Cultural Trail: Indian Chinese Post New Year Celebrations at Achipur

The Chinese welcomed their new year on Feb 1 and welcomed the year of the tiger. Kolkata, which still has a sizeable Chinese origin population was no exception. But the festival is far from over. The origin of the Kolkata Chinese settlement dates back to the late 18th century when Tong Achew (or Tang Dizong) a tea trader settled near present-day Budge Budge and started the first sugar mill in the country. The place later came to be known as Achipur after Tong Achew and the Kolkata Chinese still consider him as their God-father. After the Chinese New Year the Kolkata Chinese folk to Achipur to pay tribute to the first Chinese settler of the country. A visit to Achipur is never complete without a visit to the abandoned gun powder magazine. A place for storing gun powder for ships approaching the Kolkata port.

To know more about Achipur and…