Sikhism in China

Sikhism in China
锡克教在中国

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

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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

Sikh gurus

Guru Nanak

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] Both Buddhist and Bon Tibetans made pilgramages to the Golden Temple in Amritsar, however they revered the site for different reasons.^[6]

Guru Gobind Singh

Guru Gobind Singh makes mention of China, Tibet, and Manchuria in the Dasam Granth, stating:^[7]

"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

Zorawar Singh led an invasion force into Tibet in May 1841.^[8][9] The invasion force consisted of three divisions and reached lake Mansarovar in September of the same year, where an encampment was established.^[8] 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.^[8][9] The Qing-Tibetan forces then attempted to invade Ladakh but were repelled.^[9] The war ended with the signing of the Treaty of Chushul between the Sikh Empire and Qing Dynasty.^[9]

Colonial period

In the colonial-era, Sikhs in China were most prominent in Hong Kong, with Shanghai following next.^[10]: 212

Punjabi Khatri Sikh traders worked along the Silk Road, from Ladakh to Central Asia (including Chinese areas).^[11][12] At one point, the Khatri trade network consisted of around 200 gaddis in the Chinese part of Central Asia.^[11][12] Punjabi Khatris played an important role in the trade between Leh and Yarkund in Xinjiang.^[11][12]

Robert Shaw recounts in Visits to High Tartary, Yarkand, and Kashgar that a Sikh merchant by the name of Tara Singh accompanied him to Yarkund in modern-day Xinjiang in 1867.^[13]

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.^{[14][10]: 214–216}

The British utilized the Sikh Regiment during the Taiping Rebellion.^{[14][10]: 214–216}

In the Second Opium War, the Sikhs participated as part of the 15th Punjab Pioneers.^{[10]: 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.^{[10]: 214–216} They departed from Lucknow on 11 February 1860 and arrived in Hong Kong via the Calcutta to Singapore route.^{[10]: 214–216} On June 1st, the Mazhabi Sikh troops sailed for Northern China.^{[10]: 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.^{[10]: 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.^{[10]: 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.^{[10]: 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.^{[10]: 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'.^{[10]: 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.^{[14][10]: 214–216} A relief force of 3,000 soldiers from Sikh Regiments helped lift the siege on Beijing by the Boxers.^{[14][10]: 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.^{[14][10]: 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.^{[14][10]: 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.^[10]: 212 Many Sikhs who were aboard the ill-fated Komagata Maru en-route to Canada hailed from Shanghai.^[10]: 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.^{[10]: 213–214} He recounted the following about his experience in Shanghai and surrounding parts of China:^{[10]: 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.^{[10]: 216–218} The British could not recruit enough European men to serve as policemen in China and were reluctant to hire too many Chinese men for the role, so they decided to hire Sikhs from the Punjab to fill the positions.^{[10]: 216–218} Recruitment of Sikhs in the Shanghai police-force began in 1884 and the recruitment of Sikhs in the Tianjin police-force began in 1886.^{[10]: 216–218} Initially, recruitment for these police roles in China were done directly in India but as time went on and more Sikhs settled in the Far East looking for work, more recruits came from local Sikhs who resided in China already.^{[10]: 216–218} 'The Shanghai International Police' was founded in 1854, responsible for policing the International Settlement of Shanghai (until 1943), and it was deployed by the British at ports important to British commercial interests in the early 20th century.^{[10]: 216–218} A Sikh branch of the Shanghai International Police was established in 1884, being founded by Sikh ex-military men who had been stationed in China.^{[10]: 216–218} This Sikh-specific police branch reached a size of 800 policemen, almost all of whom were Sikh.^{[10]: 216–218}

A local slur used against Sikhs developed based on the uniform of the Sikhs:^{[10]: 216–218}

The Sikh policemen in Shanghai were always referred as ‘Red-headed Ar San’ by the Shanghai people who are now in their 70s and 80s. It is because all Sikh policemen donned red turban (please note that most Sikh policemen worked in traffic police department and all traffic policemen wore red hat, no matter it was turban or not; perhaps it is the reason why most Sikhs were called ‘Red-Header’). Regarding ‘Ar San’, it literally means ‘three’ in Chinese. There are two unverified hypothesis explaining the origin of this name. First, in Shanghai people’s eyes the Indian policemen had lower social position than white and Chinese policemen, so Indians were called ‘three’ which ranked below white and Chinese in the larger society. Second, it was speculated that because the Indian policemen used to start conversation with local Chinese by ‘I say I say’ (which is similar to the pronunciation of three in Chinese), they were then referred as ‘three’ by the local Shanghai people.

— Ka Kin Cheu (translation)

The Shanghainese called Sikh policemen Hong Tou Ah-San (Mandarin Chinese: 紅头阿三, lit. 'red-headed number three'), which was in-reference to the Sikh policemen's red-turban and them being third in-rank on the hierarchal, social classification system (British as the first in-rank and the Chinese ranked second, Indians ranked third below both).^[15]

Most of the local Shanghainese are said to have disliked the Sikh policemen of Shanghai, viewing them as abusers of the local population (specifically rickshaw drivers and hawkers) with little or no provocation, subjecting victims to shoe and baton beatings.^{[10]: 216–218} The Shanghainese derided the Sikh policemen as being "dogs" of their British overlords and called them "annoying red-hat flies".^{[10]: 216–218}

However, Claude Markovits remarked that these harsh actions by the Sikh policemen were necessary for keeping the locals in-check and obedient to the law. He specifically remarks that local rickshaw drivers tended to drive dangerously, posing risks to the surrounding traffic, and that the Chinese held little regard for laws and rules of the administration, often urinating and spitting in public areas.^{[10]: 216–218} Furthermore, Sikh policemen dispersed gangs of local Chinese engaging in gambling and fights.^{[10]: 216–218}

