Hong Kong – Statistically, people of Korean origin in China or the Chaoxianzhu don’t even reach 1% of its 1.4 billion population. But the culture and identity of the Chaoxianzhu in China is definitely very much alive and blossoming.
History and facts
Significant populations of Korean Chinese, also referred to as Chaoxianzhu by the Chinese government, can be found in Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning provinces, Beijing, and other cities across China. Over two million Chaoxianzhu live in China today, most are descendants of migrations dating from the mid-nineteenth century up until the end of the Second World War.
The majority of Chaoxianzhu are fluent in Mandarin, but many also speak Korean as their native tongue. While the younger generations are more fluent in Mandarin, some of the older folk struggle with their use of the language. The Chaoxianzhu population is predominantly Buddhist, Protestant or Catholic, but there also exists a significant number of non-religious and atheists.
In the past few decades, many Chaoxianzhu have sought a better life by going overseas to South Korea, Japan and other more economically progressive cities in southern China, outside of the Dongbei region (The Three Northeastern Provinces), where they have traditionally resided in the past.
Strong ties between China and the Chaoxianzhu
A good friendship exists between the Chaoxianzhu and the Han people. The previous has no secessionist aspirations whatsoever or the fervent desire to withdraw from the latter. In fact, being a part of China makes majority of the Chaoxianzhu feel closeness, love and strong ties with them. In some cases, some feel just as Chinese as they do Korean. However, in some extreme cases, there are those Chaoxianzhu that identify more with being Chinese over Korean.
The Chaoxianzhu are recognized as one of China’s fifty-five ethnic minorities and are exempted from the population growth control of the One-Child Policy that all other non-minority Chinese people strictly follow.
China’s constitution guarantees equal rights among its minority groups and promotes economic and cultural development, as well as social customs and the right to pass on their ethnic language from generation to generation.
Culture of the Chaoxianzhu in China
The Chaoxianzhu who have stayed in China are battling to keep their culture alive and are hoping to find new ways to promote and encourage the interest and love for their culture.
In the case of 33-year old Kim Minhua from Yenji, Jilin, she has decided to stay in China but strives to hold on firmly to her Korean culture, language and traditions.
According to Minhua, while growing up and attending elementary school in Yenji in the late 80’s and early 90’s, she wasn’t aware of the existence of Chinese people nor the Mandarin language because she attended an all-Korean school in the city.
“My whole world was Korean. I didn’t meet a real Chinese kid until I attended a summer camp. It was where I learned that I was the different one and not the other way around,” she recalled.
“I struggled to communicate in Mandarin with the others at summer camp. And I had a very thick accent when I spoke Mandarin,” Minhua added.
In her city, Minhua watched Korean channels and was well aware of North Korean cinema and Korean actors. She learned much about their lives. She shared that while in school, young Chaoxianzhu also memorized North Korean songs praising Kim IL Sung.
“In school we used different textbooks that were imported from North Korea and written exclusively for us, Korean Chinese, by Kim IL Sung. We even had a special dictionary written by Kim IL Sung, in his hope to preserve the community’s strong ties,” Minhua expressed.
She added, “I still remember songs about Kim IL Sung because we memorized them in School. We didn’t have special admiration for him like they do in North Korea, but he was kind of a movie star for us.
Kim Minhua explained how her grandparents used to unfailingly follow news of events in North Korea, paying special attention to Kim IL Jung and his daily activities.
“I remember one day, when my grandmother visited my home, she excitedly told us the big news about Kim IL Jung and how he had fallen from a chair. At that time, this was big news in our community. We had no choice but to follow news from North Korea,” she shared.
Recently, with South Korea’s rapid growth in the last couple of decades, there has been a modification in influences coming into the Chaoxianzhu community.
South Korea’s cultural invasion, via its music and film industry, has gained a huge following among the Chaoxianzhu younger generation. And it is not a surprise that some of South Korea’s businesses, fashion and popular trends have penetrated increasingly.
To this date, South Korea has even influenced Chaoxianzhu’s everyday language according to Kim Minhua.
“Over the past few years, Chaoxianzhu have incorporated lots of new vocabulary and English words into their language because of the influence of South Korean shows,” she said.
A closer look at the Chaoxianzhu and recent changes in Jilin Province
Despite the Korean culture being alive and very evident in Jilin Province, there have been some changes in the city of Yenji recently. There is an apparent change in demographics, where there is an increasing number of Han Chinese resettling in the historically Korean communities of Jilin.
“Previously, we would just step out of our doors and we would be surrounded by Korean speakers. But times now are different. My grandmother feels that the Chaoxianzhu community in Yenji is becoming extinct,” she shared.
“More and more grocery stores are being ran by Han Mandarin speakers, making it difficult for my grandmother, who has a poor command of the language, to purchase basic needs on her own. I need to accompany her to stores to help her communicate with Mandarin speakers,” she explained.
Like Kim Mihua’s grandmother, many Chaoxianzhu feel that the community is shrinking in Yenji and other parts of Jilin. This has to do with the migrations in the past few years and the increasing rise of the Han population. According to Kim Mihua, more than half of her elementary and high school class no longer reside in Yenji.
Promising future of Chaoxianzhu culture
Despite some shifts in population, the culture remains strong and the future looks promising for the Chaoxianzhu community.
According to Kim Mihua, she feels very proud to be both Korean and Chinese and she has no problem embracing the best of both cultures
“I always have options because I understand both cultures and I am fluent in Mandarin and Korean. If I need to leave this place (China), I can always go to Korea. If I can’t find a job in Korea, I can return to China because it’s so big and full of opportunities. In other words, I have many options, unlike other people,” Mihua enthused.
Many Chaoxianzhu take advantage of this situation. Some have returned to China to find better jobs after their short stints in South Korea. For those who are fluent in both Chinese and Korean languages, they have the advantage of working with either local companies or Korean companies established in China. In some cases, they eventually build their own businesses and become very prosperous.
Moreover, there are also cases like that of Kim Minhua, who is also fluent in English aside from the two languages. Incidentally, Minhua received her Master’s Degree in North Carolina, which means more opportunities for her. This emerging group of Western educated Chaoxianzhu has the leverage to choose from jobs not only in China and Korea, but also in North America or Europe. Their economic opportunities become more extensive.
As the Chaoxianzhu community proudly embraces their own Korean and Chinese culture, their future definitely looks more promising and progressive.
