A new documentary searches for the lost Chinese ancestors of two French-Caribbean islands. No, really.

Something strange happened two days before the Chinese New Year. At a Hakka habitat in Shenzhen's Henggang area, life became a bit more exciting than usual, not because of the upcoming festival, but by the presence of some exotic visitors who flew all the way from French Guiana and Martinique to the Pearl River Delta.

Seeing everything of this ancient oriental country with new and curious eyes, Jeanne Yang-Ting and her companions, Jacqueline Ho-A-Sim and Marc Ho-A-Chuck, were not really in the tourist's mood. In fact, they were looking for every scrap of possible information about their family origins. Hard to tell from outside, you might think, but beneath their unmistakably African appearance there runs a quarter of blood from their Cantonese ancestors.

This is no strange thing for French Guiana and Martinique, where there exists a huge number of mixed-blood people, just like Yang-Ting, Ho-A-Sim and Ho-A-Chuck.

The history of Chinese immigrants in French Guiana, mostly from Guangdong, dates back to the mid 19th century and, since then, more and more people from China have continued to arrive on their shores. Different from African and Indian immigrants, the Chinese people quickly transferred themselves from "coolies" to very successful merchants. Today, many of them are playing a very important part in the economies of French Guiana and Martinique. As time went by, they gradually fused into local society by marrying Creole people while introducing the best of their Chinese culture. This is rather distinct from Chinese immigrants elsewhere, who tend to insolate themselves away in Chinatowns.

It was exactly such a strange and unique phenomenon that inspired 34-year-old French director Jil Servant to start filming his documentary, entitled "Chinese immigrants in French Guiana and Martinique".

Born in Paris, Servant has a Martinique-originated family and a lot of Chinese friends from the island. "There are very few documentary materials about Chinese immigrants in France, and people know little about them. So I wanted to take this great opportunity to let them speak in my movie," said Servant.

Yet how did early Chinese immigrants reach French Guiana? And have they thoroughly fitted into the Guianan society yet? And how are those Chinese-Creole families doing now? And how do their mixed-blood children see their cultural identity?

With all these questions, Servant has researched many archives, and has sought help from related resources such as historians, sociologists, associations and several knowing individuals. Taking his production team on board, he then followed his subjects on an "origin-searching journey" to Guangdong.

As one of the characters to be featured in Servant's film, Yang-Ting showed her curiosity for her great grandfather, Yang Ting, a Cantonese doctor who took care of the sick immigrants on the boat, Galilée, which traveled to Martinique in 1860.

"I'd like to know why my great grandfather left his hometown and came to Martinique. Which part of Guangdong did he come from? But I couldn't access the documents since I don't speak the language…" said a disappointed Yang-Ting.

Being a melting-pot of diverse cultures from African and Indian to Creole and Chinese, Yang-Ting doesn't really see herself as a Chinese woman. "I don't look like a Chinese person, but I'm glad to have a part of the Chinese character within me," she said.

But the Chinese part will probably grow back on Yee-Fong, the little boy of Yang-Ting and her Chinese husband from an immigrant family in Martinique. "With his father and me, both cultures will be transmitted to my son. He shall be free to have a life for himself. I only hope that he can keep the best qualities from each of his origins."

With thousands of cross-cultural families like Yang-Ting's, the diversity and complexity of French Guiana and Martinique societies is seemingly here to stay. Hopefully, Servant can find the answers to his doubts and offer audiences a better insight into those mysterious Chinese immigrants who saw the golden sands of that Caribbean archipelago.

When to watch:

The documentary, "Chinese immigrants in French Guiana and Martinique", is still in production but will be broadcast later in the year by the French channel RFO. For more info: www.lalanterne.fr