Suriname is not a person’s name, but a country’s name.

Suriname is located in Latin America. If you want to find it on the map, just find Brazil first, then look up, Suriname is “on the head” of Brazil.

Latin America For Asians, they are countries that exist in “labels”, far away strange again. However, A label is better than nothing, and a label is the first step in letting others know about you. For example: Brazil, our first impression is often Brazilian football and samba; Argentina, the first thing that comes to mind is Messi; Chile, the first thing that comes to mind is Easter Island.

However, Suriname is a special country. Suriname is a collection of 4 cultures without a unique label. Although we know very little about Suriname, Surinamese people are very familiar with Chinese culture!

Suriname, 15,135 kilometers away from my country, is a country that speaks Chinese and celebrates the Spring Festival

The story begins with gold…

In the early 19th century, a large number of gold deposits were discovered in Suriname. The news spread like wildfire! Attracted gold diggers from all over the world to go to the Nuggets.

In 1853, 11 Hakka people from Guangdong gathered together. They set off from Hong Kong and headed to Suriname with the dream of “getting rich overseas”. This opened the prelude to Chinese immigration to Suriname.

Chinese people are foreigners to Surinamese, so they were not taken seriously at first. However, Cantonese have always had a keen business acumen. They started as gold diggers, and after several generations, they finally gained a firm foothold in Suriname. After a certain amount of accumulation, the Chinese no longer worked so hard to pan for gold, but opened gold shops.

Because the business is getting bigger and bigger, these gold prospectors did not return to China, but chose to stay in Suriname Get married, have children, and pass on the lineage.

Nowadays, there are Chinatowns in Suriname, most of the gold shops are in the hands of the Chinese, and the status of the Chinese in Suriname is getting higher and higher. After seeing the gold shops on the Chinese Street in Suriname, I understand why the Chinese are migrating together.

Chinese newspaper in Suriname

Suriname is 15,135 kilometers away from China, in the distant Latin America. In order to protect themselves and develop education, the local Chinese established an overseas Chinese organization, Guangyitang, in 1880. Guangyitang has its own pension institution, Chinese radio, Chinese school and Chinese newspaper, etc. It also often holds entertainment activities related to Chinese culture.

Since then, Chinese culture has become popular locally. Walking on the streets of Suriname, you can see all kinds of Chinese billboards and Chinese shops. Even some local Surinamese can speak fluent Chinese.

Xunnan Daily, a Chinese newspaper published by Guangyitang (“Xunnan” is “Suriname” in Cantonese Hakka dialect):

Chinese President of Suriname

In 1980, there was a coup in Suriname. Chen Yaxian, a Chinese native of Guangdong origin, was appointed President of Suriname. Chen Yaxian, a mixed-race Chinese, was born in Huiyang, Guangdong, China.

During his tenure, he vigorously promoted the relationship between the local residents and the Chinese, and strengthened the Chinese’s sense of identity in Suriname.

Chinese New Year in Suriname

20th Century In the 1980s, with the deepening of China’s reform and opening up, many Chinese people began to contact the international community. Relatives and friends of the Chinese in Suriname have gone to Suriname to defect to their relatives and friends. The number of Chinese in Suriname has grown significantly.

The Chinese who immigrated to Suriname did not forget the fine traditions of the Chinese nation. They made positive contributions to the prosperity of the local society with diligence and wisdom, and were fully recognized by the people of Suriname. In April 2014, the government of Suriname designated the Chinese Lunar New Year as a “national permanent public holiday”, which was the first time in Latin America.

In Suriname, the Spring Festival is the same as writing blessing characters, posting couplets, setting off firecrackers, and a grand Chinese temple fair will be held.

Suriname is the smallest country in South America, with only 164,000 square kilometers (167,000 square kilometers in Henan Province) . The whole country is flat and the annual average temperature is 23-27°C. The forest coverage rate is very high, accounting for more than 95% of the country’s total area.

Since Suriname was once a colony of the Netherlands, France, Spain and the United Kingdom, in the capital “Paramaribo” you can see various styles of buildings.

The distance between Suriname and my country is about 15,135 kilometers, which is “far” in one word! It takes about 24 hours to fly by plane, the equivalent of flying half the world around the equator.

It is very convenient for Chinese to travel to Suriname. Since May 1, 2015, Suriname has implemented a visa-free policy for Chinese tourists.

The fact that Chinese culture can be carried forward in Latin American countries thousands of miles away is the result of the efforts of the Hakka people for generations. , which also confirms the strength of our country today. If the individual is too strong and the country is too weak, it will suffer losses; Only when the country is strong can the people have more dignity!

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