Two prominent Sikh policemen of Shanghai remembered in infamy are Bawa Singh and Atma Singh.^[15] On a late night in 1936, Bawa visited the home of Atma, where Atma's wife was sleeping.^[15] Atma's wife demanded that Bawa leave the premises, an order which he obliged.^[15] When Atma came to learn that Bawa visited his wife late into the night, he searched for him while wielding a meat cleaver, finding Bawa at a quarry at the Pootoo Road Police Station on Gordon Road.^[15] Atma then assaulted Bawa, nearly dismembering both of the victim's forearms and causing a deep wound on his forehead.^[15] Bawa died later in hospital and the incident caused a big stir in Shanghai at the time.^[15] Bawa was sentenced to death by hanging but on the day of the hanging, the rope broke and Bawa survived the attempted execution.^[15] Thereafter, Bawa's sentence was commuted to life imprisonment, and he served his sentence in India.^[15] Some members of the local Sikh community at the time considered the failed execution as a miracle of divine intervention.^[15]

The Sikh community in Shanghai was divided along regional lines from back in Punjab: the Majhais and the Malwais.^[15]

During the May Thirtieth Movement in 1925, Sikh policemen, alongside Chinese policemen, opened fire on anti-imperialist Chinese protesters at Louza Police Station on Nanjing Road, which led to many casualties, including nine fatalities.^[15] This incident triggered further unrest against foreigners and imperialism throughout China.^[15]

By 1920 there were 573 policemen in Sikh branch.^{[citation needed]} By 1936, out of the total 4,739 policemen of the Shanghai Municipal Police, 558 of them were Sikhs belonging to the Sikh contingent.^[15] The Old Sikh Gurdwara at 326 Dong Baoxing Road was opened in 1908.^[16] 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]} Many Sikh policemen in Shanghai started returning to India in the late 1930's after the Japanese success in the Battle of Shanghai.^[15] The Indian police unit of the SMP was disbanded in 1945.^[15]

Between 1930–1935, the Tibetan spiritual leader, Khyungtrül Rinpoche (Khyung-sprul Rinpoche), travelled to India for a second time, visiting the Golden Temple in Amritsar during this visit.^{[17]: 78 [6]} Whilst visiting Amritsar in 1930 or 1931, Khyung-sprul and his Tibetan entourage walked around the Golden Temple while making offerings.^[17]: 78 Khyung-sprul referred to the Golden Temple as "Guru Nanak's Palace" (Tibetan: Guru Na-nig-gi pho-brang).^[17]: 78 Khyung-sprul returned to the Golden Temple in Amritsar for another time during his third and final visit to India in 1948.^[17]: 80

Several years later after the 1930–31 visit of Khyung-sprul, a Tibetan Bonpo monk by the name of Kyangtsün Sherab Namgyel (rKyang-btsun Shes-rab-rnam rgyal) visited the Golden Temple at Amritsar and offered the following description:^[17]: 78

"Their principal gshen is the Subduing gshen with the 'bird-horns'. His secret name is Guru Nanak. His teachings were the Bon of Relative and Absolute Truth. He holds in his hand the Sword of Wisdom . . . At this holy place the oceanic assembly of the tutelary gods and buddhas . . . gather like clouds"

— Kyangtsün Sherab Namgyel

Kyangtsün Sherab Namgyel conflated the essence of Sikhism with the "the sphere of the supreme Bon" and believed the Golden Temple in Amritsar was a "a citadel for the life-force of the eternal [Bon] tantras".^[6] He referred to Amritsar as "Gyakhar Bachö" (rGya mkhar ba chod) due to the similarities of Sikhs (beards and turbans) to descriptions of ancient Bonpos.^[6] He refers to the Sikh turbans as “bird horns” (bya ru), which is believed to be a unique feature of the eighteen kings of Zhangzhung and early Bonpo priests.^[6]

Another Tibetan, Dzamyag, identifies the Golden Temple as the most sacred shrine of Sikhism but believed it held sacred objects connected to Padmasambhava and his consort Mandāravā:^[6]

We visited some ornaments [kept] in a shrine [and] said to be, according to the tradition, the body ornaments of princess Mandāravā, and, in [another] shrine [we saw] the ritual objects said to be those of Guru Rinpoche.

— translated by Lucia Galli, Kha stag ʼDzam yag (1997), page 146

According to some Tibetans, the sarovar of the Golden Temple in Amritsar was linked to the lake of Padmasambhava.^[6]

• 
  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

Present

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.^[10]: 212 Many Sikh men had settled permanently in China by this time and had married local Chinese women, bearing mixed offspring.^[15] After 1949, the Chinese increasingly began to view Sikhs as an "undisciplined community" and "hated enemy".^[15] The last Sikhs left Shanghai in 1973 after the Sino-Indian War in 1962, these last Shanghai Sikhs shifted to Hong Kong.^[18][15] The Sikh presence in Shanghai is a shell of its historical self but is slowly rebuilding due to business enterprises.^[10]: 212

Gurdwara

There are a small number of gurdwara (Sikh temples) in China:^[19]

• Gurdwara Shanghai, Shanghai^[20] - construction starting in 1907 on Dong Baoxing Road on land allotted by the Shanghai Municipal Council.^[15] It is now a residential complex and clinic.^{[10]: 212 [15]}
• Khalsa Diwan Sikh Temple, Hong Kong^[21]
• 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]}

• 
  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

• Sikhism in Hong Kong
• Sikhism in South Korea
• Sikhism in Japan

References