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 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.