Chinese Venezuelans

Chinese Venezuelans (Spanish: Chino-venezolanos) are people of Chinese ancestry who were born in or have immigrated to Venezuela. The country is home to nearly 400,000 Chinese.[1] Almost all their businesses are related to the culinary field. Chinese restaurants in Venezuela are very affluent, mainly due to Venezuelans taste for Cantonese food.[2] Venezuela is also home to one of Latin America's largest concentrations of ethnic Chinese. The city of Valencia is home of the major Chinese community and hosts various markets devoted to Chinese culture including smoked ducks and authentic pottery. A local newspaper is also edited in Chinese. A lively barrio chino can also be found on Avenida Principal El Bosque in the El Bosque district of Caracas. While there are Chinatowns in the major cities throughout Venezuela, they are non-descript and in non-touristic parts of town.

Chinese Venezuelans
Chino-venezolanos
Total population
~450,000
Regions with significant populations
Valencia, Caracas, Maracay, Barquisimeto, Barcelona-Puerto La Cruz, Maracaibo, Maturín, Acarigua
Languages
Venezuelan Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin Chinese, others
Religion
Buddhism, Roman Catholicism, Taoism
Related ethnic groups
Asian Americans, Chinese people

Chinese immigration came mostly in two waves, the first beginning in 1847 and consisting of mainly Cantonese immigrants[3] and the second one beginning in the 1940s and '50s and reaching a peak in the mid 1970s in connection with the oil boom.

Cantonese is widely spoken among Chinese Venezuelans, especially the variety commonly known as Hoisan or Toisan, but there has been recent Taiwanese immigration, adding to the linguistic and cultural diversity. The largest group of Han Chinese in Venezuela are from Guangdong and Hong Kong.

Demographics

Population

Areas of Venezuela where the Chinese community is concentrated
Percentage of population born in China through Venezuela

States with the highest proportions of Chinese-born population tend to be those of the Capital Region and Eastern Region. The states with the most population of Chinese-born people are also located in the central-north area.

At the 2011 census, this was the breakdown of Chinese-born population by state:[4]

StateChinese-born PopulationPercentage
Amazonas310.021
Anzoátegui1,1930.082
Apure1160.025
Aragua1,3050.081
Barinas4140.051
Bolívar5150.037
Capital District1,7650.092
Carabobo2,0160.09
Cojedes1670.039
Delta Amacuro420.026
Falcón2690.028
Federal Dependencies10.047
Guárico3500.047
Lara1,2470.071
Mérida3060.037
Miranda1,4530.055
Monagas7960.088
Nueva Esparta3440.071
Portuguesa6600.077
Sucre3210.037
Tachira2640.023
Trujillo3360.049
Vargas1340.038
Yaracuy3940.066
Zulia9190.025
Total Venezuela15,3580.06

Communities with high percentages of Chinese-born people

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