The Forgotton Chinese Slaves of Portugal

[Anglojew]

There are records of Chinese slaves in Lisbon as early as 1540. According to modern historians, the first known visit of a Chinese person to Europe dates to 1540 (or soon after), when a Chinese scholar, apparently enslaved by Portuguese raiders somewhere on the southern China coast, was brought to Portugal. Purchased by João de Barros, he worked with the Portuguese historian on translating Chinese texts into Portuguese.

In sixteenth century southern Portugal, the number of Chinese slaves was described as "negligible", being outnumbered by East Indians, Mouriscos, and African slaves. A testament from 23 October 1562 recorded a Chinese man named António who was enslaved and owned by a Portuguese woman, Dona Maria de Vilhena, a wealthy noblewoman in Évora. António was among the three most common male names given to male slaves in Evora. D. Maria specifically selected and used him from among the slaves she owned to perform demanding tasks for her because he was Chinese. D. Maria's owning a Chinese, 3 Indians, and 3 Mouriscos among her fifteen slaves reflected on her high social status, since Chinese, Mouriscos, and Indians were among the ethnicities of prized slaves and were very expensive compared to blacks.When she died, D. Maria freed this twelve of her slaves in her testament along with several other slaves, leaving them with sums from 20,000 to 10,000 réis in money.

Chinese boys were kidnapped from Macau and sold as slaves in Lisbon while they were still children. Fillippo Sassetti saw some Chinese and Japanese slaves in Lisbon among the large slave community in 1578, although most of the slaves were blacks.

The Portuguese "highly regarded" Asian slaves like Chinese and Japanese, much more "than slaves from sub-Saharan Africa". The Portuguese attributed qualities like intelligence and industriousness to Chinese and Japanese slaves which is why they favored them more.

In 1595 a law was passed by Portugal banning the selling and buying of Chinese and Japanese slaves.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_Portugal

[Lusos]

We noticed especially their capability to play European Instruments.(Chinese,Japanese)

"In 1595 a law was passed by Portugal banning the selling and buying of Chinese and Japanese slaves."

This was also a political choice.