 Running tanneries and working with leather was traditionally not considered a respectable profession among upper-caste Hindus, and work was relegated to lower caste "muchis" and "chamars".There was a high demand, however, for high quality leather goods in colonial India, one that the Chinese were able to fulfill.Alabaster also mentions licensed opium dens run by native Chinese and a "Cheena Bazaar" where contraband was readily available.