Chen Songbo: Chinese the magical journey in Colombia, this magical land known as "One Hundred Years of Solitude", gave birth to Márquez, the most famous literary magnate in the world literary circle, and Escobar, the most influential drug lord of the century. However, behind these big shots and big events, there is one story that few people notice - the adventures of more than 20,000 ordinary Chinese here.
In 1955, journalist Márquez was forced to leave his country after a report exposing the heroes of government manufacturing. Meanwhile, on the other side of the globe, a group of Chinese with a Guangdong Taishan accent are saying goodbye to their families, boarding a ship from Macau and finally arriving in Colombia after months of drifting at sea. Among them, there was a young man in his early 20s named Chen Songbo.
For him, coming to Colombia was not for nothing, because in his family, people have been coming to the Americas to pan for gold for almost a hundred years. He borrowed money from the family's "bank" to open a Chinese restaurant and found a foothold in Colombia. This phenomenon of going overseas to pan for gold is incomprehensible to many people, why should these people leave their homes and even risk their lives?
The reason is the difficulty of the survival of the coastal population and the strength of the family mutual aid system. The strength of a family is limited, and without the support of the family and fellow villagers, even the cost of traveling abroad is not enough, let alone the cost of doing business. As a result, "family banks" were created to provide loans to those who wanted to go to the Americas to pan for gold.
And the borrower not only needs to repay the loan, but also has the obligation to take care of his later fellow villagers, otherwise he will lose the recognition of the family, which means that his family will not be able to establish a foothold in his hometown in China. With this model of mutual aid, Chinese has traveled all over the world.
Chen Songbo has opened restaurants, chicken farms and textile factories in Colombia, and with his Chinese talent and luck in business, he realized his original dream and became a well-known entrepreneur in Colombia. However, his most influential thing was not that, but becoming the mayor of Columbia.
Mr. Chen, who won the election in 1981, sparked controversy over his Chinese face when he was sworn in as a judge. However, Chen Songbo did not defend himself, he handed his passport to the judge, who declared: "He is a pure Colombian, and now he is our mayor." "Since the 80s, Colombia has become the world's largest heroin smuggling base.
Escobar, the drug lord of the century, controls 80% of the heroin smuggling market in the United States. In order to expand and consolidate his position, he resorted to bribery and violence, bribing almost all officials and sending bullets to those who refused to accept bribes. He even has an army of tens of thousands of people, fully equipped and more militarily powerful than some small countries. Escobar also has close relations with the presidents of many countries and runs amok in Colombia.
In retaliation for lawmakers who wanted to convict, he ordered the army to storm Colombia's House of Justice, taking more than 300 officials hostage. In the end, the military police rescued the hostages, but at the cost of the lives of 11 judges and 48 military policemen. In addition to drug lords, Colombia also has anti-government guerrillas. Through his work One Hundred Years of Solitude, Márquez depicts Colombia's brutal and endless guerrilla history.
Colombia has long been in the midst of political turmoil and security chaos due to the presence of drug lords and guerrillas. This makes it difficult for the Chinese to promote their influence here. For Chan, after stepping down as mayor, he continued to work on the city council and opened a Chinese school. However, the school had to be closed due to the inability to find a Chinese teacher. This became his biggest regret in Colombia.
Most Chinese merchants send their children to the United States to study in order to preserve their business, and almost no young Chinese stay here. However, with the Colombian government's crackdown on drug lords and a ceasefire agreement with the guerrillas, Colombia entered a period of peaceful development.
Since 2014, Colombia has implemented a conditional visa-free policy for Chinese citizens, as long as they hold a long-term visa from the United States or the European Union, they can enter Colombia visa-free for up to 6 months. The policy attracted large numbers of Chinese immigrants from Qingtian, Zhejiang Province, who turned to this magical land to escape Europe's increasingly competitive environment.
Chinese goods are becoming more and more popular in Colombia, and Colombians like to consume and enjoy, and Chinese merchants have found opportunities to make money here. However, this also caused conflicts between the Chinese and local traders. In 2016, a protest against Chinese shops broke out in Bogotá, Colombia's capital, with local vendors protesting Chinese businesses disrupting markets.
Although the conflict was resolved, the previous affection of Colombians towards the Chinese gradually disappeared. Chinese traders, mainly from Qingtian, Zhejiang Province, moved their business from Europe to Colombia, but their short-term behavior affected the long-term Chinese living in Colombia. They are considered cunning, untrustworthy, tax evasion and contribution to the country. For nearly a hundred years, Chinese's magical journey in Colombia has been magnificent and colorful.
Chen Songbo now lives in seclusion in a farm villa in the suburbs, living an uncontested life. Looking back, he may remember the day when the emaciated young man said goodbye to his loved ones many years ago and bravely faced the vast waves and distant Colombia. In this story, we see the hardships and efforts of Chinese immigrants in Colombia, but also their contradictions and cooperation with the locals.
We should respect everyone's choices and praise them for their efforts and dedication. At the same time, we need to reflect on how to achieve more harmonious and peaceful coexistence between different cultures and backgrounds. Let's think about whether we can embrace and respect people from different countries and cultures in our own communities and create a better future together. What are your thoughts and suggestions?