108-420: Overseas Chinese people are people of Chinese origin who reside outside Greater China ( mainland China , Hong Kong , Macau , and Taiwan ). As of 2011, there were over 40.3 million overseas Chinese. Overall, China has a low percent of population living overseas . Huáqiáo ( simplified Chinese : 华侨 ; traditional Chinese : 華僑 ) refers to people of Chinese citizenship residing outside of either
216-508: A Principal Component Analysis, shows no clear difference between Cantonese from other Han Chinese groups, whether north or south, but shows significant separation from Xishuangbanna Dai (a Tai-speaking or Bai Yue group), implying that the Bai Yue component, while detectable, is the minor component in Cantonese ancestry. The Cantonese, while being primarily of Han Chinese ancestry, also possess, to
324-515: A colony of the Portuguese Empire in 1887. Macau was returned to China in 1999. By 2002, Macau had become one of the world's richest cities and by 2006, it had surpassed Las Vegas to become the world's biggest gambling centre. Macau is also a world cultural heritage site due to its Portuguese colonial architecture. The term "Cantonese" is used to refer to the native culture, language, and people who can trace their ancestral roots back to
432-781: A considerable role in the economy of the Philippines and descendants of Sangley compose a considerable part of the Philippine population . Ferdinand Marcos, the former president of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos was of Chinese descent, as were many others. Myanmar shares a long border with China so ethnic minorities of both countries have cross-border settlements. These include the Kachin, Shan, Wa, and Ta’ang. In Cambodia , between 1965 and 1993, people with Chinese names were prevented from finding governmental employment, leading to
540-566: A historical district of Manila, has become the world's oldest Chinatown. Under Spanish colonial policy of Christianization , assimilation and intermarriage , their colonial mixed descendants would eventually form the bulk of the middle class which would later rise to the Principalía and illustrado intelligentsia , which carried over and fueled the elite ruling classes of the American period and later independent Philippines. Chinese Filipinos play
648-504: A large number of people changing their names to a local, Cambodian name. Ethnic Chinese were one of the minority groups targeted by Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge during the Cambodian genocide. Indonesia forced Chinese people to adopt Indonesian names after the Indonesian mass killings of 1965–66 . In Vietnam, all Chinese names can be pronounced by Sino-Vietnamese readings . For example, the name of
756-449: A lesser extent, a minority, i.e. Baiyue component in their heritage, and so differ slightly from other Han Chinese groups in skin tone, build, stature and a higher incidence of certain diseases such as nasopharyngeal cancer. Until the 19th century, Cantonese history was largely the history of Guangdong and Guangxi, collectively known as Liangguang or Guangnan. Throughout history, there have been multiple migrations of Han people from
864-797: A major role in the establishment of the Malaysian Chinese Association and their meeting hall at Sun Yat Sen Villa . There was evidence that some intended to reclaim mainland China from the CCP by funding the Kuomintang . After their defeat in the Chinese Civil War, parts of the Nationalist army retreated south and crossed the border into Burma as the People's Liberation Army entered Yunnan . The United States supported these Nationalist forces because
972-452: A more general sense "Cantonese people" can refer to any Han Chinese people originating from or residing in the provinces of Guangdong and Guangxi (collectively known as Liangguang ), or it may refer to the inhabitants of Guangdong province alone. Historically centered around Guangzhou and the surrounding Pearl River Delta , the Cantonese people established the Cantonese language as
1080-622: A more political or ideological aspect in its use; while many in China may use Zhongguoren to mean the Chinese ethnicity, some in Taiwan would refuse to be called Zhongguoren . Cantonese people The Cantonese people ( 廣府人 ; 广府人 ; gwong fu jan ; Gwóngfú Yàhn ) or Yue people ( 粵人 ; 粤人 ; jyut jan ; Yuht Yàhn ), are a Han Chinese subgroup originating from Guangzhou and its satellite cities and towns (such as Hong Kong and Macau ). In
1188-593: A muddling of dialectical pronunciations of " Guangdong " (e.g., Hakka Kóng-tûng ). Although it originally and chiefly applied to the walled city of Guangzhou, it was occasionally conflated with Guangdong by some authors. Within Guangdong and Guangxi, Cantonese is considered the prestige dialect and is called baahk wá , [pàːk wǎː] ( 白話 ) which means "vernacular". It is also known as "Guangzhou speech" or Guangzhounese (廣州話, 广州话, Gwóngjāu wá). Other Yue peoples are sometimes labelled as "Cantonese" such as
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#17328477978331296-589: A reference to Tang dynasty China when it was ruling. This term is commonly used by the Cantonese , Hokchew , Hakka and Hokkien as a colloquial reference to the Chinese people and has little relevance to the ancient dynasty. For example, in the early 1850s when Chinese shops opened on Sacramento St. in San Francisco , California, United States, the Chinese emigrants, mainly from the Pearl River Delta west of Canton , called it Tang People Street ( 唐人街 ) and
