Burmese Chinese

Burmese Chinese are overseas Chinese residents born in Burma. They constitute approximately 3% of the population, although this is understated due to many factors, such as interracial marraiges between the Chinese and Burmese, whom are called gabya.

Many Chinese immigrated to Burma for political and economic reasons, because of the British imperialism, which caused a boom in the economy. The main dialects spoken in Burma are Hokkien and Cantonese, although there are significant numbers of Hakka. The majority of ethnic Chinese arrived in boats from the provinces of Guangdong and Fujian, or crossed the borders of Yunnan Province.

Because of Ne Win's nationalistic programs, Chinese schools were shut down throughout the 1960s, and many ethnic Chinese do not speak Mandarin, because of this. However, they do retain their mother tongues.

Burmese Chinese are almost exclusively devout Theravada Buddhists, although they retain Chinese cultural traits, such as the burning of gold leaf paper and money during funerals, and worshipping ancestors. Many Burmese Chinese are also members of clan associations, many of which are housed in the capital city of Rangoon.

History

The first arrivals of the Chinese occurred during the late 1700's, many of whom came as merchants and farmers.