work in often awful and harsh conditions. Although there were no large-scale scandals involving coolie abuse in British colonies, workers often ended up being forced to work, and manipulated in such
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#17328546683824576-535: The coolie trade likened the system of indentured labour to the slavery of the past. The campaign against coolie emigration was led by Joseph Sturge , with the Society of Friends. Petitions from Sturge, the Society of Friends, various other humanitarian groups, and from citizens of entire cities were routinely sent to the Colonial Offices. In response to this pressure, the labour export was temporarily stopped in 1839 by
4664-467: The cruel treatment of coolie workers on German plantations in the western Samoan Islands. The trade began largely after the establishment of colonial German Samoa in 1900 and lasted until the arrival of New Zealand forces in 1914. More than 2,000 Chinese coolies were present in the islands in 1914 and most were eventually repatriated by the New Zealand administration. Debates over coolie labour and slavery
4752-547: The distinction between indentured servitude and slavery. It allowed for the Coolies to serve as a source of semi-captive labour given the intentional difficulty of returning home. The coolies who worked on the sugar plantations in Cuba and in the guano beds of the Chincha Islands ('the islands of Hell') of Peru were treated brutally. 75% of the Chinese coolies in Cuba died before fulfilling their contracts. More than two-thirds of
4840-403: The district councils. Departments send representatives to district council meetings, to consult them and, where appropriate, act on their advice and keep them informed of government policies and programmes in general and, more specifically, of the work of departments in the district and local matters that are likely to affect the livelihood, living environment or well-being of the residents within
4928-439: The district level. He has the responsibility of overseeing directly the operation of the District Administration Scheme in the district. He is charged with implementing and co-ordinating the execution of district programmes, ensuring that the advice of the district council is properly followed up, and promoting residents' participation in district affairs. In addition, he is required to maintain close liaison with different sectors of
5016-616: The early 1850s to the mid-1870s; about 100,000 people immigrated as indentured workers. They participated in the War of the Pacific , looting and burning down the haciendas where they worked after the capture of Lima by the invading Chilean army in January 1880. Some 2,000 coolies even joined the Chilean Army in Peru, taking care of the wounded and burying the dead. Others were sent by Chileans to work in
5104-677: The establishment of a district board and a district management committee in each of the districts in Hong Kong, including Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and aforementioned the New Territories. The aim of the scheme is to achieve a more effective co-ordination of government activities in the provision of services and facilities at the district level, ensure that the Government is responsive to district needs and problems and promote public participation in district affairs. From 1 July 1997 to 31 December 1999,
5192-675: The exception of the North Dravidian branch. It is also thought that the Hindi word qulī could have originated from the name of a Gujarati aboriginal tribe or caste. The Chinese word kǔlì ( 苦力 ) is an instance of phono-semantic matching that literally translates to "bitter strength" but is more commonly understood as "hard labour". In 1727, Engelbert Kämpfer described coolies as dock labourers who would unload Dutch merchant ships at Nagasaki in Japan. Merriam-Webster classifies
5280-424: The former district boards were replaced by provisional district boards. The provisional district boards were in turn replaced on 1 January 2000, with 18 district councils. There have been two major changes on district divisions since their implementation in 1982: There were also alterations to the borders between Sham Shui Po and Kwai Tsing districts, which used to straddle across Nob Hill since its development on
5368-503: The free and legal status of the Asian labourers in Cuba separated them from slaves. According to Rodriguez Pastor and Trazegnies Granda, the coolies could challenge their superiors, run away, petition government officials, and rebel. By 1870, labour contractors called enganchadores were used to manage and negotiate the contracts for Chinese Coolies in organised labour squads called Cuadrillas. “The enganchador negotiated all terms of work for his squad and handled all aspects of employment for
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#17328546683825456-523: The great majority of them carried men. This led to a high rate of Chinese men marrying women of other ethnicities, such as Indian women and mixed-race Creole women. The contrast in the female-to-male ratio between Indian and Chinese immigrants has been compared by historians. In Sumatra in the Dutch East Indies, just 18,731 Chinese women and 92,985 Chinese men served as coolies on plantations. Chinese women migrated less than Javanese and Indian women as indentured coolies. The number of Chinese women as coolies
5544-547: The ground for ensuring the effective provision of relief services. District councils play an essential advisory role on district matters and issues affecting the whole of Hong Kong as appropriate. The functions of a district council are: The district councils also advise on the management of community centres, which should be in the best interest of the local residents. The district councils initiate, organise and sponsor community involvement projects and activities aimed at enhancing community spirit and social cohesion and promoting