1404-843: A result of anti-Chinese racism on the excuse that Dipa "Amat" Aidit had brought the PKI closer to China. The anti-Chinese legislation was in the Indonesian constitution until 1998. The state of the Chinese Cambodians during the Khmer Rouge regime has been described as "the worst disaster ever to befall any ethnic Chinese community in Southeast Asia." At the beginning of the Khmer Rouge regime in 1975, there were 425,000 ethnic Chinese in Cambodia ; by
1512-625: A result, there are today many Cantonese communities throughout the world, including in Southeast Asia , the Pacific Islands , the Americas , the Caribbean and Western Europe , with Chinatowns commonly being established by Cantonese communities. There have been a large number of interracial marriages between Cantonese men and women from other nations (especially from Cuba, Peru, Mexico), as most of
1620-601: A significant and immediate cultural shift at the time of Nanyue's establishment, especially in larger tombs, which began to deploy Han Chinese features such as ramps and compartmentalized coffins, and to contain traditional Han Chinese drinking vessels such as the hu, he , and ding as well as incense burners such as the xun lu . Buildings began to feature architectural elements from the Central Plains, including covered galleries, drains, stone lintels, and columnar bases. The Han aristocratic elite, however, did adopt features of
1728-548: A small dataset of 159 male labourers from Guangdong who were sent to the Dutch colony of Suriname to illustrate their point. They stated that the Chinese labourers were between 161 to 164 cm in height for males. Their study did not account for factors other than economic conditions and acknowledge the limitations of such a small sample. The Lanfang Republic in West Kalimantan was established by overseas Chinese. In 1909,
1836-635: A system of discriminatory laws known as the ' White Australia Policy ' which was enshrined in the Immigration Restriction Act of 1901 . The policy was formally abolished in 1973, and in recent years Australians of Chinese background have publicly called for an apology from the Australian Federal Government similar to that given to the 'stolen generations' of indigenous people in 2007 by the then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. In South Korea,
1944-450: A variety of discriminatory laws, including the prohibition of Chinese female immigrants. The relaxation of immigration laws after World War II allowed for subsequent waves of migration to the Western world from southeastern mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau. As a result, Cantonese continues to be widely used by Chinese communities of Guangdong, Guangxi, Hong Kong and Macau regional origin in
2052-507: A very early and continual stream of Han settlers from the Central Plains since the Qin era. Mass migration of Han Chinese produced a demographic change in the south, leading to the absorption of Tai-speaking minority groups. Paternally, the Cantonese population show no genetic difference from other northern and southern Han Chinese populations - Cantonese are generally descended from Northern Chinese Han males, and their Y-chromosome haplotypes conform
2160-647: Is an identification card issued to residents of the Republic of China who do not hold a National Identification Card. The relationship between ROC nationality and PRC nationality is disputed. Overseas Chinese refers to people of Chinese ethnicity or national heritage who live outside the People's Republic of China or Taiwan as the result of the continuing diaspora . People with one or more Chinese ancestors may consider themselves overseas Chinese. Such people vary widely in terms of cultural assimilation . In some areas throughout
2268-483: Is made up by migrant workers from elsewhere in China that speak non-Cantonese variants of Chinese and Standard Chinese . Though in recent years it is slowly falling out of favour with the younger generation prompting fears in Cantonese people that the language may die out. Cantonese language's erosion in Guangzhou is due to a mix of suppression of the language and the mass migration of non-Cantonese speaking people in to
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#17328477978332376-482: Is made), whereas the various recognized and unrecognized (by Taiwan) Taiwanese indigenous peoples are collectively recognized (by China) to be " Gaoshanren " (i.e. "High Mountain People"). The Gaoshanren are one of the 56 officially-recognized ethnic groups of China . The Nationality law of the People's Republic of China regulates nationality within the PRC. A person obtains nationality either by birth when at least one parent
2484-588: Is more common in recent decades. Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), recognizes 17 native Taiwanese ethnic groups as well as numerous other "New Immigrant" ethnic groups (mostly originating from mainland China and Southeast Asia). Of the 17 native Taiwanese ethnic groups, 16 are considered to be indigenous ( Taiwanese indigenous peoples ), whereas one is considered to be non-native ( Han Taiwanese ). There are also several unrecognized indigenous ethnic groups in Taiwan. The Han Taiwanese, who are Han Chinese people living in Taiwan, are usually categorized by
