Conservation of the diasporic chinese neighborhood of Kolkata:

Abstract

The Chinese neighborhoods of Kolkata play a paramount role in enrichingthe culture as well the historic footprint of the city, known for its pluralistic anddiverse cultural background. It is one of the critical areas in Kolkata, but now the condition of this area is degrading due to rapid globalization. The Chinese immigration to India began in the 1770s. The British allowed only men into British India, and the Chinese population dwindled and blended into the Indian society. In the late 1800s, a new wave of Chinese immigrants arrived in India, and this time they came with women and children on account of the civil wars and the Japanese invasion of China. They settled in the fringe areas of Central Kolkata, which were neither British nor Bengali due to its proximity to both the Bengalis of black town and the Britishers of the white town, yet there was a considerable physical and cultural distance. As most of their businesses relied on either the Bengali or the British, the locational factor played a crucial role in site selection for settlement growth. As conservation architects, it is necessary to take up an important role to focus this Chinatown to the whole world and conserve the various heritage aspects of the Kolkata Chinese community. Due to the political conflict of 1962, the Chinese Indians were identified as foreigners by the Indian Government, and they had to refer to themselves as "Indians," which was considered a hybrid identity. They referred to themselves as Indian as they were born in India. Linguistic parameters set them apart. There are no stories of ethnic assimilation or acculturation. The Chinese in Kolkata always distance themselves from Indians and try to preserve their distinctiveness. Tangra is a perfect example of an exclusive settlement of the Chinese that preserves their culture and heritage. They have been attempting to integrate themselves with the host culture of Calcutta. Chinese New Year celebrations, MidAutumn Festivals, Hungry Ghost festivals, endogamous marriages, associations, and organizations such as Hakkas, Hupe, the Cantonese are still preserving their ethnicity. However, it is observed that the Chinese living in Tiretta Chinatown have been affected by factors like the migrations of non-Chinese immigrants, urban development projects, ethnic intermingling, intermarriages where integration with the host community takes place, and few cases of assimilation may be found. Kolkata Chinatown's unassuming demeanour and seemingly unimpressive structures have a stark contrast to the other China towns of the world. Hence, with a 250-year history, the city's Chinese continue to enrich Calcutta's urban culture through built heritage and traditional practices. Owing to the numerous smart city initiatives, these ethnic minority populations have recently come under a threat, resulting in a sharp decline in the community’s demography. This issue requires immediate attention. It is how the community has been seen with distrust and mistrust, despite the fact that they have made significant contributions to Kolkata's cultural environment and in making it a global city. The anti-Chinese sentiment was present from the start, when they first settled down over the border, far away from the dominant Hindu Bengali community. The city's ongoing efforts to maintain its identity as a city built and inhabited by Bengalis stifle any other cultural vestiges or marginal voices. These diasporic neighborhoods of Kolkata have different ways of life, and the cultural landscape also varies greatly. Their contribution to the social and economic spheres of Kolkata is also multidimensional owing to the various tanneries of Kolkata run by them, along with the shoemaking industry, trade of opium, carpentry, among many others. These ethnic minority populations have recently come under threat due to numerous smart city proposals failing to protect Kolkata's prominent metropolitan heritage's ethnic roots and cultural variety.