From Border to Border

邊界移動兩百年

 

印度的加爾各答，一個走過英國殖民歲月，容納多元的族群、信仰與文化的城市，有著其他印度城市沒有的「唐人街」。中國早餐、鞋鋪與平價餐館，這些被印度主流社會視為「異國風情」的背後，隱藏著兩百多年來居住此地，漫長而艱辛的華人移民史。

 

18世紀末，為了逃離家鄉的動盪與貧困，華人移民長途跋涉，來到當時英屬印度的「黃金地」加爾各答。來不同地域，操着不同方言，來自山東、上海、湖北、廣東、梅州的華人，他們貢獻的手工技藝，成為大英帝國發展下重要的勞動基礎。印度華人的職業，從製鞋、洗衣、鑲牙、到製革，是印度教種姓制度下賤民階級的工作。然而，勤奮持儉的華人，在嚴格的種姓分工夾縫裡，憑著手藝，在異鄉打出一片天下。

 

儘管世居印度多年，隱匿於城市邊界，圍起高牆的印度華人，仍逃離不了隨大時代下政權輪替而至的動亂紛擾。1930年代風起雲湧的印度獨立運動、二戰的爆發、國共內戰......接踵而來1962年中印邊界戰爭，在愛國主義沸騰的口號與旗幟下，華人一夕之間失去了身份與家。今日，矗立在印度西北戴奧里集中營的殘存高牆，是許多印度華人記憶中難以磨去的傷痕，長年以來沈默的歷史傷口、生活和心理上權益與身分的不明確，傳統行業在現代社會的變遷與衰落，有人留下，更多人選擇出走......

 

《邊界移動兩百年》以八個章節，探見印度華人兩百年間「來」與「去」的歷史脈絡與生活情景，以大時代為軸，影片採訪老中青三代印度華人，將他們身處時代邊緣的生命記憶，對照大時代的歷史影像紀錄、以及印度左翼導演Mrinal Sen《藍色天空下》見證的1930年代，拼貼出印度華人在時代洪流中消聲的歷史與聲音，呈現當代多元的身份認同和生存處境。影片同時以語言、氣味、臉等視角穿插切入，細膩的對照不同世代、身份與職業背景的印度華人心理狀態；社會與個人正面臨變動的未來。影片記錄了舊日華人聚落的最後一抹殘暉，並留下珍貴的口述史與歷史影像。

 

 

 

 

 

SUMMARY 

 

Taking place in Calcutta’s Chinatown, From Border to Border recalls the complicated relationship that continues to divide India’s ethnic Chinese and mainstream Indian communities.  Supposedly marked by social exclusion and self-segregation, the ethnic Chinese community has remained a mystery despite generations of living in India.  Through a collection of oral narratives divided into chapters of the film, Chung Shefong and her film crew carefully uncover the intriguing yet troubled history of India’s Chinese community through a broad array of chapters.
 

Starting from the Chinese community’s arrival in India in the 1700s, to the effects of the 1962 Sino-Indian border conflict, to their recent mass emigration, From Border to Border puts voices to faces as interviewees retell their histories and describe the timeless struggles of immigration: generational discrimination and alienation, cultural preservation and familial expectations.

 

CHAPTERS

 

SUGAR, TEA, LEATHER  Calcutta’s Chinatown is characterized by a mosaic of different Chinese migrations, each migration marked by a different sub-culture, language and occupation.  Starting in the 1780s in Achipur, the first Chinese settlers migrated to India to work in a sugar factory built by “Acchi,” the accredited founder of Calcutta’s Chinatown.  In the 1800s, more Cantonese settlers began immigrating to India as tea garden laborers or carpenters in the hills of Assam.  Finally, in the years leading up to World War I, Hakka Chinese began to build their own community around Dhapa (also called Tangra), a leather tanning community that later grew to include shoe shops and restaurants.  Interspersed within these migrations were Hubei folk dentists and Shandong silk hawkers. THE UNCLEAN  As current members of the Chinese-Indian community open their doors to the film crew , they proudly explain their family’s backgrounds.  Most families came to India in search of economic opportunity, often willing to do work that was otherwise avoided or looked down upon by the Indian population.  As a result, the Chinese community remained a separate entity from the Indian community.

THE INDEPENDENCE ERA  During the Independence Era, the Chinese community found themselves faced with questions of identity and national pride as British rule came to an end and Indians celebrated their autonomy.  At the same time, ties to the mainland were severed among individual families of the Chinese community as the Chinese Civil War in 1949 left many families unable to return to their homes in the mainland. BORDERS  For the Indian community, 1962 was a year of humiliation and instability.  But for the ethnic Chinese community, 1962 is a marker of tragedy and rejection.  Very similar to the Japanese-American internment, the Chinese-Indian internment marked the legalized persecution of 3,000 ethnic Chinese who were accused as spies working for the Communist government.  From 1962 to as long as 1968, families were interned in Deoli Internment Camp in Rajasthan, and under very poor conditions.  Even after their internment, Chinese families continued to face persecution, whether it was through travel restrictions, land confiscation or social exclusion. FACE  Living among such a close-knit and tradition-bound community has proven difficult for both young and older Chinese alike.  Bound by expectations to maintain Chinese identity and to conform to cultural expectations, interviewees explain their struggles and triumphs in finding acceptance of their individuality. 

 

SCENTS At one time, leather tanneries used to be the lifeblood of the Tangra community.  But once journalists began to point at the leather factories as a source of mass pollution, tanneries were shut down, disgruntling owners and workers and even causing many to emigrate. LAST STOP Members of the Chinese community finally share their thoughts on the future and current status of the Chinese-Indian community.  Some individuals speak of their desire to remain in India and acceptance of an Indian identity, but also reaffirm occasional feelings of alienation among the Indian mainstream.  Others speak of the abundant opportunities and security in other countries.  Regardless of their individual hopes and aspirations, interviewees recall bittersweet experiences of growing up in India as a Chinese-Indian.

 

by  Yeeve Cheng 2013