Overseas Chinese

The term overseas Chinese applies to the over 30 million ethnic Chinese and Chinese citizens living in more than 136 countries outside of the Greater China Region (He). The overseas Chinese can also be equated to people from any of the 56 ethnic groups that originally lived in China and people of partial Chinese ancestry (New World Encyclopedia).
The overseas Chinese have become the most widespread ethnic group in the world and have played a major role in the economic development of every country they are now present as well as dominating the economies of Asian-Pacific countries. Many overseas Chinese generally have become dedicated citizens in the country in which they reside as can be seen in that they have been dubbed the 'model minority' in the US (He). In Singapore, the overseas Chinese constitute the majority of the population and many southeastern Asian countries, overseas Chinese residing in these countries control a disproportionate amount of the economy (New World Encyclopedia). For example, Chinese people living within Malaysia control more than 55% of the Malaysian economy contributing to friction with native populations (New World Encyclopedia). Due to consistently meaningful contributions to regional development there is an emphasis on their historical role in globalization today while considering the evidence of how they have often been neglected, ignored or actively suppressed (He). The oppression of the Chinese is similar to some of the oppression the Jews faced in Europe as both groups were extremely industrious and increased the competition in job markets.
Historically, Chinese emigration first occurred thousands of years ago, as early as 210 BCE in early search of "elixirs of immortality," (New World Encyclopedia).  Later,  in the 1100s, Zheng He established Chinese trade and exportation throughout the Indian Ocean, dispersing many Chinese as merchants and laborers in these new ports.  Emigration increased in the 16th century where Chinese people primarily spread throughout southeast Asia,  creating a pattern of settlement lasting through the 19th century (New World Encyclopedia).  However, the 19th century posed many problems in the Greater China region as well as global politics that affected the further dispersal of overseas Chinese. In the 1800s, starvation as well as political corruption and civil unrest in mainland China led to mass emigrations, this time, primarily to the Americas, Europe and southern Oceania (New World Encyclopedia).  Also in the 19th century, slavery was abolished in British colonies, creating a surge in demand for cheap labor. This led to the replacement of African slaves with coolies; unskilled laborers from China (New World Encyclopedia). The Coolie trade in addition to the 1849 California Gold Rush was the impetus for a surge of immigration of Chinese into the US. In fact, coolies were the primary work force that created the first transcontinental railroad in America (New World Encyclopedia). However, the increase of Chinese population led to both the US and Canada creating statutes barring Chinese entry into the countries, most notably the United States Chinese Exclusion Act (New World Encyclopedia). On the other side of the globe, the Chinese Revolution of 1911, partially funded by overseas Chinese, created another outpouring of Chinese immigrants spreading across the globe in an attempt to escape the disarray that accompanies a coup (New World Encyclopedia). In 1989, political unrest culminating in Tiananmen Square, Chinese emigration accelerated again, creating difficulty in establishing a new order in 1997 (New World Encyclopedia).

Presently, the degree of assimilation of overseas Chinese varies from place to place. In the United States, as I mentioned earlier, Chinese have become the model minority, as they are extremely competitive students and job applicants for a wide variety of career fields. However, there still exist very segregated neighborhoods of Chinese culture in most major cities (think China Town, NYC). In other countries like Myanmar, there is rarely intermarriage despite culturally adopting some Burmese traditions (New World Encyclopedia). The variance in Chinese assimilation indicates part of why much of the Chinese economic system hasn't spread or come to dominate  the US's economy. Though the Chinese have spread to every corner of the world and have become quite and industrious economic powerhouse, the lack of liberalism and the presence of policies Western countries can't or won't relate to limits Chinese economic proliferation on every level.


Works Cited

• Chinese Population Outside China. Digital image. New Geography. 23 Oct. 2011. Web.
• He, Yan. "The Importance of the Overseas Chinese." OHIO University Libraries. Ohio University, 10 July 2014. Web. 14 Apr. 2015. <http://www.library.ohiou.edu/about/collections/international-collections/overseas-chinese-collection/the-importance-of-the-overseas-chinese/>.
• "Overseas Chinese." New World Encyclopedia. New World Encyclopedia, 15 May 2013. Web. 14 Apr. 2015. <http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Overseas_Chinese>.