Historically, ancient China exported cultural, religious and philosophical thought to Vietnam, where it gradually developed and Vietnamized on its own. Beginning as early as the 19th century, the Hoa people were known during the French occupation for siding with Mainland Chinese forces and French forces in heavily exploiting Vietnamese resources. Despite this, the Hoa community still exists in contemporary Vietnamese society today, either as descendants of Han Chinese who have immigrated to Vietnam over the nation's long and complex history or as more recent immigrants. During the time that Vietnam was under Chinese domination, there was an attempt to assimilate the Vietnamese. The reverse happened where the Chinese Vietnamized and rebelled against Chinese Imperial rulers.