2592-506: Is of Chinese nationality or by naturalization . All people holding nationality of the People's Republic of China are citizens of the Republic. The Resident Identity Card is the official form of identification for residents of the People's Republic of China. Within the People's Republic of China, a Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passport or Macao Special Administrative Region passport may be issued to permanent residents of Hong Kong or Macao, respectively. The Nationality law of
2700-475: Is often used by the Government of the People's Republic of China to refer to people of Chinese ethnicities who live outside the PRC, regardless of citizenship (they can become citizens of the country outside China by naturalization). Overseas Chinese who are ethnic Han Chinese , such as Cantonese , Hokchew , Hokkien , Hakka or Teochew refer to themselves as 唐人 (Tángrén). Literally, it means Tang people ,
2808-609: The Bandung declaration explicitly stated that overseas Chinese owed primary loyalty to their home nation. From the mid-20th century onward, emigration has been directed primarily to Western countries such as the United States, Australia, Canada, Brazil, The United Kingdom, New Zealand, Argentina and the nations of Western Europe; as well as to Peru, Panama, and to a lesser extent to Mexico. Many of these emigrants who entered Western countries were themselves overseas Chinese, particularly from
2916-635: The Burma–Thailand borderlands . During the 1950s and 1960s, the ROC tended to seek the support of overseas Chinese communities through branches of the Kuomintang based on Sun Yat-sen 's use of expatriate Chinese communities to raise money for his revolution. During this period, the People's Republic of China tended to view overseas Chinese with suspicion as possible capitalist infiltrators and tended to value relationships with Southeast Asian nations as more important than gaining support of overseas Chinese, and in
3024-665: The Ningpo massacre after the defeat of Portuguese pirates. The First (1839–1842) and Second Opium Wars (1856–1860) led to the loss of China's control over Hong Kong and Kowloon , which were ceded to the British Empire . Macau also became a Portuguese settlement . Between 1855 and 1867, the Punti–Hakka Clan Wars caused further discord in Guangdong and Guangxi. The third plague pandemic of 1855 broke out in Yunnan and spread to
3132-535: The PRC or ROC (Taiwan) . The government of China realized that the overseas Chinese could be an asset, a source of foreign investment and a bridge to overseas knowledge; thus, it began to recognize the use of the term Huaqiao. Ching-Sue Kuik renders huáqiáo in English as "the Chinese sojourner " and writes that the term is "used to disseminate, reinforce, and perpetuate a monolithic and essentialist Chinese identity" by both
3240-459: The Pearl River outside Canton, merchants traded goods such as silk , porcelain ("fine china") and tea , allowing Guangzhou to become a prosperous city. Links to overseas contacts and beneficial tax reforms in the 1990s have also contributed to the city's ongoing growth. Guangzhou was named a global city in 2008. The migrant population from other provinces of China in Guangzhou was 40 percent of
3348-620: The Sangley , from Fujian and Guangdong were already migrating to the islands as early as 9th century, where many have largely intermarried with both native Filipinos and Spanish Filipinos ( Tornatrás ). Early presence of Chinatowns in overseas communities start to appear in Spanish colonial Philippines around 16th century in the form of Parians in Manila , where Chinese merchants were allowed to reside and flourish as commercial centers, thus Binondo ,
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3456-738: The South China Sea and in the Indian Ocean . In the mid-1800s, outbound migration from China increased as a result of the European colonial powers opening up treaty ports . The British colonization of Hong Kong further created the opportunity for Chinese labor to be exported to plantations and mines. During the era of European colonialism, many overseas Chinese were coolie laborers. Chinese capitalists overseas often functioned as economic and political intermediaries between colonial rulers and colonial populations. The area of Taishan, Guangdong Province
3564-564: The Taishanese people ( 四邑粵人 ; sei yāp yuht yàhn ), even though Taishanese ( 台山話 ) has low intelligibility to Standard Cantonese . Some literature uses neutral terminology such as Guangdongese and Guangxiese to refer to people from these provinces without the cultural or linguistic affiliations to Cantonese. Cantonese peoples are predominantly of Han Chinese ancestry and lineage with various local genetic clusters suggesting regional language-based endogamy . The Cantonese originate from
3672-945: The Taiwanese government into three main ethnic groups; the Taiwanese Hoklos , Taiwanese Hakkas , and waishengren (i.e. " Mainland Chinese people in Taiwan"). The Kinmenese and Matsunese peoples are two other significant Han Taiwanese ethnic groups. The Taiwanese Hoklos and Hakkas are both considered to be "native" populations of Taiwan since they first began migrating to Taiwan in significant numbers from Fujian and Guangdong over 400 years ago (they first began migrating to Taiwan in minor numbers several centuries earlier). They are often collectively referred to in Taiwanese Mandarin as "Benshengren" (meaning "people from this province "). Those self-identifying as Hoklo culturally comprise approximately 70% of Taiwan's total population and
