Volume 4,Issue 1
An Inquiry into the Plight of Chinese Laborers’ Work in Peru during the Mid-to-Late 19th Century
In the mid-19th century, as the Opium War forced open China’s doors, the Qing government was compelled to abandon its policy of seclusion. A large number of Chinese people began to go abroad to make a living. Besides Southeast Asia and North America, Peru, which was facing a shortage of labor in plantations and mines at that time, also deceived and coerced Chinese laborers to go to the country through the “coolie trade”. Similar to the situation of Chinese laborers in the United States, those in Peru also faced the problems of intense labor and low legal status. This paper takes Chinese laborers in Peru during the mid-to-late 19th century as the research subject, explores the plight of their labor and its causes, and discusses a glimpse into the living conditions of early Chinese immigrants in Latin America by examining the history of hardships endured by these laborers in Peru at that time.
[1] Mitchell B, 2002, International Historical Statistics: Americas 1750–1993, translated by He L, Beijing: Economic Science Press, 8.
[2] Stewart W, 1985, Chinese Bondage in Peru: A History of the Chinese Coolie in Peru, 1849–1874, translated by Zhang K, Shen H, Beijing: Ocean Press, 2.
[3] Wu F, 1988, The History of Indentured Chinese Laborers, Nanchang: Jiangxi People’s Publishing House, 18–19.
[4] Wang L, Wu K, 2002, Historical Materials on Early Overseas Chinese and Indentured Laborers (The “Piglet” Trade), Vol. 4, Shantou: Chaoshan Historical Culture Research Center, Shantou Cultural Bureau, Shantou Library, 63.
[5] Chen H, 1984, Collection of Historical Materials on Chinese Laborers Going Abroad, Vol. 6, Chinese Laborers in Latin America, compiled by Lu W, Peng J, Chen Z, Beijing: Zhonghua Book Company, 225.
[6] Chen H, 1984, Collection of Historical Materials on Chinese Laborers Going Abroad, Vol. 6, Chinese Laborers in Latin America, compiled by Lu W, Peng J, Chen Z, Beijing: Zhonghua Book Company, 226–227.