Using previously unexplored archives from colonial institutions and
individuals, and primary materials produced by the Burmese Chinese, this
comprehensive study investigates over a century of history of the
Burmese Chinese under British colonial rule. Due to the peculiar
position of Burma in the British imperial world and the Southeast Asian
Chinese network, the Chinese community had a unique experience in a
Southeast Asian colony governed by Europeans with an India-based system.
This book reveals, through everyday life experience, prominent community
figures, and milestone events, the internal rivalry and integration
among different regional groups within the community, and the general
impressions it left in contemporary observations and communal memories.
The book also traces historical roots of some unsolved ethnic issues in
present-day Myanmar.