3780-686: The Zhuang , Hui , Manchus , Uyghurs , and Miao , who make up the five largest ethnic minorities in mainland China, with populations of approximately 10 million or more. In addition, the Yi , Tujia , Tibetans and Mongols each have populations between five and ten million. China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), recognizes 56 native Chinese ethnic groups. There are also several unrecognized ethnic groups in China . The term "Chinese people" (Chinese: 中國之人 ; lit. 'People of China' Zhōngguó zhī rén ; Manchu: Dulimbai gurun i niyalma )
3888-591: The bamboo network , has a prominent role in the region's private sectors. In Europe, North America and Oceania, occupations are diverse and impossible to generalize; ranging from catering to significant ranks in medicine , the arts and academia . Overseas Chinese often send remittances back home to family members to help better them financially and socioeconomically. China ranks second after India of top remittance-receiving countries in 2018 with over US$ 67 billion sent. Overseas Chinese communities vary widely as to their degree of assimilation , their interactions with
3996-485: The gold mining and railway construction. Widespread famine in Guangdong impelled many Cantonese to work in these countries to improve the living conditions of their relatives. From 1853 until the end of the 19th century, about 18,000 Chinese were brought as indentured workers to the British West Indies , mainly to British Guiana (now Guyana ), Trinidad and Jamaica . Their descendants today are found among
4104-467: The 1950s to the 1980s, a period during which the PRC placed severe restrictions on the movement of its citizens. Due to the political dynamics of the Cold War , there was relatively little migration from the People's Republic of China to southeast Asia from the 1950s until the mid-1970s. In 1984, Britain agreed to transfer the sovereignty of Hong Kong to the PRC; this triggered another wave of migration to
4212-400: The Bai Yue culture, including the use of feathered headdresses as represented on Nanyue cauldrons, in order to bolster their authority amongst the indigenous people in the new hybrid Han-Yue polity. The Nanyue kingdom, which was led by a Han aristocracy and adopted Han bureaucratic structures, and which adopted a policy of assimilation and fusion with the native Bai Yue, then went on to become
4320-425: The Cantonese as they speak non-Yue Chinese languages. "Cantonese" has been generally used to describe all Chinese people from Guangdong since "Cantonese" is commonly treated as a synonym with "Guangdong" and the Cantonese language is treated as the sole language of the region. This is inaccurate as "Canton" itself technically only refers to the capital Guangzhou, and the Cantonese language specifically refers to only
4428-526: The Cantonese migrants were men. As a result, there are many Afro-Caribbeans and South American people of Cantonese descent including many Eurasians. Unlike the migrants from Fujian , who mostly settled in Southeast Asia , many Cantonese emigrants also migrated to the Western Hemisphere , particularly the United States , Canada , Australia and New Zealand and Burma. Many Cantonese immigrants into
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4536-616: The Cantonese themselves, and the other dialect groups of Guangdong during the Tang dynasty including the Hakka and the Teochew. Waves of migration and intermarriage meant that the indigenous populations of both Guangxi and Guangdong provinces were either assimilated or displaced, but some native groups like the Zhuangs remain. One notable migration occurred in the aftermath of the deadly An Lushan rebellion in
4644-504: The Central Plains into the region that is now Southeastern and Southern China. The first Chinese presence in Guangdong can be traced to the conquest by the Qin general Zhao Tuo and his subsequent establishment of the Nanyue kingdom, a hybrid Han-Yue polity as an independent state. There was a second wave of migration during the Han dynasty during the troubled reign of the usurper Wang Mang. However, it
4752-467: The Guangzhou dialect of the Yue Chinese languages. David Faure points out that there is no direct Chinese translation of the English term "Cantonese". People living in Guangdong and Guangxi may speak other Yue dialects or dialects from other Chinese language groups such as Mandarin , Min , Hakka , and Pinghua . The English name "Canton" derived from Portuguese Cantão or Cidade de Cantão ,
4860-549: The Hakkas comprise approximately 14% of Taiwan's total population. Meanwhile, the so-called Mainlanders (Taiwanese) are mostly descended from people who migrated from mainland China to Taiwan during the 1940s and 1950s. They are often referred to in Taiwanese Mandarin as "Waishengren" (meaning "people from outside of this province"). The Mainlanders (Taiwanese) comprise approximately 14% of Taiwan's total population. Collectively,
4968-650: The Han Chinese ethnic group) are all unrecognized by the Chinese government . Furthermore, the sixteen Taiwanese indigenous peoples that are officially recognized by the Taiwanese government are also all unrecognized by the Chinese government. The Chinese government also doesn't recognize the ethnic designation "New Immigrant". The Chinese government instead has its own ethnic designations for Taiwanese people. Han Taiwanese people are considered to be Han Chinese people (no distinction
