Chinese Diaspora (19th–20th centuries) Beginning in the mid-1800s, millions of Chinese—mostly from Guangdong and Fujian provinces—migrated overseas due to poverty, war (Opium Wars, Taiping Rebellion), and political instability. They worked as laborers on railroads in the U.S., mines in Australia, plantations in Southeast Asia, and ports across the Americas. Often facing exclusion laws (e.g., U.S. Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882) and xenophobia, they formed tight-knit Chinatowns that preserved language and customs. Later waves included refugees from the 1949 Communist revolution and post-1978 economic migrants. Today, over 50 million ethnic Chinese live outside China, forming influential communities in Singapore, Malaysia, the U.S., Canada, and beyond. The diaspora has driven global trade, remittances, and cultural exchange. While early migrants endured hardship and discrimination, their descendants have excelled in business, science, and politics—turning marginalization into transnational success and shaping modern globalization from the ground up.
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