"Old" and "New" Chinese in Cambodia (1): Defining "Chinese"

Jul 21, 2021

Most Chinese immigrated to Cambodia during the French colonial period (1863-1953), although in the pre-colonial era there had been a symbiosis between the predominantly agricultural Khmer and the trade and commerce oriented Chinese. This "pluralistic society" was further perpetuated by the French colonial government, who actively promoted the occupational and spatial separation of Khmer, Chinese and Vietnamese living in Phnom Penh. The French organize the Chinese by representing the five dialect groups in Phnom Penh - Teochew, Cantonese, Hakka, Hokkien and Hainanese - which form the basis of Chinese community life, economic life and political life.

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