Sikhism in China
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_Sikh_Regiment_in_China,_Circa_1860..jpg) Men of the Loodiaah (Ludhiana) Sikh Regiment in China, ca.1860 | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| Unknown | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Shanghai · Hong Kong · Tibet | |
| Religions | |
| Sikhism | |
| Languages | |
| Punjabi · Mandarin · Cantonese · Tibetan |
| Part of a series on |
| Sikhism |
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Sikhism in China is a minority religion in the People's Republic of China (Mandarin Chinese: 锡克教在中国, romanized: Xí kè jiào zài zhōngguó, lit. 'Sikhism in China'). Sikhism originated from the Punjab region of northern Indian subcontinent.
History[edit]
Sikh gurus[edit]
Guru Nanak[edit]
Guru Nanak is traditionally locally referred to as Baba Foosa in China proper and as Nanak Lama in Tibet.[1][2] In popular Sikh tradition, Guru Nanak is believed to have visited Tibet during his distant travels.[3]: 345–369 Nanak's travel itinerary through Tibet would have started by departing from Manikaran, onward to the Tibetan plateau, reaching Lahaul and Spiti (northeast of Kulu).[4] Nanak would have travelled through both the Rohtang Pass and Chandan Kala Pass to reach Spiti.[4] From there, Nanak went through the Sprang (Prang) Pass to reach Tibet through an old trade route between India and Tibet.[4] Nanak would have then passed through both Chomurti and Boling to reach the sacred lake of Mansarovar, and finally Mount Kailash.[4] Nanak would have encountered many members of the Siddha tradition on this route through Tibet.[4] According to Sikh lore, in the area of lake Mansarovar and mount Kailash, a dialogue is said to have taken place between Siddhas residing in the location and Guru Nanak's retinue.[5] They wanted to know how Guru Nanak had successfully traversed the mountainous landscape and terrain to reach the sacred area, with Guru Nanak replying that it was through faith in the divine.[5] The Siddhas are then said to have posed questions to the guru about the state of affairs in the Indian subcontinent and the status of the commonfolk, in-which Guru Nanak responded that India was in-turmoil and suffering due to oppressive rulers.[5] Guru Nanak then stated that true spirituality and religion was in-decline in India due to hypocrisy, prudishness, bribe-taking, and evil.[5] In response to one of the questions posed by the Siddhas, Guru Nanak is said to have reprimanded them for escaping to this distant site away from the happenings of the subcontinent, leaving the masses behind without a spiritual guide.[5]
Trilochan Singh claims that, for centuries, Tibetans have been making pilgrimages to the Golden Temple shrine in Amritsar to pay homage to Guru Nanak's memory.[3]: 338 However, Tibetans seem to have confused Nanak with the visit of Padmasambhava centuries earlier, and have superimposed details of Padmasambhava onto Nanak out of reverence (believing the essence of both figures is one and the same) or mistaken chronology.[4] According to Tibetan scholar Tarthang Tulku, many Tibetans believe Guru Nanak was an incarnation of Padmasambhava.[5]
Guru Gobind Singh[edit]
Guru Gobind Singh makes mention of China, Tibet, and Manchuria in the Dasam Granth, stating:[6]
"Gorkhas sing thy praises, the residents of China and Manchuria bow their heads before thee and the Tibetans destroy their own sufferings by remembering thee. Those who meditate on thee obtain perfect glory, and prosper greatly. One cannot know thy limit, O Infinitely Glorious Lord! Thou art the Giver of all, therefore thou are Boundless."
— Guru Gobind Singh, Dasam Granth
Sikh Empire[edit]
Zorawar Singh led an invasion force into Tibet in May 1841.[7][8] The invasion force consisted of three divisions and reached lake Mansarovar in September of the same year, where an encampment was established.[7] Whilst initially successful against the local Tibetan forces, the Tibetan winter set-in and the invading forces were defeated and routed on 12 December 1841 by the Qing-Tibetan forces, with Zorawar Singh being beheaded.[7][8] The Qing-Tibetan forces then attempted to invade Ladakh but were repelled.[8] The war ended with the signing of the Treaty of Chushul between the Sikh Empire and Qing Dynasty.[8]
Colonial period[edit]
In the colonial-era, Sikhs in China were most prominent in Hong Kong, with Shanghai following next.[9]: 212
Sikhs soldiers in the British Indian Army arrived in China soon after the annexation of the Sikh Empire, with Sikh soldiers taking part in the Taiping Rebellion (1850–1864), Second Opium War (1856–60), Boxer Rebellion (1899–1901), and World War I in China.[10][9]: 214–216
The British utilized the Sikh Regiment during the Taiping Rebellion.[10][9]: 214–216
