Smita's Kolkata Chronicles

Since late 1600s commercial connections began developing between the ports of Calcutta and Canton through the Malay strait. The East India Company started importing several commodities from China such as tea, porcelain, silk, velvet, satin, ivory, fireworks, sugar candy, soy sauce etc. These were sold from auction houses in Calcutta, near the present day Armenian Church, and then sent off to Europe. The navigators of the Chinese ships landed to Calcutta but were never allowed to settle here as the British would not risk a loss in their trade monopoly.  China Town Gate at Tangra In 1778, a sailor variously called as Tom Atchew / Yang Daijong, Yang Dazhao, Yang Ah Chew proposed to hand over a ship full of tea for free. In return of this lucrative offer, Warren Hastings allowed him to set up a sugarcane factory and an ancillary rum distillation unit at Budge Budge. This marked the starting point of the oldest Indian China Town. The place is known as Atchepore today. Atchew appointed ...