Issue 20

Page 28

FEATURE

©iStock 2019. chengyuzheng

RISING FROM THE EAST: THE CHINESE DIASPORA By Valerie Kielee, Economics (2020)

O

ne out of every seven people in the world is from China. So it is certainly no surprise that the Chinese across the globe are becoming more visible, especially with the ever expanding climate of pop culture presence and business ventures today; the past year alone has shone a spotlight on the dazzling lifestyle of ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ and the notorious speculation surrounding Chinese tech giant ‘Huawei’ in the United States. The Chinese Diaspora – the ethnic Chinese who reside outside of mainland China – are one of the largest scattered populations in the world, but with regards to selfidentification most no longer see themselves as immigrants but members of the countries their parents or grandparents founded a home in. One can usually find multiple generations residing under one roof; ancestral tablets beside flat-screen TVs, English interspersed with Cantonese or Hokkien. Often underestimated, however, is the cultural and economic impact of the ethnic Chinese, most notably their instrumental role in the developing economies of Southeast Asia and even the West. Despite this, many still face discrimination in the form of tough immigration policies and even domestic rulings that bar those of a Chinese background from certain state benefits. This article explores the evolution of the Chinese diaspora from initial low-level immigration into what it is today – a hidden momentum for growth.

From China to Chinatown Although Chinese migration extends as far back as 210 BC, the term ‘overseas Chinese’, or Huáqiáo, was initially associated with the pre-Communist China era of mass migration which expanded during the mid-19th century (Liu & Van Dongen, 2013). It was during this period that many Chinese immigrants relocated to Malaysia and Singapore (both under British rule, which promoted enterprise), forming the English-educated “Straits Chinese” population. Many South Chinese also inhabited nearby Southeast Asia, furthering a movement that dates back to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), when the legendary envoy Admiral Zheng He sent pioneering expeditions to explore and trade in the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean. Many Chinese merchants

chose to settle in Southeast Asian ports such as Java, Malacca and Siam, forming families with natives and teaching their children to carry on their trade and establish unique blends of local and Chinese tradition such as that of the Peranakan culture in Malaya, remnants of which can still be observed today (Lee, 2016). A number of these ethnic Chinese also migrated to Europe in the period after the Xinhai Revolution (1911-12) and established recognisable communities. In addition, there was widespread emigration from the Sze Yup region to North America, due to the attraction of the notorious California Gold Rush, culminating in the dominant Toisanese communities being founded in the ‘Chinatowns’ of Canada and the United States (Kwong, 2007).

A number of these ethnic Chinese also migrated to Europe in the period after the Xinhai Revolution (1911-12) and established recognisable communities. The period between 1950 and 1980 saw new migration patterns, as Chinese from Hong Kong, Taiwan and SouthEast Asia began emigrating to Australia, western Europe and North America, as a reaction to the post-War era of travel and looser immigration laws (Liu & Van Dongen, 2013). Following the end of the Cultural Revolution in China, more liberalized emigration policies in the 1980s (as part of Deng Xiaoping’s ‘Opening of China’ reformation) encouraged the legal departure of Chinese nationals who joined their relatives abroad, in both Europe and North America. This coincided with a monumental demographic shift of China’s population induced by its rapid economic expansion, with some 200 million people leaving their homes for cities, creating social disorder, overcrowding and a downward pressure on urban wages, prompting the more ambitious to seek opportunities overseas (Kwong, 2007). Since then, a number of treaties and government initiatives have been implemented to facilitate the integration of a quickly industrialising China to the world stage. For instance, the ‘Four Modernisations’ program supported Chinese students and scientists in attending foreign institutions, particularly in industrialised nations. The United States consular offices issued more than 12,500 immigration visas to the Chinese in 1984, while the

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Issue 20 by Nottingham Economic Review - Issuu