An Analysis Of The Causes Of Settlement Of Southeast Asian Immigrants In Southern Fujian From The Early Ming To The Mid-Qing

There was a process from the early Ming to the mid-Qing period when Southeast Asian immigrants in the south Fujian region went from residence to settlement.People in south Fujian did not go to Southeast Asia as immigrants in the beginning,but temporarily settled overseas during the winter and waiting for the sale of goods,some of them were transformed into overseas Chinese for domestic policy,colonial policy and social and cultural reasons.The genealogical account of livelihoods and relocation reflects the process of moving people from relocation to settlement.The Quanzhou Genealogy records that most of the overseas Chinese descendants are buried overseas and do not return,reflecting the prevalence of Minnan settlement in Southeast Asia.From the early Ming to the mid-Qing period,the settlement of Southeast Asian immigrants in south Fujian can be divided into three periods: the pre-Ming,the late Ming to early Qing,and the early to mid-Qing period,with the opening of Haicheng in the first year of Longqing era(1567)and the ban on Nanyang trade in the fifth year of the Yongzheng era(1727)as the dividing point.During the pre-Ming period,from Hongwu Dynasty to Jiajing Dynasty,a more severe policy of sea prohibition was adopted to restrict private maritime trade,and during this period the number of overseas migrants was relatively small,mainly displaced persons and Japanese pirates squeezed out by the sea prohibition,mainly in Java and Sumatra,concentrated and led by leaders,most of whom settled overseas.In the early Ming period,immigrants were recruited,and some of them returned because of the bull.In the late Ming Dynasty,the partial opening of the sea ban in Yuehang,coupled with the successive arrival of Western colonialists in Southeast Asia for colonial development and the need for goods and labor,provided an opportunity for southern Minnesotans to go to sea on a large scale,coupled with the return of those who were not allowed to reside in the South Ocean in the early Qing Dynasty,a large number of overseas Chinese could only settle down,and their numbers increased greatly and were mainly distributed in the trading centers of the colonies,with the Philippines being the place with the largest migration during this period.The further development of plantation and mining in Southeast Asia from the early to mid-Qing period,as well as the development of the British Channel colonies,led to a substantial increase in diaspora migration,dominated by Siam,Borneo and other industrially developed and newly developed regions such as Malaysia and Singapore.The pre-Qing regulations on the length of time for merchant ships to trade and immigrants to go abroad also forced a large number of Chinese to settle overseas,and it was not until the time limit was lifted in the nineteenth year of the Qianlong period(1754)that overseas immigrants had the opportunity to return to their home countries,with increasing contact with the mainland.This paper deals with the reasons for the settlement of overseas migrants from three aspects: economic,political,social and cultural.Economically,the economic background,such as population and land pressure,and the mutual traction of people and townspeople,are the reasons that drive the Minnan people to go abroad.Minnan region "field more rebuke halogen",the natural geographical environment of the field is not enough to cultivate the south of Minnan people in order to earn a living can only be forced to go abroad to earn a living,Minnan’s superior coastal environment has also provided people with the convenience of going abroad.Many of those who go abroad are homeless or bankrupt and have no ties in the country,so there is a good chance that they will settle down after going abroad.On the other hand,relatives and friends support each other and help alleviate the difficulties of operating in a foreign country and reduce the loneliness of Chinese in a foreign country,making more people willing to stay in the local area.And the lucrative profits and colonists’ policies were the pull from overseas.The lucrative and preferential policies of the colonizers attracted a large number of Chinese to go abroad,but the forced assimilation of the Chinese by the colonizers and the use of opium to control the Chinese forced them to settle.On the political front,Zheng He’s lowering of the western part of the Yuppie and the social unrest caused by the Japanese invasion and political changes were the forces that drove the Minnan people to go abroad.In contrast,the respect,higher status and privileges enjoyed by the Chinese in Southeast Asia have increased their sense of goodwill and identification with the region and made them more willing to settle down.As the number of diasporas increases,Chinese settlements are established and more people are attracted to them,and the settlements continue to expand.On the social front,going abroad has become a socially acceptable trend and the tolerance and understanding of immigrants among the population has encouraged people to settle abroad,while intermarriage with local people has promoted the integration of Chinese into the local community and increased their settlement possibilities.In terms of culture,the transplantation of domestic lifestyles and cultural traditions by Minnan people has transferred the Chinese people’s longing for and sense of identity to the local area,satisfying their spiritual needs and strengthening their will to settle down.The establishment of geo-and blood-related organizations,such as temples,guildhouses,ancestral halls,yoshiyama and clan associations,is conducive to maintaining group order,enhancing the ability of migrants to adapt,gradually forming a cultural community of overseas Chinese,strengthening the links between overseas Chinese and their places of origin,and promoting the continuous development and maturity of overseas migrant societies.