The story of the Sikh community in China has been characterized by a set of interconnected narratives, both underlining the community’s role in forging historical and cultural connections between India and China. From their role as the British Empire's policing arm in Shanghai, to their active participation in revolutionary movements and resistance against anti-imperial forces, the Sikh community in China has left an indelible mark on China’s national history. Their story illustrates the cultural-historical connections both India and China share, with communities and diasporas acting as intermediaries of cultural and social exchange between India and China.

Unfortunately, within China’s popular national narratives, the image of red-turbaned Sikh policemen has long symbolized imperial dominance, serving as a reminder of China’s national humiliation. At the same time, Sikhs in China contributed to the country’s political landscape. The perspective of Sikhs in China as a mere emblem of British control obscures the community’s influence on anti-imperial struggles. In this regard, the story of the Gadar Party presents a very interesting picture of an Indian community’s contribution to Chinese society and history. These two narratives of the Sikh community in China have made a significant contribution to India and China’s shared cultural connections.

The Sikh Imperial Arm in Shanghai

While on the one hand the Ghadar Party represented India and China’s shared belief in anti-imperial struggles, Sikh policemen in Shanghai were an important emblem of British control in Chinese society. Their recruitment into colonial police forces was motivated by three drivers -economics, defense and exhibition. The choice to hire Sikhs was cost-effective because they could be hired at cheaper wages than European constables. The international community also relied on Sikhs for their unique appearance and role in handling riots and street disturbances. Moreover, they were deployed to uphold order     in urban settings including regulating traffic.

 Sikh Soldiers in China

The reputation of Sikh soldiers was formed during the Boxer Rebellion at the turn of the 20th Century. From 1899 to 1901, China witnessed the Boxer Uprising, an anti-imperialist and anti-Christian insurrection. The Boxers were ruthless in their approach to eradicate anti-imperialist and foreign forces. Approximately 8000 British soldiers, primarily from the Sikh battalions, were involved in suppressing the revolt. On 4th August 1900, over 3000 Sikh soldiers from Punjab regiment were deployed from Tenjin to aid the besieged quarters taken over by the Boxers. It was on September 7, 1901, that the Boxer Protocol was signed which marked the end of the uprising.

For instance, Havaldar Kishan Singh of the 14th Sikh Regiment received a silver Victoria Cross for his actions during the revolt. On the other end of the spectrum, there was widespread sympathy among the Indian soldiers for the brutal suppression of the rebellion. The account of Gadadhar Singh of the 7th Rajput Regiment in his memoir, ‘Chın Me Terah Mas’ (Thirteen Months in China), provides an alternative perspective of an Indian soldier involved in the suppression of the revolt. Written shortly after his return to India in 1901, he detailed several aspects of life in China and especially the rebellion he witnessed first-hand.

Indian Sikhs also occupied positions in the British police force in various Chinese cities. This was done to support law enforcement and implementation. The practice of employing outsiders for policing has been customary in colonial nations and Shanghai followed suit. The presence of Sikhs acted as symbols of imperial authority, which was emphasized during ceremonial occasions such as Empire Day celebrations and royal birthdays. The Sikh community played a significant part in Shanghai's development, although their contributions have sometimes been overlooked due to a lack of oral histories. Their associations with British imperialism led to unfavorable perceptions in both China and India. Moreover, stereotypical portrayals in movies and comics like the ‘Adventure of Tintin’, further perpetuated historical inaccuracies amongst the youth narrativizing the partial picture of Sikhs in China. Sikh policemen were also given prejudicial names, like Hong Tou A-san (紅头阿三), which meant the Red-headed-number-three, referring to the red turbans worn by Sikh policemen and the lowly status of the Sikhs in the eyes of the Chinese.

Sikh Representation in Comic Books of China

The Ghadar Party in China

WHO WE ARE

If anyone asks who we are

Tell him our name is rebel

Our duty is to end the tyranny

Our profession is to launch revolution

That is our namaz, this is our sandhya

Our puja, our worship

This is our religion

Our work

This is our only Khuda, our only Rama.

— Kartar Singh Saraba (published in Ghadar ki Gunj)

The Ghadar party was founded in San Francisco, USA by Punjabi migrants to overthrow the colonial regime in India following the 1907 anti-Asian riots, which upset South and East Asians alike. The riots fostered a sense of camaraderie between communities from these regions, ultimately leading to China becoming a base for revolutionary forces.

The Shanghai arm of the Ghadar Party was established and tasked with freeing Burma in 1913. However, the British in both Burma and India were armed with an excellent spy network, rendering the Ghadar Party’s efforts unsuccessful. Despite the setback, the party’s activities in China continued, especially in Shanghai. From 1919 to 1930, the party collaborated with the USSR for soldier and spy training. They also had a string of publications, like the Hankou People’s Daily.

The Ghadars contributed to the revolution in China by joining the Chinese Revolution and condemning the use of Indian soldiers against the Chinese rebels by the British. As a formidable revolutionary group, the Gadar Party in China functioned as an important force dedicated to the undermining of colonial rule through the spread of ‘seditious propaganda’. Their activities reached a dramatic peak when the assassination of a British loyalist Sikh, Buddha Singh led to a heavy crackdown of their network in China by colonial powers. The act not only cemented the Ghadar Party’s status among Indian nationalists, but also aligned them with the revolutionary army of the Kuomintang Party. They declared British imperialism to be the common enemy of the Indians and the Chinese, and that the liberation of one country was tied to the liberation of the other.

“British imperialism is the common enemy of China and India. The Chinese people are struggling to free themselves from this imperialism. It is in the interest of humanity at large that British imperialism must be destroyed at all costs. Therefore, be it resolved, that we, the Hindustan Ghadar Party sympathize with, and endorse, in its entirety, the national program adopted by the Kuo Min Tang [Goumindang] Party of China. We disclaim and disapprove of any and all acts of brutality committed by the Indians, in the British service, brought to China under brute force, to hinder in any way, shape or form the movement for the national freedom of China”.

- Statement published by the Ghadar Party in San Francisco on 17 February 1927.

While they were not as successful as they would have liked to be in terms of their activities from China, they accurately sensed the importance of a Sino-Indian alliance, one that would be highlighted in international affairs in the aftermath of Indian independence. The Ghadarites never managed to regain the prominence they once had prior to the assassination, and saw their influence wane in China in the coming years.

However, the Sikh community in China, for over a century, served as a vital intermediary in cultural and political exchanges between India and China, where exchange of ideas as well as differences took shape. From the shared values embodied by anti-colonial struggles to discontent for the role that the colonized perform, the story of the Sikh community in China is an interesting example of how civilizational states interact through both ideas and discontent.