A well-intentioned impotence? The case of the Qing Dynasty Consuls in the Transvaal Colony
The place of South African Chinese within South Africa's history has almost always seen contestation. A striking example of this was the situation in the Transvaal between 1903 and 1911. In 1904 the Chinese Indentured Labour experiment propelled the small free Chinese community of the Transvaal into the realm of public debate. Whilst the Chinese in the Transvaal had never been treated well, the ensuing anti-Chinese backlash saw the community come into conflict with the government of the Transvaal. Although substantial work has been done concerning the resistance of the Transvaal Chinese, a neglected aspect of this conflict is the role played by the Qing Dynasty Consulate. Despite general assumptions that the Dynasty's attitude towards its subjects overseas remained apathetic, evidence indicates clearly that the Consulate played a role in supporting the Chinese community. Through an analysis of the actions taken by the Consuls-General the extent of their support becomes clear. Contrary to common assumptions that the Qing Dynasty was neglectful of the Chinese population in South Africa, the efforts of these Consuls-General demonstrated that the Dynasty did make serious efforts to assist the Chinese living in the Transvaal.
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| Format: | Digital revista |
| Language: | English |
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Historical Association of South Africa
2022
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| Online Access: | http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0018-229X2022000100003 |
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