Descendants of Chinese migrants to French Polynesia on Sunday marked the 150th anniversary of the arrival of the first Chinese workers in Tahiti.
Descendants of the first Chinese workers re-enacted their path along Atimaono beach, Tahiti, on Sunday. Photo: Government of French Polynesia
The group Varua Tupuna Taina planned to hold a march in traditional dress on the beach of Atimaono, on the south side of Tahiti about 40km from Papeete, to re-enact the landing of the first Chinese.
Chinese workers were brought in by a British company in 1866 to grow cotton because of a price spike triggered by the Civil War in the United States.
The main Atimaono plantation ended in bankruptcy in 1873, but a large number of the Chinese workers remained in the territory.
The cotton plantation director's house at Atimaono, Tahiti, in the late 1860s. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Addressing the commerative event in Atimaono on Sunday, the territory's president, Edouard Fritch, said those Chinese settlers helped shaped the territory into what it is today.
"Polynesia 21st century is the result of a number of processes and events that have shaped our country," Mr Fritch said. "The arrival of the first Chinese is one of those events and processes that have been important in shaping our country."
The president of French Polyensia, Edouard Fritch (centre), at an event to mark 150 years since the first Chinese workers arrived in Tahiti. Photo: Government of French Polynesia
However, Mr Fritch also admitted that the Chinese community had to endure tough times, and that the Chinese aspect of French Polynesia's history was often under-represented.
"I know that for many Chinese families, it was a lot of sacrifice and effort, to gradually gain a real place in this society. The colonial administration was not always kind to your elders. I know it. But the history and evolution of your community has shown that your sacrifices and efforts were useful and rewarded justly," Mr Fritch said.
The festivities will continue on Monday in the capital, Papeete.
