Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c13.s4.t4.4

v2.c13.s4.t4.4

Using about a hundred Chinese labourers he brought with him, he grew sugarcane, produced sugar and distilled liquor as well. Records indicate, however, that there were already some Chinese living in Calcutta in his time. In the same period, Chinese also came to Bombay as sailors, peddlers, artisans and so on. They were particularly appreciated for their skills in carpentry and were employed as ship ‘fitters’ and for building and maintaining docks. Some were painters and craftsmen who came to India to cater to the demands of Bombay families who had acquired a taste for Chinese embroidery, paintings and textiles through their association with the China trade. Others brought with them silks and other items from China and went from door-to-door selling them. A third stream of Chinese who came to India were brought, many from Malaya, Singapore and other parts of Southeast Asia, to assist in the early stages of the development of the tea industry in Assam in northeastern India. Many of them inter-married with local women and set up small shops and enterprises. A moderate sized community of Assam Chinese grew, centred around a place called Makam in Assam.