5076-404: The Han Chinese soldiers, conscripts, and laborers under Zhao Tuo's command were incorporated into the Nanyue kingdom and ordered to mix with the local inhabitants. Like the founder Zhao Tuo, the aristocratic elite and military class of the newly formed Nanyue state were of Central Plains origin and mediated the transmission of Han culture to the local inhabitants. Grave goods and burial pits show
5184-580: The Hoa population at some 823,000 individuals and ranked 6th in terms of its population size. 70% of the Hoa live in cities and towns, mostly in Ho Chi Minh city while the rests live in the southern provinces. On the other hand, in Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei , the ethnic Chinese have maintained a distinct communal identity. In East Timor , a large fraction of Chinese are of Hakka descent . In Western countries,
5292-817: The Korean Justice Ministry recording a lower crime rate for Chinese in the country compared to native South Koreans in 2010. Chinese people The Chinese people , or simply Chinese , are people or ethnic groups identified with China , usually through ethnicity, nationality, citizenship, or other affiliation. Chinese people are known as Zhongguoren ( simplified Chinese : 中国人 ; traditional Chinese : 中國人 ) or as Huaren ( simplified Chinese : 华人 ; traditional Chinese : 華人 ) by speakers of standard Chinese , including those living in Greater China as well as overseas Chinese. Although both terms both refer to Chinese people, their usage depends on
5400-500: The Liangguang region via Guangxi, killing thousands and spreading via water traffic to nearby Hong Kong and Macau. The turmoil of the 19th century, followed by the political upheaval of the early 20th century, compelled many residents of Guangdong to migrate overseas in search of a better future. Up until the second half of the 20th century, the majority of overseas Chinese emigrated from two provinces of China; Guangdong and Fujian . As
5508-401: The PRC and the ROC. The modern informal internet term haigui ( 海归 ; 海歸 ) refers to returned overseas Chinese and guīqiáo qiáojuàn ( 归侨侨眷 ; 歸僑僑眷 ) to their returning relatives. Huáyì ( 华裔 ; 華裔 ) refers to people of Chinese descent or ancestry residing outside of China, regardless of citizenship. Another often-used term is 海外華人 ; Hǎiwài Huárén or simply 華人 ; Huárén . It
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#17328477978335616-606: The PRC does not distinguish between Han and ethnic minority populations for official policy purposes. For example, members of the Tibetan people may travel to China on passes granted to certain people of Chinese descent. Various estimates of the Chinese emigrant minority population include 3.1 million (1993), 3.4 million (2004), 5.7 million (2001, 2010), or approximately one tenth of all Chinese emigrants (2006, 2011). Cross-border ethnic groups ( 跨境民族 ; kuàjìng mínzú ) are not considered Chinese emigrant minorities unless they left China after
5724-702: The People's Republic of China has built increasingly stronger ties with African nations. In 2014, author Howard French estimated that over one million Chinese have moved in the past 20 years to Africa. More recent Chinese presences have developed in Europe, where they number well over 1 million, and in Russia, they number over 200,000, concentrated in the Russian Far East . Russia's main Pacific port and naval base of Vladivostok , once closed to foreigners and belonged to China until
5832-413: The People's Republic of China. It includes established ethnic groups who have lived within the borders of premodern China. The term zhonghua minzu was used during the Republic of China from 1911 to 1949 to refer to five primary ethnic groups in China. The term zhongguo renmin ( Chinese : 中国人民 ), "Chinese people", was the government's preferred term during the early communist era; zhonghua minzu
5940-453: The Philippine and Indonesian private economies. The book World on Fire , describing the Chinese as a "market- dominant minority ", notes that "Chinese market dominance and intense resentment amongst the indigenous majority is characteristic of virtually every country in Southeast Asia except Thailand and Singapore". This asymmetrical economic position has incited anti-Chinese sentiment among
6048-722: The Qing Empire in 1895 let to its naming as the "cradle of the Xinhai Revolution". Revolutionary leader Sun Yat-sen was born in Zhongshan , Guangdong. Hong Kong was where he developed his thoughts of revolution and was the base of subsequent uprisings, as well as the first revolutionary newspaper. Sun Yat-sen's revolutionary army was largely made up of Cantonese, and many of the early revolutionary leaders were also Cantonese. Cantonese people and their culture are centered in Guangdong, Eastern Guangxi, Hong Kong and Macau. Guangzhou,
6156-445: The Qing dynasty established the first Nationality Law of China. It granted Chinese citizenship to anyone born to a Chinese parent. It permitted dual citizenship . In the first half of the 20th Century, war and revolution accelerated the pace of migration out of China. The Kuomintang and the Communist Party competed for political support from overseas Chinese. Under the Republicans economic growth froze and many migrated outside
6264-454: The Republic of China regulates nationality within the Republic of China (Taiwan). A person obtains nationality either by birth or by naturalization. A person with at least one parent who is a national of the Republic of China, or born in the ROC to stateless parents qualifies for nationality by birth. The National Identification Card is an identity document issued to people who have household registration in Taiwan. The Resident Certificate