In the Second Opium War, the Sikhs participated as part of the 15th Punjab Pioneers.[9]: 214–216 The Sikh soldiers who participated in the action of the Second Opium War almost entirely drew from the Mazhabi caste and were 1,000 men in-total.[9]: 214–216 They departed from Lucknow on 11 February 1860 and arrived in Hong Kong via the Calcutta to Singapore route.[9]: 214–216 On June 1st, the Mazhabi Sikh troops sailed for Northern China.[9]: 214–216 Peh-tang surrendered by the end of July, the capture of Taku Fort followed, and the next site of action would be Tientsin, with the city being surrounded by the allied coalition by September 5th.[9]: 214–216 Next, they marched toward Peking, which fell to the allies and a treaty was signed on 13 October 1860 by Lord Elgin and the Chinese.[9]: 214–216 Following the capture of Peking, the Mazhabi Sikh soldiers participated in the looting of the Old Summer Palace, bringing treasures back to India afterwards as a result.[9]: 214–216 The Sikh soldiers in the Pioneers left Peking on November 9th, embarking from Tientsin, for Hong Kong, and then onward returning to India.[9]: 214–216 After the war, the Sikh soldiers of the Pioneers who saw action were awarded the China Medal with two clasps: 'Taku Forts, 1860', and 'Peking, 1860'.[9]: 214–216
During the Boxer Rebellion, the 24th Punjab Regiment saw action during the Battle of Yang Tsun alongside the 14th American Regiment, with the battle ending by a joint American-Sikh bayonet charge.[10][9]: 214–216 A relief force of 3,000 soldiers from Sikh Regiments helped lift the siege on Beijing by the Boxers.[10][9]: 214–216
During World War I, Sikh soldiers were stationed as part of the Garrison of Tianjin in China, participating in the Siege of Tsingtao.[10][9]: 214–216 On November 7th, 1914, both regiments of the 24th Sikhs and half the 36th Sikhs were sent from Tientsin in September 1914 as representatives of the Allies and participate in the capture of Tsingtao from the Germans.[10][9]: 214–216
Sikhs in China had been observing the Chinese migrating to Canada, seeing as it was an attractive destination for settlement, and emulated the Chinese by attempting to migrate to Canada themselves whilst alerting their friends and family back home in India on the prospect.[9]: 212 Many Sikhs who were aboard the ill-fated Komagata Maru en-route to Canada hailed from Shanghai.[9]: 212
Maharaja Jagatjit Singh of Kapurthala State visited China, Japan and Java (Indonesia) between 18 October 1903 to 1 February 1904, afterwards publishing a memoir recounting his journey through these lands.[9]: 213–214 He recounted the following about his experience in Shanghai and surrounding parts of China:[9]: 213–214
"China – Shanghai
Shanghai is a large commercial city, with a population of 700,000 most of which is Chinese. Of Europeans and Americans there are about 8,000. Although Europeans of all nationalities lived there, it was noticeable that Anglo-Saxons predominated. As regards its Government, Shanghai is probably the most curious in the world. At first a stranger is at a loss to know in whose country and under whose laws he is living. While Shanghai is on Chinese soil, its municipality is international, and the people of different nationalities who reside there are tried and judged by their own court. The proceedings of mixed tribunals affect that portion of Shanghai which is known as the Foreign Settlement only.
A Court Scene: The culprits were brought into the court, where they remained in charge of a Sikh policeman; the counsel or pleaders were English and Chinese, and each pleaded the cause of his client in the language of his own country’. The police are mainly English, Sikhs and Chinese. The French have their own municipality under French Laws and it goes by the name of French Concession (only about 400 French people). Several newspapers are published in Shanghai daily. Shanghai rejoices in no less than seven Post Offices, viz. English, French, Russian, German, American, Chinese and Japanese – each deal with matters of their own country only.
Tien Tsin (North of Shanghai) has the largest settlement of foreigners in China with the exception of Shanghai. There are eight foreign settlements there, viz., English, Russian, German, French, Austrian, Italian, American and Japanese. Of these nations, six maintain troops numbering from 500 to 2,000 in the place. We also saw Sikhs (of which there were three or four Companies) walking about as if the place belonged to them.
On return visit to Tien Tsin from Pekin, I was met by a deputation of Sikhs, who presented an address. These men had all gone to China in connection with the Indian Garrison there, in one capacity or another, and they were anxious to build a Sikh temple, as they had no place of worship. I was asked for donation towards fulfilment of their desire, to which request I acceded.
At Shanhaikwan there are some foreign troops; the Germans, French, Japanese, Russians have two companies each of soldiers and a portion of 30 Punjab Infantry from India. Some of the native officers of the later regiment came to see me; one of them turned out to be a subject of mine from the village of Dhilwan."
