Chinese South Africans

Chinese South Africans (; ) are a group of overseas Chinese that were born and/or are currently living in South Africa. The community consists of both those whose ancestors came to South Africa throughout the early 20th century, until Chinese immigration was banned under the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1904, and post-apartheid immigrants (predominantly from mainland China) to South Africa, who now outnumber native-born Chinese South Africans.

History

Early History

First Settlers

The first Chinese to settle in South Africa were prisoners, usually debtors, exiled from Batavia by the Dutch to their then newly founded colony at Cape Town in 1660. Originally the Dutch wanted to recruit Chinese settlers to settle in the colony as farmers, thereby helping establish the colony and create a tax base so the colony would be less of a drain on Dutch coffers. However the Dutch failed to find anyone in the Chinese community in Batavia who was prepared to volunteer to go to such a far off place. The first Chinese person recorded by the Dutch to arrive in the Cape was a convict by the name of......
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