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{{Use Indian English|date=December 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2025}}
{{Infobox ethnic group
| group = Assamese Chinese
| native_name = অসমীয়া চাইনিজ
| native_name_lang = as
| image =
| image_caption =
| population = Approximately 2,000
| regions = [[Makum]], [[Assam]], [[India]]
| languages = [[Assamese language|Assamese]], [[Chinese language]]
| religions = [[Christianity]], [[Buddhism]], [[Confucianism]]
| related_groups = [[Han Chinese]], [[Sino-Tibetan languages|Sino-Tibetan peoples]]
}}

The '''Makum People''', also known as the '''Zhongum people or the Assamese Chinese''', are a small community of ethnic Chinese living in the town of [[Makum]] in [[Assam]], [[India]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=17 November 2012 |title=The Assamese Chinese story |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/The-Assamese-Chinese-story/article15618808.ece |access-date=18 June 2024 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=21 October 2013 |title=Dream visit to homeland, 50 years after displacement |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/dream-visit-to-homeland-50-years-after-displacement/article5259209.ece |access-date=18 June 2024 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}}</ref> Today, they are scattered throughout Assam. This group is primarily composed of descendants of Chinese immigrants who migrated to Assam in two distinct phases. The first phase involved the Zhongum forming alliances with the Dimasa kingdom, leading to the establishment of the Ming branch, known as Benghuo. The second phase saw another group of Zhongum arriving in Assam in 1850 when the British brought them for tea cultivation; these people are known as Juwai.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=15 April 2022 |title=Did You Know About The Left-Out Chinese Community In Assam's Makum |url=https://www.sentinelassam.com/more-news/life/did-you-know-about-the-left-out-chinese-community-in-assams-makum-587575 |access-date=18 June 2024 |website=Sentinel Assam |language=en}}</ref>

== History ==
The history of the Assamese Chinese community can be divided into three distinct phases.<ref>{{Cite web |date=18 June 2024 |title=Assam - Ethnic Groups, Tea Plantations, Biodiversity {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Assam/People |access-date=18 June 2024 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> The first phase involved alliances with the [[Dimasa Kingdom]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=shravancharitymission |date=9 January 2021 |title=chinese ming dynasty |url=https://kamleshsujata.blog/tag/chinese-ming-dynasty/ |access-date=18 June 2024 |website=Shravan charity mission |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=About the Dimasa Kingdom of Assam |url=https://www.esamskriti.com/essay-chapters.aspx?sectionname=History&subsectionname=Indian-History&topicname=About-the-Dimasa-Kingdom-of-Assam-&chapter=1 |access-date=18 June 2024 |website=www.esamskriti.com |language=en-us}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Gerini |first=G. E. |date=1913 |title=Ti-ma-sa |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/25189042 |journal=Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland |pages=690–694 |jstor=25189042 |issn=0035-869X}}</ref> where a group of Chinese people, identified as the [[Ming dynasty|Ming branch]], established their presence in the region.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sharma |first=Avinibesh |date=29 October 2013 |title=Assam In The Eyes Of Hieun Tsiang |url=https://avinibeshsharma.wordpress.com/2013/10/29/assam-in-the-eyes-of-hieun-tsiang/ |access-date=18 June 2024 |website=Avinibesh Sharma |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Dutta |first1=Dibyajyoti |last2=Hazarika |first2=Dibyanjoly |date=December 2023 |title=Beyond the Colonial Lens: An Investigation into the Chequered History of Assam Tea |url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/03769836231211003 |journal=Indian Historical Review |language=en |volume=50 |issue=2 |pages=322–343 |doi=10.1177/03769836231211003 |issn=0376-9836|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Promoting silk industry in Assam hits to beat China – AG Group |url=https://aggrp.in/promoting-silk-industry-in-assam-hits-to-beat-china/ |access-date=18 June 2024 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Contours of Assam Insurgency |url=https://ciaotest.cc.columbia.edu/olj/sa/sa_mar01kod01.html |access-date=18 June 2024 |website=ciaotest.cc.columbia.edu}}</ref> The second phase began in 1850 when the British brought Chinese labourers to Assam specifically for tea cultivation.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Tale of Divided Identity of the Indian Chinese in Rita Chowdhury's Chinatown Days – Drishti |url=https://www.drishtithesight.com/volume-viii/a-tale-of-divided-identity-of-the-indian-chinese-in-rita-chowdhurys-chinatown-days/ |access-date=18 June 2024 |website=www.drishtithesight.com}}</ref>

