| Chapter 1: | Mapping the Terrain of Identity, Memory, and the Media |
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The Chinese started to migrate outside China between the 12th and 20th centuries. The second part of the encyclopedia discusses six factors that caused Chinese migration abroad. First, China’s maritime and commercial developments allowed the Chinese to visit various places. Second, China’s interactions with Southeast Asia made the region attractive to live in. Third, the growth of the Chinese population narrowed the opportunities to earn a living. Fourth, Western military and industrial expansion in countries such as North America and England gave rise to job openings for Chinese laborers. Fifth, the arrival of the European shipping enterprise in China eased cooperation within the commercial sector as they exchanged goods and services. Sixth, domestic instability drove mass migrations from China abroad. It was this instability that caused mass migrations after World War II, specifically during Mao Zedong’s era.
How did the overseas Chinese live after leaving their ancestral home? The third section of the encyclopedia explores the establishment of several key institutions in the lives of the overseas Chinese. The most basic institution is the immediate family. There were members of the first generation of overseas Chinese who married locals (e.g., the peranakan communities in Southeast Asia). Then there were those who returned to China to look for suitable wives. At the beginning of the 20th century, however, the mass migrations of women to Southeast Asia and other countries contributed to the rise in the overseas Chinese population.
Religion was an important factor that determined the continued practice of Chinese culture in the overseas Chinese families. For instance, for families whose religious beliefs are Buddhism and Taoism, affinity with Chinese culture is still strong because many of the religious rituals, such as the use of incense in ancestral worship, are linked with Chinese culture. Conversely, those who practice Christianity cannot burn incense in any way.