5632-496: The higher mortality rate and image of Indian coolies being "dirty". The voyage itself was often a highly dangerous venture, especially for coolie women. Though some ships had made attempts to prevent assault, rape, and general mistreatment in sailor contracts, these crimes were still common. Even with punishments in place, on ship and land, men who assaulted women and children were rarely punished, leaving women in an even more vulnerable position. However, there were also attempts by
5720-537: The influence of the old form of colonial slavery on the coolie system. The coolie trade, much like the slave trade, was intended to provide a labour force for colonial plantations in the Americas and the Pacific whose cash crops were in high demand across the Atlantic World . Coolies frequently worked on slave plantations which had been previously worked by enslaved Africans, and similarly brutal treatment could be meted out by plantation overseers in response to real or perceived offences. On some Caribbean plantations,
5808-447: The last part of the nineteenth century alone, there were 24 famines. Without permission from the British colonial authorities , the French transported Indian workers to their Pacific colony, Réunion, from as early as 1826. By 1830, over 3,000 labourers had been transported. After this trade was discovered, the French successfully negotiated with the British in 1860 for permission to transport over 6,000 workers annually, on condition that
5896-439: The licensing of hotels and guesthouses, bedspace apartments and clubs. It promotes the concept of effective building management and works closely with other government departments to consistently improve the standard of building management in Hong Kong. It monitors the provision of new arrival services and identifies measures to meet the needs of new arrivals. It also disseminates information relating to and, where necessary, promotes
5984-632: The newly conquered nitrate fields . By the 1820s, many Indians were voluntarily enlisting to go abroad for work, in the hopes of a better life. European merchants and businessmen quickly took advantage of this and began recruiting them for work as a cheap source of labour. British merchants began transporting Indians to colonies around the world, including Mauritius , Fiji , New South Wales , Natal , Kenya , Tanganyika , Somaliland , Bechuanaland , Seychelles , Uganda , Northern Rhodesia , Southern Rhodesia , Nyasaland , British Guiana , Trinidad and Tobago , Jamaica , Saint Lucia , Saint Vincent and
6072-566: The numbers of coolies present could reach up to six hundred. In 1878, historian W. L. Distant wrote an article for the Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute , detailing his time spent on West Indian plantations observing the work ethic and behaviours of coolies, and noted that many overseers believed that Asian coolies, much like enslaved Africans, held an affinity for intensive outdoor labour work. The views of overseers towards coolies differed based on ethnicity: Chinese and Japanese coolies were perceived to be harder working, more unified as
6160-506: The official ending of the coolie trade in 1916 by the British government. By that time, tens of thousands of Chinese workers were being used along the Western Front by the allied forces (see Chinese Labour Corps ). A major difference between the Chinese and Indian coolie trades was that women and children were brought from India, along with men, while Chinese coolies were 99% male. Although there are reports of ships (so called 'coolie ships') for Asian coolies carrying women and children,
6248-531: The period 1863 to 1877 reveals great variation in the terms of the new contracts, diverging not only from the original ones, but from each other. First, most coolies signed up for only one year, at most two years, and some for as few as three and six months – all far short of another eight years. Second, the monthly wages not only varied, but were always greater than the 4 pesos in the original contracts, in some cases significantly greater. Many specified payment in “peso fuerte,” that is, hard currency, not vouchers, which
6336-520: The public's understanding of major government policies, strategies and development plans; and collects and assesses public opinion on relevant issues affecting the community. These responsibilities are discharged primarily through the 18 district offices covering the whole of Hong Kong. As head of each district office, the district officer is the representative of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government at
6424-715: The same neighbourhoods as Africans and, since most were unable to return to their homeland or have their wives come to the New World, many married African women. The coolies' interracial relationships and marriages with Africans, Europeans, and Indigenous peoples , formed some of the modern world's Afro-Asian and Asian Latin American populations. In Spanish, coolies were referred to as colonos asiáticos ('Asian colonists'). The Spanish colony of Cuba feared slave uprisings such as those that took place in Haiti , and used coolies as
6512-588: The site of the former Lai Chi Kok Amusement Park , in 2006, and between Eastern and Wan Chai districts, which involved reallocation of the Tin Hau and the Victoria Park constituencies in 2014. The borders between Sham Shui Po with that of Kwai Tsing and Yau Tsim Mong were also altered after new land reclamation projects in the 1990s made it necessary to redraw the previous sea borders over newly formed land. The border between Yau Tsim Mong and Kowloon City districts
6600-476: The sugar cane fields from the port of Xiamen , one of the five Chinese treaty ports opened to the British by the Treaty of Nanking in 1842. The trade soon spread to other ports in Guangdong , and demand became particularly strong in Peru for workers in the silver mines and the guano collecting industry. Australia began importing workers in 1848. These workers were deceived about their terms of employment to