— Maharaja Jagatjit Singh of Kapurthala, My Travels In China, Japan And Java, 1903, Sikhs in Asia Pacific: Travels Among the Sikh Diaspora from Yangon to Kobe (pages 213–214)
During the 1800s and 1900s, many Sikh Punjabi people were recruited from British India to work as officers for the Shanghai Municipal Police and Hong Kong Police. Recruitment of Sikhs in SMP began in 1885 from Punjab. By 1920 there were 573 policemen in Sikh branch. The Old Sikh Gurdwara at 326 Dong Baoxing Road was opened in 1908.[11] Rabindra Nath Tagore visited Shanghai Gurdwara during his 1924 visit, which is in background on the image given.[citation needed] By 1930s and 1940s the exodus of Sikhs began after World War I during 1911–14, when some Sikhs openly supported Japanese and joined INA of Subhash Chander Bose.[citation needed] The SMP was disbanded in 1945.[citation needed] Many Sikhs had settled permanently in China and made marriages there.[citation needed]
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Officers of the Sikh Regiment, Tianjin, 1900 -
Photograph of Maharaja Jagatjit Singh of Kapurthala State and his wife visiting Beijing, China in 1903 -
Rabinder Nath Tagore with Sikhs in Shanghai, 1924 -
Photograph of a Jatha (band) of Shanghai-based Sikhs who came to Punjab to participate in the Jaito Morcha of February 1924. -
Sikh policeman directing traffic inside Shanghai's International Settlement, ca.1935
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_of_Shanghai_Sikhs_who_came_to_Punjab_to_participate_in_the_Jaito_Morcha_of_February_1924.jpg)
Present[edit]
After the advent of Communist rule in 1949, many Sikhs who had been employed as watchmen in China left the mainland and departed for resettlement in Hong Kong or returned to India.[9]: 212 The last Sikhs left Shanghai in 1973 after the Sino-Indian War in 1962.[12] The Sikh presence in Shanghai is a shell of its historical self but is slowly rebuilding due to business enterprises.[9]: 212
Gurdwara[edit]
There are a small number of gurdwara (Sikh temples) in China:[13]
- Gurdwara Shanghai - Shanghai[14] - it is now a residential complex[9]: 212
- Khalsa Diwan - Hong Kong[15]
- Presently there are nearly 100 Sikh families in mainland China.[citation needed] They are running a private Gurdwara in house of some Sikh follower.[citation needed]
Apart from mainland China, many Sikh businessmen and Indians also reside in Hong Kong.[citation needed]
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Inauguration in 1908 of Sikh Gurdwara in Shanghai -
Picture of Old Sikh Gurdwara in Shanghai which is used for residential purpose now -
Bauxing Road Gurdwara Monument for Sikhism heritage in China
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Baker, Janet (2019-10-02). "Guru Nanak: 550th birth anniversary of Sikhism's founder: Phoenix Art Museum, The Khanuja Family Sikh Art Gallery, 17 August 2019–29 March 2020". Sikh Formations. 15 (3–4): 499. doi:10.1080/17448727.2019.1685641. ISSN 1744-8727. S2CID 210494526.
- ^ Service, Tribune News. "Booklet on Guru Nanak Dev's teachings released". Tribuneindia News Service. Retrieved 2023-02-19.
Rare is a saint who has travelled and preached as widely as Guru Nanak Dev. He was known as Nanakachraya in Sri Lanka, Nanak Lama in Tibet, Guru Rimpochea in Sikkim, Nanak Rishi in Nepal, Nanak Peer in Baghdad, Wali Hind in Mecca, Nanak Vali in Misar, Nanak Kadamdar in Russia, Baba Nanak in Iraq, Peer Balagdaan in Mazahar Sharif and Baba Foosa in China, said Dr S S Sibia, director of Sibia Medical Centre.
- ^ a b Singh, Trilochan (1969). Guru Nanak: Founder of Sikhism: A Biography. Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee.
- ^ a b c d e f Gill, Savinder Kaur; Wangmo, Sonam (2019). Two Gurus One Message: The Buddha and Guru Nanak: Legacy of Liberation, Egalitarianism and Social Justice. Library of Tibetan Works and Archives. pp. 302–304.
- ^ a b c d e f Chauhan, G. S.; Rajan, Meenakshi (January 2019). Shri Guru Nanak Dev: Life, Travels and Teachings (2nd ed.). All India Pingalwara Charitable Society Amritsar. pp. 176–178.
- ^ Singh, I. J. (8 February 2012). "Sikhi: The Global Vision That Was". SikhNet.
- ^ a b c Powers, John; Templeman, David (2012). Historical Dictionary of Tibet. Scarecrow Press. p. 390.
- ^ a b c d Guo, Rongxing (2015). China's Regional Development and Tibet. Springer. p. 5. ISBN 978-981-287-958-5.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w Kahlon, Swarn Singh (2016). "9. Sikhs in China: Sikh Migration of Great Historical Interest". Sikhs in Asia Pacific: Travels Among the Sikh Diaspora from Yangon to Kobe. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9781351987417.
- ^ a b c d e f Bedi, Harchand Singh (29 November 2011). "Contribution of Sikhs in China". SikhNet.
- ^ Vathyam, Meena (2018-01-01). "Tears and Toil: The History of Shanghai Sikh Gurdwaras". The Shanghai Sikh Gurdwara.
- ^ "Sikhs: A piece of history that remains fragmentary". archive.shine.cn. 2016-11-11. Retrieved 2019-06-28.
- ^ "A Fascinating Visual History of Sikhs in Old Shanghai". The Kalgidhar Society, Baru Sahib. 2014-04-19. Retrieved 2022-08-30.
- ^ "Gurdwara Shanghai, Shanghai, Shanghai, China". Gurdwaar.com. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
- ^ "Khalsa Diwan". Khalsadiwan.com.
