Southeast Asian Contract Laborers On The Late Qing Dynasty

In the late Qing Dynasty, contract laborers abroad has become a universal phenomenon. Their footprints across Asia, Europe, the Americas, Africa, Oceania, and around the world. In these areas, the Southeast Asian region with China and adjacent to the unique geographical advantage of the contract laborers go abroad become the first choice.In the end of the 19th century and early 20th century, Western countries have established lots of colonial in Southeast Asia, In order to maximize the plunder of resources in Southeast Asia, the colonists need a lot of laborers eagerly to develop the Southeast Asia, and contract laborers is thinked by colonists, used to develop the Southeast Asia's best tool. Therefore, the colonists do everything to recruit contract laborers in a large-scale in China. Contract laborers in order to survive, in most cases was lured or forced to go abroad to Southeast Asia, and the number is gradually increasing. However, the contract laborers process of go abroad was not all smooth sailing, before abroad, most of the contract laborers were abducted or directly by plunder, are not voluntary; on abroad, they are often due to lack of food during transport, poor health conditions, many of the contract laborers were dead on the sea, the process was later referred to as "floating hell", after abroad, the surviving people have no access to good treatment, they are often subjected to employers refused to implement the provisions of the lease, contract laborers forced to work super-strength, to the greatest extent possible the oppressed and exploited them. Therefore, it can be said that the contract laborers suffered inhuman treatment. As the number of overseas contract laborers gradually increased, they are also persecuted by the growing concern of the international community to halt the persecution, the voice of protecting contract laborers gradually rising. Because of the pressure at home and abroad, the Qing government began to protect the interests of the contract laborers, such protection is divided into two aspects, one is protecting their families in domestic, the other is set up consulates in foreign. Although such protection implementation of the time are relatively late, and rights have also been a lot of restrictions, but such protection for contract laborers, to a certain extent, still played a certain positive role. After the 20th century 30,40, the history of contract laborers from The stage of history gradually disappear. However, the existence of contract laborers for the domestic as well as the significance of the contribution of the world will be saw for all.