
When the English first arrived in what would become Belize, they did so as buccaneers raiding Spanish ships in the region. But when they recognized the money they could make chopping timber and shipping it out as lumber, they began to settle down and force enslaved Africans to perform much of the labor. By the middle of the 19th century slavery had been abolished, and the lumber and mahogany industries had been outpaced by the economic potential for sugar production in was then known as British Honduras. What hadn’t changed was the demand for cheap labor. It’s one that drove Chinese immigrants to try and find a new life for themselves in Central America — and while Chinese-Belizeans make up less than 1% of the total population, they’ve had an outsized influence on the culture and history of this country. This is their story.
The First Wave of Chinese Immigrants
When slavery was finally abolished in 1838, sugarcane production had already begun to surpass mahogany and lumber as Belize’s principal industry. But while many of the formerly enslaved people were still treated to horrible working conditions for little pay, it still left a labor vacuum that the British felt an obligation to fill. It was a task for which British Honduran governor John Gardiner Austin was perfectly equipped. He had served as a broker for labor in the city of Amoy, and this existing relationship allowed him to arrange for nearly 500 Chinese laborers to be shipped to the colony. 474 workers arrived in 1865. The immigrants constituted a combination of indentured servants and willing contractors, but the work and living conditions they were subjected to were horrifying by any measure.
Death was common, and suicide spurred by the miserable conditions was a leading cause of death. Others fled north to Mexico to make a new name for themselves. Four years after their arrival, the population of Chinese laborers had dwindled to less than half of its original numbers. Nearly a third had fled the country, while over a hundred died during this period. By 1871, the entire project was deemed a failure and the plan to use Chinese laborers on the sugarcane plantations was replaced by a labor force of indentured East Indian servants. Many of the immigrants from this original wave would settle and intermarry with the local Maya people. And when the Yucatan Caste War kicked off in Mexico, some returned to open up businesses.
The Second Wave of Immigration
By the 1920s, the small remaining population of original immigrants and their descendants had carved out a niche for themselves within Belize. With interests in restaurants, laundries, and businesses of ill repute, they managed to achieve outsized power in the retail economy — and it’s a power that still exists today. This period also saw a new influx of immigrants. But this time they were indentured servants fleeing to Belize rather than away from it. Most came from Guatemala, though some were being used as laborers in Honduras.
Unfortunately, this arrival of a new wave of immigrants brought with it xenophobic backlash from within Belize. One of the most vocal opponents of these refugees was the local newspaper the Clarion, which boldly referred to the phenomenon as a “Chinese invasion”. Despite this, the Chinese population remained small, but they continued to build reputations and livelihoods for themselves. Violence and vandalism against Chinese business owners hit a crescendo, but these prejudices would continue to persist throughout Belize’s modern history. It’s a backlash that made many Chinese hesitant to integrate with Belize society at large, and their success has often led to resentment from other Belizean ethnic groups.
The Third Wave
The latest wave of immigration happening in the 1980s and 1990s, thanks in large part due to the political upheaval in China at the time. In 1986, Belize launched programs that allowed foreign investors to attain citizenship. It became a popular choice for Hong Kong residents of means to acquire a Belizean passport in case circumstances changed back home, but the program remained popular throughout much of the country. But for those who came from the Chinese mainland, Belizean citizenship was just a stepping stone to reaching America.
U.S. regulations on visa requirements from Belizeans slowed the tide of new migration, but many of the migrants stayed in Belize. The government offered tracts of land to many investors, and Chinese communities formed along the river where these tracts were most prominent. They joined an existing class of Chinese retail business owners. Many wouldn’t stay long. Belize would also change its work permit policies, and many would flee to other Central American countries where policies were less stringent.
The Chinese of Belize Today
Today, Belize’s ethnic Chinese are a small and often insular group who still manage to have positions of prominence throughout the country. This is especially true in major city centers, where the descendants of Chinese migrants have been living in their own enclaves for decades. No matter how their numbers continue to diminish, the varying waves of Chinese immigrants have shaped the DNA of Belize forever.