6372-399: The Republic of China (ROC), may also be referred to as "Chinese" in various contexts, though they are usually referred to as " Taiwanese ". The territory of Taiwan is disputed and the ROC has limited recognition of its sovereignty . The term " Overseas Chinese " is used to refer to people of Chinese origin living overseas as well as Chinese citizens residing outside China, but more commonly
6480-432: The Republic of China, mostly through the coastal regions via the ports of Fujian , Guangdong , Hainan and Shanghai . These migrations are considered to be among the largest in China's history. Many nationals of the Republic of China fled and settled down overseas mainly between the years 1911–1949 before the Nationalist government led by Kuomintang lost the mainland to Communist revolutionaries and relocated. Most of
6588-399: The Tang dynasty, creating a new local identity among the Liangguang peoples. The origin of the Cantonese people is thus said to be Han people from the Central Plains who migrated to Guangdong and Guangxi in multiple successive waves of settlement while it was still inhabited by Baiyue peoples. During the early 1800s, conflict occurred between Cantonese and Portuguese pirates in the form of
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#17328477978336696-403: The Tang dynasty, which led to a massive southward migration by people from the Tang heartland into the Panyu area, causing a 75% increase in the population on household registers. Unsurprisingly, the Cantonese often call themselves "people of Tang" ( 唐人 ; tòhng yàhn ). This is because Han immigration and the intermarriage with and acculturation of indigenous tribes reached a critical mass during
6804-448: The United Kingdom (mainly England), Australia, Canada, US, South America, Europe and other parts of the world. The 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre further accelerated the migration. The wave calmed after Hong Kong's transfer of sovereignty in 1997. In addition, many citizens of Hong Kong hold citizenships or have current visas in other countries so if the need arises, they can leave Hong Kong at short notice. In recent years,
6912-403: The United States became railroad labourers, while many in South America were brought in as coolies . Cantonese immigrants in the United States and Australia participated in the California Gold Rush and the Australian gold rushes of 1854 onwards, while those in Hawaii found employment in sugarcane plantations as contract labourers. These early Cantonese immigrants variously faced hostility and
7020-477: The United States hoped they would harass the People's Republic of China from the southwest, thereby diverting Chinese resources from the Korean War . The Burmese government protested and international pressure increased. Beginning in 1953, several rounds of withdrawals of the Nationalist forces and their families were carried out. In 1960, joint military action by China and Burma expelled the remaining Nationalist forces from Burma, although some went on to settle in
7128-590: The United States. Although discriminatory laws have been repealed or are no longer enforced today, both countries had at one time introduced statutes that barred Chinese from entering the country, for example the United States Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 (repealed 1943) or the Canadian Chinese Immigration Act, 1923 (repealed 1947). In both the United States and Canada, further acts were required to fully remove immigration restrictions (namely United States' Immigration and Nationality Acts of 1952 and 1965 , in addition to Canada's) In Australia, Chinese were targeted by
7236-406: The Western Hemisphere, and has not been supplanted by the Mandarin -based Standard Chinese . A large proportion of the early migrants also came from the Siyi region of Guangdong and spoke Taishanese. The Taishanese variant is still spoken in American Chinese communities, by the older population as well as by more recent immigrants from Taishan, in Jiangmen , Guangdong. Cantonese uprising against
7344-399: The area. Because of its tradition of usage in music, cinema, literature and newspapers, this form of Cantonese is a cultural mark of identity that distinguishes Cantonese people from speakers of other varieties of Chinese, whose languages are prohibited to have strong influences under China's Standard Mandarin policy. The pronunciation and vocabulary of Cantonese has preserved many features of
7452-404: The broader group of Yue languages and dialects spoken in Guangdong and Guangxi, although it is used more specifically to describe Gwóngjāu wah ( 廣州話 ), the prestige variant spoken in Guangzhou . Gwóngjāu wah is the main language used for education, literature and media in Hong Kong and Macau. It is still widely used in Guangzhou, despite the fact that a large proportion of the city's population
7560-402: The capital of Guangdong, has been one of China's international trading ports since the Tang dynasty. During the 18th century, it became an important centre of the emerging trade between China and the Western world, as part of the Canton System . The privilege during this period made Guangzhou one of the top three cities in the world. Operating from the Thirteen Factories located on the banks of