The Benghuos, having arrived earlier, often view the Juwai as non-natives due to their British-facilitated migration, leading to intergroup rivalry. Despite this, both groups have grown to accept each other following the Indian concentration debacle. Over time, Benghuos have also mixed significantly with the Dimasas. Originating from [[southwestern China]], the Zhongum are of a distinct descent, with a language markedly different from Mandarin, indicating a unique cultural identity. The Benghuos historically referred to Assam as Feicu Wanguo, meaning ''"the kingdom of treasures."'' One can distinguish between Benghuo and Juwai individuals based on their surnames; titles such as Lui, Ming, Zhao, Qian, and Sun denote Benghuo heritage, while Yao, Gui, Ho, Wang, and Jiang are indicative of Juwai lineage. The Zhongum, who refer to their language as Zhong, proudly identify as Assamese people.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Di-ma-sa {{!}} Southeast Asia in the Ming Shi-lu |url=https://epress.nus.edu.sg/msl/place/di-ma-sa |access-date=19 June 2024 |website=epress.nus.edu.sg}}</ref>

During the [[Sino-Indian War]] of 1962, the Assamese Chinese faced systematic cleansing and cultural erosion.<ref>{{Cite web |date=30 December 2022 |title=Done For A War Time: Tales Of Separation And Longing Of The Indian Chinese Community |url=https://www.outlookindia.com/international/done-for-a-war-time-tales-of-separation-and-longing-of-the-indian-chinese-community-news-249105 |access-date=18 June 2024 |website=Outlook India |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Saikia |first=Nayanika |date=2 June 2022 |title=A Forgotten History of Assam |url=https://baos.pub/a-forgotten-history-of-assam-11d6f265a301 |access-date=18 June 2024 |website=Medium |language=en}}</ref> Many were interned, forcibly relocated, and their properties were confiscated. A notable example of this cultural suppression is the conversion of the Zhong School, a prominent Chinese school in Makum, into a Hindi school by force.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pioneer |first=The |title=Homecoming: Chinese to revisit birthplace in Assam |url=https://www.dailypioneer.com/2013/page1/homecoming-chinese-to-revisit-birthplace-in-assam.html |access-date=18 June 2024 |website=The Pioneer |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Saikia |first=Papari |date=3 April 2023 |title=Alien at birth: Chinese migrants in post-colonial Assam (1947-1962) |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09584935.2023.2203900 |journal=Contemporary South Asia |language=en |volume=31 |issue=2 |pages=179–192 |doi=10.1080/09584935.2023.2203900 |issn=0958-4935|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

== Culture ==
The Assamese Chinese have retained many aspects of their Chinese heritage while also adopting elements of Assamese culture.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A lost trail : the Chinese community of Assam |url=https://thecriticalscript.com/article-details/-A-lost-trail-the-Chinese-community-of-Assam |access-date=18 June 2024 |website=thecriticalscript.com |language=en}}</ref> They celebrate traditional Chinese festivals such as the Lunar New Year and the [[Mid-Autumn Festival]], while also participating in local Assamese festivities, like [[Bihu]]. Today many call themselves simply Assamese and identify with the [[Assamese people|Assamese culture]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=17 May 2015 |title=Assamese of Chinese origin facing severe identity crisis |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/assamese-of-chinese-origin-facing-severe-identity-crisis/articleshow/47317336.cms?from=mdr |access-date=18 June 2024 |work=The Economic Times |issn=0013-0389}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=28 June 2023 |title=India's Chinatown Is Home To Assamese Chinese - Community Brought From China As Tea Garden Workers |url=https://www.indiatimes.com/news/india/indias-chinatown-is-home-to-assamese-chinese-community-brought-from-china-as-tea-garden-workers-607368.html |access-date=18 June 2024 |website=IndiaTimes |language=en-IN}}</ref>

== Religion ==
The religious practices of the Assamese Chinese are diverse, including [[Christianity]], [[Buddhism]], and [[Confucianism]]. Christianity however still remains the predominant religion.<ref>{{Cite news |date=9 April 2019 |title=Minuscule Assamese Chinese community never misses chance to vote |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/elections/news/minuscule-assamese-chinese-community-never-misses-chance-to-vote/articleshow/68793383.cms |access-date=18 June 2024 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}</ref>

== See also ==

* [[Assamese people]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* Arnab Dey (2018). Tea Environments and Plantation Culture. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781108425737.
* {{Cite web |title=The Chinese community in Assam |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/the-chinese-community-in-assam/article34428917.ece |work=The Hindu |access-date=18 June 2024}}

[[Category:Ethnic groups in Assam]]
[[Category:Chinese diaspora in India]]

Makum people - Revision history

Dranvesh: starting new details