6688-570: The system argued, abuse and violence in the coolie trade was rampant. Some of these labourers signed employment contracts based on misleading promises, while others were kidnapped and sold into servitude; some were victims of clan violence whose captors sold them to coolie merchants, while others sold themselves to pay off gambling debts. Those who did sign on voluntarily generally had contracts of two to five years. In addition to having their passage paid for, coolies were also paid under twenty cents per day on average. However, in certain regions, roughly
6776-414: The term coolie as "usually offensive". Oxford English Dictionary states it is "dated, offensive". Dictionary.com considers it "disparaging and offensive". The importation of Asian labourers into European colonies occurred as early as the 17th century. However, in the 19th century, a far more robust system of trade involving coolies occurred, in direct response to the gradual abolition of both
6864-458: The trade simply shifted to the more accommodating port within the Portuguese enclave of Macau . Many coolies were first deceived or kidnapped, and then kept in barracoons (detention centres) or loading vessels in the ports of departure, as were African slaves . Their voyages, which are sometimes called the Pacific Passage, were as inhumane and dangerous as the notorious Middle Passage of
6952-451: The trade would be suspended if abuses were discovered to be taking place. The British began to transport Indians to Mauritius starting in 1829. Slavery was abolished there in 1833, with Mauritian planters receiving two million pounds sterling in compensation for the loss of their slaves. The planters turned to bringing in a large number of indentured labourers from India to work in the sugar cane fields. Between 1834 and 1921, around half
7040-425: The well-being of people in the districts. These range from large-scale district festivals to the formation of local youth choirs and dance troupes. They have also achieved notable success in improving the local environment by undertaking minor environmental improvement projects such as the provision of rest gardens, rain shelters and amenity planting. In the 2003/04 financial year, $ 205.6 million has been allocated for
7128-525: The workers, including obtaining advances from the planters for salaries, distributing tools, arranging housing and food, and assuming responsibility for discipline, control, and supervision.” (Hu-DeHart). The enganchador had flexibility in the length of the Coolies’ recontract. The Coolie was also able to negotiate their wages and often had the upper hand as the employer had to yield to market forces. “Recontracting terms varied considerably. A batch of recontracts from
7216-404: Was "very small" while Chinese men were easily taken into the coolie trade. In Cuba, men made up the vast majority of Chinese indentured servants on sugar plantations; in Peru, non-Chinese women married the mostly male Chinese coolies. Polyandry was a common practice among Indian coolies. Between 1845 and 1917, twenty-five per cent of all Indians brought to the Caribbean were women. With women as
7304-527: Was altered following reclamation of Hung Hom Bay in the 1990s. Hong Kong in administration consists of three areas (區域), which was further divided into 18 districts (地區). The three areas are: Hong Kong Island , Kowloon , and the New Territories . The New Territories has the most districts (9), followed by Kowloon (5), and lastly Hong Kong Island (4). The population density per district varies from 1,021 (Islands) to 59,704 (Kwun Tong) per km . Before
7392-489: Was banned due to pressure from the British government. Between 1851 and 1874 approximately 215,000 Chinese were shipped from Macau overseas, primarily to Cuba and Peru, with some being shipped to Guiana, Suriname, and Costa Rica . These coolies were obtained via a variety of sources, including some who were entrapped by brokers in Macau through loans for gambling, and others who were kidnapped or coerced. In 1847, two ships from Cuba transported workers to Havana to work in
7480-473: Was called the 'pig trade' as the living conditions were not dissimilar to that of livestock; on some vessels as many as 40 per cent of the coolies died en route. As many as 500 were crammed into a single ship hold, leaving no room to move. The coolies were also stamped on their backs like livestock. Foreign merchants took advantage of the unequal treaties negotiated between the Qing government and Western powers after
7568-551: Was key in shaping the history of Chinese immigrants in the U.S. In February 1862, "An Act to Prohibit the 'Coolie Trade' by American Citizens in American vessels", also known as the Anti-Coolie Act , was signed into law by Abraham Lincoln, which prohibited any U.S. citizens and residents from trading in Chinese subjects, known as "coolies". In one aspect, the Anti-Coolie Act was the last of the U.S. slave trade laws, as well as
7656-643: Was often used during the eight year original indenture.” (Hu-DeHart). Once they had fulfilled their contracts, colonos asiáticos integrated into the countries of Peru, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Cuba. They adopted cultural traditions from the natives and welcomed non-Chinese to experience and participate in their traditions. Before the Cuban Revolution in 1959, Havana had Latin America's largest Chinatown . From c. 1902–1910 ,
7744-537: Was used to infiltrate the rural villages of India and recruit labourers. They would often deceive the credulous workers about the great opportunities that awaited them for their own material betterment abroad. The Indians primarily came from the Indo-Gangetic Plain , but also from Tamil Nadu and other areas to the south of the country. Indians had faced a great number of social and economic disasters, causing them to be more eager than other groups to leave India. In
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