A Study Of Overseas Chinese Expatriates In Modern Times

Shandong, an important province situated on China's east coast, has convenient external transportation. People in this province have a long history of going abroad. Since ancient times, masses of natives have gone abroad and settled down there because of business, warfare, famine. Especially, since modern times, Shandong migrants have spread their footprint across five continents and over ninety countries and regions. After the opium war, China was gradually reduced to a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society. As a result, the villages went bankrupt and various industries became worse and worse. Thus farmers and craftsmen went abroad to make a living. Meanwhile, in order to develop colonies, western colonists need a large number of cheap labors. Therefore, they began robbing Chinese labors, forming the first large-scale immigration in China. People in Shandong were forced not only to migrate out of the province but to go abroad as well. Based on the historical background of the late Qing dynasty and the Republic of China, this article is aimed at introducing the overseas situations of immigrants from Shandong province and their influence on China and the host countries.This article is mainly told in the following several aspects:The first part is the evolution of modern policy on immigrants. From these policies, we can see that the attitude of the government to the overseas immigrants has changed. The change not only showed the progress of the immigrants' policy, but reflected the wise option that China had made in order to keep up with the trend of the history. The second part shows the distribution and identity of immigrants in Shandong province, including the reasons why they went abroad, their distribution and occupational conditions. As for the reasons, it concludes 2 aspects, domestic thrust and abroad tension. In addition, the typical immigrants' changes represented the changes of the most overseas immigrants. The third part mainly tells the activities and contributions that the immigrants made. They took an active part in the politics, economy, culture and social activities in China and the immigrant's countries and made great contributions. Moreover, they are a link between China and the immigrant's countries. The next part is about the comparisons between immigrants from Shandong province and immigrants from other provinces. They are all indispensable parts in the history of China. This part will analyze their difference in reasons for going abroad, distribution, types of immigrants and their influences. The last part will introduce the historical status of the immigrants and their influences. This part will be told in five ways: the development of the immigrants and the inheritance of Shandong culture, their perseverance and struggling spirit, the great contributions they have made to Shandong province and the immigrants countries and the role they played in the national cultural communication.Take a panoramic view of the expatriates from Shandong,their unyielding and uplifting spirits have been encouraging generations of Chinese people to go abroad. Diligent and competent,people in Shandong holds powerful cohesion. Although living abroad,people of Shandong shows deep homesickness,which manifests the strong patriotic feeling throughout the whole history of Shandong immigrants. It is those thousands of people overseas that spread the traditional culture of China and bring in the excellent culture from overseas. All these contributions promote the development of the cultural diversity in the world.