7. Provide a general history of Chinese emigration into the early 20th century. Consider both “push” and “pull” factors. How did patterns and practices of emigration change with the rise of European powers in Asia, and especially in a post-Opium War China? What kinds of international trends (in trade, imperialism, state attitudes, labor conditions) shaped what Kuhn describes as the wave of mass emigration (mid 1800s-1920s)? Under what kinds of conditions did Chinese emigrate and to where? How did the Chinese state’s views of its emigrants change, and what kinds of views did other (receiving) nations have of Chinese migrants? Version 1: - Chinese immigration overseas can be traced originally to the Song dynasty, which has large amounts of maritime trade and interaction with other nations - From 1840 on, vast majority of Chinese migration is for labor reasons - Coolies and volunteer sojourner laborers in 1840 - Chinese laborers especially needed in America to fill in the gap left by abolition of slavery - 2 dates/treaties important for emigration in China. 1866- Qing allows emigration of people to Britain and France; In 1868- Burlingame Treaty- free migration and stationing of consuls in US, the Qing give free migration and stationing of consuls in US - In 1840’s-70’s, large amounts of Chinese laborers in US and deal with lots of racism and competition for jobs - Most Chinese immigrants/laborers are single men, and work for low pay - US ends Chinese immigration with 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act - Push/Pull Factors- European/US abolishment of slavery leads to labor shortage, and Chinese laborers begin to be needed across the world. - Many of these Chinese laborers were in “paraslavery”- not technically slaves, but dominated by their owners; Many Chinese emigrates were indentured - Opium war had huge effect on Chinese immigration - Western dominance of Chinese ports leads to mechanisms for labor recruitment and shipping them overseas; War and opium trade disrupted Chinese society and many were driven to emigrate to escape the poverty in China - Chinese immigrated all over Southeast Asia, United States, Australia - Chinese state originally did not acknowledge those who emigrated out of China, but it changed because of Chinese laborers/immigrants being treated horribly. - The Burlingame treaty=pivotal, and the Qing government begins to regulate emigration - Qing view Chinese population abroad as a potential resource - Receiving nations viewed Chinese as cheap labor - But white nations viewed Chinese as a threat to their jobs, and their solution was racism, stereotypes, and eventually exclusion Version 2: 13th century onward – Chinese commercial communities overseas, stayed in Asian areamid-19th century – Chinese migration beyond Asia Went to North America, Central America, Latin America, West Indies, Hawaii, Australia, Africa… Vast majority was labor migration from 1840 onward Taiwan went from a population of 100,000 in 1700s to 1.9 million in 1811 Officials leave home to serve in the provinces or capitals Merchants follow trade and markets Commoners for land and jobs Many who left home sent money back (remittances, plans to return) Mostly single men who emigrated In the 1800s in the US and Australia, Chinese migrants were directly competing with European migrants for jobs, resulting in exclusion laws What made migration possible was the changing technology of maritime commerce and the treaty-imposed system of recruitment on the Chinese coast Chinese migration to new venues meant harsh working conditions and bitter ethnic hostility; migration in SE Asia was still all about economic opportunity 1850 – Chinese first arrived in US with gold rush, they were independent laborers Burlingame Treaty of 1868 Principle of free migration – “for the purpose of curiosity, trade, or permanent residence” Overtaken by the exclusion act 1870 – already 63,000 Chinese in US, most in California; now over half are employed and working on railroads, in factories, and agriculture jobs; accepting lower pay because they Chinese-US exchange rates are good, they have no family to support Chinese Exclusion Laws – enacted in 1882, renewed in 1892 and 1902, made indefinite in 1904, and repealed in 1943 Heavily restricted Chinese emigration to US for 10 years (this is why it was renewed in 10 year increments) Chinese entered through Canada and Mexico Huaqiao = “overseas Chinese” Opening of China as a result of their loss to Britain in the Opium War Labor recruitment in the new ports, sustained by military foreign powers With no more opium trade, many Chinese had to find new ways to survive Many emigrated because the poverty and violence at home was more scary than migrating Under the old colonial system, Chinese who migrated overseas did so through systems run by other Chinese. After all of these trade ports were opened, foreign-run networks challenged the Chinese; the Chinese system still functioned Types of emigrants (loans and indentured servants had the most)Family or self paid Don’t owe anyone labor ABROAD Family expects you to take care of them back home Loans Took money from a kinship group or merchant Starts with someone back in china, but then you end up owing someone where you are now (brothership thing) A way to get stuck in a job Indentured servants 3 to 5-year contract to sign owe work instead of money they pay for you to come here it was often renewed – cheap labor! Sometimes by force – beat them up until they signed again Coolie system Forced system – like slavery Basically treated the same as slaves Differences from slavery On contract* - tried to legitimize, because slavery at this time was being outlawed Signed by fingerprint Beaten, put into a hold Brotherhood controlled everything (Chinese ships, settlements, etc) Version 3: • Initially at the start of the 1800’s Chinese immigrants generally went to the SEA countries to find work. o Whether it was real or not, working abroad was associated with an expansion of opportunities  The increasing population of China drove people to search for income abroad. o In the old immigration system, Chinese people arranged all the recruitment, labor, and transport.  These networks shared similar dialects, kinship, and regional origins, meaning workers tended to be more tightly knit. • After the first Opium War and the wars occurring in Southern China, the