7668-412: The capital situated at modern-day Guangzhou. The people of Liangguang remained autonomous until formally incorporated into the Han dynasty in 111 BC, following the Han–Nanyue War . Incorporation into Han territory Liangguang was incorporated into the Han dynasty in 111 BC, following the Han–Nanyue War . From this point on, it was directly administered by the Han Empire. Han Empire During
7776-416: The city of Guangzhou . Their influence has spread across the provinces of Guangdong and Guangxi. There are cultural, economic, political, generational and geographical differences in making "Cantonese-ness" in and beyond Guangdong and Guangxi, with the interacting dynamics of migration, education, social developments and cultural representations. The term "Cantonese language" is sometimes used to refer to
7884-548: The city's total population in 2008. Most of them are rural migrants and they speak only standard Chinese. Hong Kong and Macau are two of the richest cities in the world in terms of GDP per capita and are autonomous SARs (Special Administrative Regions) that are under independent governance from China. Historically governed by the British and Portuguese empires respectively, colonial Hong Kong and Macau were increasingly populated by migrant influxes from mainland China, particularly
7992-612: The controversial argument that the 13 May Incident was a pre-meditated attempt by sections of the ruling Malay elite to incite racial hostility in preparation for a coup. In 2006, rioters damaged shops owned by Chinese- Tongans in Nukuʻalofa . Chinese migrants were evacuated from the riot-torn Solomon Islands . Ethnic politics can be found to motivate both sides of the debate. In Malaysia, many " Bumiputra " ("native sons") Malays oppose equal or meritocratic treatment towards Chinese and Indians , fearing they would dominate too many aspects of
8100-538: The country. The question of to what extent ethnic Malays, Chinese, or others are "native" to Malaysia is a sensitive political one. It is currently a taboo for Chinese politicians to raise the issue of Bumiputra protections in parliament, as this would be deemed ethnic incitement. Many of the overseas Chinese emigrants who worked on railways in North America in the 19th century suffered from racial discrimination in Canada and
8208-515: The current populations of these countries, but also among the migrant communities with Anglo-Caribbean origins residing mainly in the United Kingdom , the United States and Canada . Some overseas Chinese were sold to South America during the Punti–Hakka Clan Wars (1855–1867) in the Pearl River Delta in Guangdong. Research conducted in 2008 by German researchers who wanted to show the correlation between economic development and height, used
8316-758: The development of action-comedy genre exemplified in movies such as the God of Gamblers , the pioneering of the comedy-horror genre seen in Mr Vampire , the popularization Chinese cultivation fantasy fiction genres as seen in cult classics and experimental movies rich in special effects such as Chinese Ghost Story and Zu Warriors from Magic Mountain , and leading the way for the use of complex choreography and stunts through Jackie Chan movies such as Police Story . Recent films include Kung Fu Hustle , Shaolin Soccer , Infernal Affairs and Ip Man 3 . Cantonese cuisine
8424-532: The distribution seen in all other Han subgroups. Maternally, both southern natives and northern Han Chinese women contributed to the Cantonese gene pool. As a whole, the Cantonese show predominant Han Chinese ancestry, with their Han Chinese ancestry more pronounced on the patriline than on the matriline. This is in contrast to the Pinghua and Tanka population, who both show the reverse pattern. Whole-exome sequencing data of Hong Kong Cantonese, when subject to
8532-559: The dominant one in Hong Kong and Macau during their 19th century migrations within the times of the British and Portuguese colonial eras respectively. Cantonese remains today as a majority language in Guangdong and Guangxi, despite the increasing influence of Mandarin. Speakers of other Yue Chinese dialects, such as the Taishanese people who speak Taishanese , may or may not be considered Cantonese. The Hakka and Teochew people who also reside in Guangdong are usually differentiated from
8640-464: The end of 1979 there were just 200,000. It is commonly held that a major point of friction is the apparent tendency of overseas Chinese to segregate themselves into a subculture. For example, the anti-Chinese Kuala Lumpur racial riots of 13 May 1969 and Jakarta riots of May 1998 were believed to have been motivated by these racially biased perceptions. This analysis has been questioned by some historians, notably Dr. Kua Kia Soong , who has put forward
8748-584: The establishment of an independent state on China's border. Some ethnic groups who have historic connections with China, such as the Hmong , may not or may identify themselves as Chinese. The Chinese people have a long history of migrating overseas, as far back as the 10th century. One of the migrations dates back to the Ming dynasty when Zheng He (1371–1435) became the envoy of Ming. He sent people – many of them Cantonese and Hokkien – to explore and trade in
8856-440: The former. A number of ethnic groups as well as other racial minorities of China are referred to as Chinese people. Han Chinese people, the largest ethnic group in China, are often wrongly referred to as "Chinese" or "ethnic Chinese" in English. The Han Chinese also form a majority or notable minority in other countries, and they comprise approximately 18% of the global human population. Other ethnic groups in China include
