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Preface
The 1980s saw the beginning of a major transformation in Chinese immigration to Great Britain, and indeed in that of many other countries. It is a transformation which is still going on. In Britain, the scale of ethnic Chinese growth has been so recent and rapid that its population rose from just over 12,000 in 1951 to nearly 250,000 in 2001. Beginning in the early 1980s there has been a substantial increase in and diversity of Chinese immigrants. This new wave immigration is characterised by Chinese not only from Hong Kong but also from China, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia. Some have come as first-time immigrants or remigrants, others as students, and still others as refugees and illegal immigrants. The regular channels contain family reunification, work-permit or short-term work contracts, business investments, education, and the need for specialists (including qualified nurses and Chinese cooks); whereas the irregular channels contain human trafficking or overstaying a visa.