This is an online talk to be delivered by John Asome on the subject of his book “Coolie Ships of the Chinese Diaspora (1846-1874).
Between 1846 and 1874, over 290,000 Chinese were embarked as indentured labourers destined mainly for Peru, Cuba and the British, French and Dutch West Indies. Of these, 15% did not reach their destination.
The demand for labour was high. Among the poor, penniless and destitute of southern China, the search for happiness and remunerated work was also high. When demand outran the initial willing supply, trickery and misrepresentation, even kidnapping, came to be used in obtaining recruits. These were among the several factors contributing to onboard suicides, attempted insurrections and successful mutinies when captains and some crew were killed or tortured, ships set on fire and sometimes entirely destroyed. There were also occurrences when recruits signed on, intent on piracy, which was occasionally successful.
Authorities in the ports of departure introduced legislation to counter abuses. Receiving countries also introduced legislation related to imported labour. This did little to alleviate the tyranny endured by the suffering labourers both on board during their journey and at their destinations.
In this study, John Asome provides data on 732 voyages and commentary on a good number of these. As an expert in the field, Walton Look Lai, says, John Asome has filled, “an enormous gap in our knowledge of the Chinese coolie trade. He has enabled readers and future scholars to distinguish fact from myth, reality from exaggeration, in the understanding of this vast and complex experience.”
The Speaker
JOHN ASOME was born in Hong Kong and educated at St. Joseph’s College. His working life has been spent in the UK and Australia, with many years at sea. His first position—as a Radio Officer for the China Navigation Company—took him throughout East Asia, from China and Japan to Thailand and Indonesia, as well as to Papua New Guinea and Australia. Later, after some years spent in different positions in the UK, he had four years in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Service (RFA)—the civilian arm of the Royal Navy—and served on ships based in Malta and Singapore as well as on patrol duties in the West Indies and both East and West Africa.
When he retired, John pursued his interest in the Chinese diaspora—stirred first by finding Chinese people in many of the places he visited—and the related topic of the indentured trade to Cuba, Peru and the West Indies. This has taken him to various archival collections in the UK, and to many online encounters. He has communicated with many scholars in the field and been published on the subject in the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong.
His book is published by Proverse Hong Kong and can be purchased from the Chinese University Press https://cup.cuhk.edu.hk/index.php?route=product/product&path=59_68_171&product_id=4161
Venue: Online over Zoom
Admission: Free to RASHK members
Booking: Please email membership@royalasiaticsociety.org.hk in advance to register your attendance