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Domain |
Explanation |
Remarks |
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Who are the overseas Chinese? |
- The overseas Chinese are people of Chinese origins living in countries other than mainland China, Hong Kong & Taiwan
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They consist of:
Permanent citizens of indigenous nations
Temporary Diaspora working & studying there before moving on elsewhere or back to China
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Can you elaborate on the concept of overseas Chinese? |
- According to The Encyclopedia of the Chinese Overseas, there are 4 aggregates of the Chinese:
- Mainland Chinese
: China
- Diaspora Chinese
: HK, Taiwan, merchants, students
- Overseas Chinese
: permanent citizens of host countries
- Integrated Chinese
: fully integrated into indigenous societies through mixed living & marriages
- Different concepts & perceptions pertaining to identities may create synergy or friction
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Mainland & Diaspora Chinese are citizens of PROC & ROC
Overseas Chinese retain blood ties & identify themselves as Chinese like most Singaporeans
Integrated Chinese have mixed blood & may not identify themselves with the Chinese like Thais
A mainlander once asked me (Singaporean) if I'm a Mainland Chinese & when I said I'm a Chinese, she seemed unsatisfied
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Why do the Chinese go overseas? |
- Due to Internal Migration & External Migration
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The push & pull factors
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- Internal Migration
:
- Natural disasters & seasons
- Find jobs & commerce
- Find new, vacant lands
- Avoid wars, famines, oppression
- Criminals & banishment
- Opportunities
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China was a dynastic empire until 1911
With each change in empire or government, chaos is inevitable
Coastal regions are always prosperous with futile lands & jobs
People with skills strike for fortune to bring home, others just work
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- External Migration
:
- 12th century - the present
- Sea trade: commerce
- South-East Asia: traders, merchants, diplomats, jobs
- Population of China exploded 300% between 1620-1850
- World development: jobs
- Colonial expansion: labour, end of slavery, jobs
- Internal chaos, rebellions, famine & oppression
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1100-1400: Dark ages, but prosperous China empire & economy, commerce & relations with Asia & Africa (Zheng He, 1371-1433)
1400-1700: Renaissance & Western strengthened & China reducing sea trade & empire changed
1700-1950: Industrial Revolution, colonial powers & development, China weakening with chaos, rebellions & opium
1950-: Western advance & dominance, China open-up, commerce & studies
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Does external migration give rise to overseas Chinese? |
- Yes, with the intentions & opportunities to seek out foreign lands, the Chinese migrate in large numbers
- 1100-1400: migrate to surroundings in Asia
- 1400-1700: migrate to America for jobs
- 1700-1950: migrate to colonies for jobs
- 1950-: migrate to cities around the world for work & studies
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External migration are through contract labour and relations
The means are mainly by sea transport (faraway) & land (near), air (recent)
Normally external migration follows internal migration, as the Chinese source for the best opportunities
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What happened to the overseas Chinese when they migrated? |
- The conditions & treatment the overseas Chinese received or were forced into ranged from okay to extreme
- Those who were better-off, streetwise or simply lucky lived & prospered
- Those who were poor, illiterate & contracted struggled to survive
- Segregation
& discrimination were prevalent in colonies & indigenous societies, prompting the overseas Chinese to band & live together in Chinatowns all over the world |
Thailand: trade in the 13th & 14th centuries & the Chinese were settled from the 16th century on
Jakarta: the Chinese tried to blend into the community (names, clothing, language, etc.) but to little avail
San Francisco: jobs in good times, discriminate in bad times, 1877 the Chinese Exclusion Act forced the Chinese into self-defence
Manila & Singapore: statutory Chinatowns (ghettos) formed for the Chinese
Others in London, Liverpool, South Africa
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Do the Chinatowns still exist? |
- Phenomenally, the fates of the Chinatowns vary:
- Some diminished & removed as the Chinese moved out (Oceania)
- Some are preserved for conservation & tourism (Singapore)
- Others remain functional & prosperous (Vancouver)
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The rise, survival & fall of Chinatowns are evident of the prevailing circumstances & attitudes in the indigenous communities towards the overseas Chinese
From observation, most Chinese moved out of the Chinatowns to source out further opportunities & niches to be integrated into the communities at large
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How are the relations of the overseas Chinese with Mainland Chinese? |
- Fluctuating, sometimes strong & sometimes weak as observed by Prof. Wang Gungwu in The Chinese Overseas Cycle:
- 1680-1840: Qing empire ignored those overseas leaving them to fend for themselves
- 1840-1949: hundred-year weakness, China encouraged overseas Chinese who in turn provided support
- 1949-1976: Mao's age of communism, China was politically strong but poverty-stricken, reduced support for overseas Chinese
- 1976-: China's open-door policy, encourages the concept of Greater China with support from overseas Chinese who have differing views
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The fluctuating relationships between China government & the overseas Chinese are conditioned & affected by a variety of political, social, historical, economic & miscellaneous factors
This can be summarised as when there is a need, there is always relationship
The concept of Greater China is a political initiative to attract Taiwan
But this concept does appeal to the sentimental feelings the overseas Chinese have for China
This can be a way of sorting attachments towards the Chinese identity
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How do the overseas Chinese maintain their way of life in foreign lands? |
- Besides Chinatowns, the overseas Chinese also band together in various ways to retain & remind their Chinese identity
- Initially, the overseas Chinese seek to mimic or photocopy their way of life in China
- As time goes by, they evolve new way of life & choose the proportioning of the indigenous and Chinese ways
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Chinese institutions & associations are formed to maintain links with fellow overseas Chinese as well as China
Social order & way of life (food, dressing, housing, religion & festivals) are followed to traditions
Commercial associations are fastest to evolve in part due to the business environment
Social & cultural changes follow
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What is fundamental to the overseas Chinese for the Chinese identity? |
- Education
- The enculturation, learning & development of Chinese identity is best fostered through education
- Education can also serve to extend the accommodating attitude of the Chinese to other communities as globalisation sweeps the globe
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In the 1950's, the overseas Chinese of Malaya painstakingly lobbied & donated for establishment of the first & only Chinese University outside of China - Nantah (1954-1980) in Singapore
Nantah is the predecessor of NTU
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What is the future outlook for the overseas Chinese? |
- The future is in the hands of the beholder
- Whatever the future maybe, through their Chinese identity, the overseas Chinese would always live & conduct themselves in the unique Chinese way
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As Doc. Brown said in Back to the Future, part III, "The future is what you make out of it"
I, as an overseas Chinese, truly wish that all Chinese live themselves according to the ways of the world, yet embracing that unique Chinese spirit within their hearts
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