Sino-Khmer
Chinese Cambodians at a wedding celebration in Kampong Thom
|
|
| Total population | |
|---|---|
|
15,000 (est.) 0.1% of the Cambodian population (2013) |
|
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Phnom Penh, Kampong Thom, Battambang, Kampot | |
| Languages | |
| Khmer, Min (Teochew, Hokkien and Hainanese), Hakka, Cantonese | |
| Religion | |
| Chinese folk religion (Taoism and Confucianism), Mahayana Buddhism, Theravada Buddhism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Overseas Chinese |
Chinese Cambodians are Cambodian citizens of Chinese or partial Chinese descent. The Khmer term Khmer kat Chen (ខ្មែរកាត់ចិន) is used for people of mixed Cambodian and Chinese descent while Khmer Chen (ខ្មែរចិន) can mean Cambodian-born citizen of Chinese ancestry. Khmer people constitute the largest ethnic group in Cambodia among whom Chen means "Chinese". Contact with ethnic Chinese people such as envoys, merchants, travelers and diplomats who regularly visited Indochina verifiably existed since the beginning of the common era. However the earliest record of an ethnic Chinese community in Cambodia dates to the 13th century. As a result of a century-long settlement history people with mixed Chinese and Khmer ancestry account for a sizable portion of the population.
Chinese Cambodians predominantly constitute the majority of the urban commercial middle class as rural communities represent shopkeepers, moneylenders and food processors. Chinese Cambodians also play a leading role in Cambodia's business sector and dominate the Cambodian economy today. In addition, Chinese Cambodians have a strong presence in Cambodia's political scene with many high ranking government officials and much of the political elite being of partial Chinese descent.
During the late 1960s and early 1970s the approximately 425,000 Chinese Cambodians represented the largest ethnic minority in Cambodia. However, this number had fallen to a mere 61,400 by 1984. This rapid decline has been attributed to the accumulation of causes like warfare, economic stagnation, the Khmer Rouge era and subsequent emigration.
The earliest records of Chinese settlement dates back to the late 13th century. Yuan emissary Zhou Daguan visited Cambodia in 1296 and authored his detailed and comprehensive Record of Cambodia in which he mentions the presence of Chinese residents at Angkor. Portuguese seafarers noted the presence of a Chinese settlement in Phnom Penh in the early 17th century. Around the same time Lim To Khieng, a Chinese privateer made similar observation during his stay in Cambodia while trading and conducting sea raids. Shortly after the fall of the Ming dynasty in 1644, Chinese troops under the command of Mac Cuu and Duong Ngan Dich encouraged large numbers of refugees from Fujian and Guangdong provinces to settle in Indochina. The majority of the immigrants were men who eventually married local Khmer women. Their descendants usually assimilated smoothly into the local communities, the economic and social process and personally identified as Cambodians. However, customs were also imported, such as the practice of the Chinese topknot that was practized until the 18th century.
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Wikipedia