8964-595: The late 19th century, as of 2010 bristles with Chinese markets, restaurants and trade houses. A growing Chinese community in Germany consists of around 76,000 people as of 2010. An estimated 15,000 to 30,000 Chinese live in Austria. Chinese emigrants are estimated to control US$ 2 trillion in liquid assets and have considerable amounts of wealth to stimulate economic power in China . The Chinese business community of Southeast Asia, known as
9072-476: The more prominent being Lingnan architecture , Lingnan school of painting , Canton porcelain , Cantonese opera , Cantonese music , among many others. Architecture Cantonese architecture or Lingnan architecture favors pale colors such as white and grey-green, demonstrates straight rather than curved roof ridges and the use of "woerlou or omega-shaped structures" at the ends, and employs open structures such as balconies, skylights and verandas to accommodate
9180-521: The nationalist and neutral refugees fled mainland China to North America while others fled to Southeast Asia ( Singapore , Brunei , Thailand , Malaysia , Indonesia and Philippines ) as well as Taiwan (Republic of China). Those who fled during 1912–1949 and settled down in Singapore and Malaysia automatically gained citizenship in 1957 and 1963 as these countries gained independence. Kuomintang members who settled in Malaysia and Singapore played
9288-567: The nearby Guangdong Province. For that reason, the culture of Hong Kong and Macau became a mixture of Cantonese and Western influences, sometimes described as "East meets West". Hong Kong Island was first colonised by the British Empire in 1842 with a population of 7,450; however, it was in 1898 that Hong Kong became a British colony , when the British also colonised the New Territories (which constitute 86.2% of Hong Kong's modern territory). It
9396-578: The official language of the Tang dynasty with elements of the ancient Yue language . Written Cantonese is very common in manhua , books, articles, magazines, newspapers, online chat, instant messaging, internet blogs and social networking websites. Anime , cartoons and foreign films are also dubbed in Cantonese. Some videogames such as Sleeping Dogs , Far Cry 4 , Grand Theft Auto III and Resident Evil 6 have substantial Cantonese dialogues. Cantonese people have created various schools or styles of arts, with
9504-559: The overseas Chinese generally use romanised versions of their Chinese names, and the use of local first names is also common. Overseas Chinese have often experienced hostility and discrimination . In countries with small ethnic Chinese minorities, the economic disparity can be remarkable. For example, in 1998, ethnic Chinese made up just 1% of the population of the Philippines and 4% of the population in Indonesia , but have wide influence in
9612-466: The person and context. The former term is commonly (but not exclusively) used to refer to the citizens of the People's Republic of China — especially mainland China. The term Huaren is used to refer to ethnic Chinese, and is more often used for those who reside overseas or are non-citizens of China. The Han Chinese are the largest ethnic group in China, comprising approximately 92% of its Mainland population . They comprise approximately 95% of
9720-527: The poorer majorities. Sometimes the anti-Chinese attitudes turn violent, such as the 13 May Incident in Malaysia in 1969 and the Jakarta riots of May 1998 in Indonesia, in which more than 2,000 people died, mostly rioters burned to death in a shopping mall. During the Indonesian killings of 1965–66 , in which more than 500,000 people died, ethnic Chinese Hakkas were killed and their properties looted and burned as
9828-595: The population of Taiwan, 92% in Hong Kong, and 89% in Macau . They are also the world's largest ethnic group , comprising approximately 18% of the global human population . Outside China, the terms "Han Chinese" and "Chinese" are often wrongly conflated since those identifying or registered as Han Chinese are the dominant ethnic group in China. There are 55 officially-recognized ethnic minorities in China who are also Chinese by nationality. People from Taiwan, officially
9936-501: The previous paramount leader Hú Jǐntāo ( 胡錦濤 ) would be spelled as "Hồ Cẩm Đào" in Vietnamese. There are also great similarities between Vietnamese and Chinese traditions such as the use Lunar New Year, philosophy such as Confucianism , Taoism and ancestor worship; leads to some Hoa people adopt easily to Vietnamese culture, however many Hoa still prefer to maintain Chinese cultural background. The official census from 2009 accounted
10044-506: The region in 214 BC and later, after the collapse of the Qin empire, founded the independent kingdom of Nanyue in 204 BC. Zhao Tuo's retinue included hundreds of thousands of predominantly male Qin conscripts, and he is recorded as petitioning the Qin Emperor for 30,000 wives from the Central Plains for his restless soldiers. Following the collapse of central authority in the Qin Empire,
10152-426: The relatively low social and economic statuses of ethnic Korean-Chinese have played a role in local hostility towards them. Such hatred had been formed since their early settlement years, where many Chinese–Koreans hailing from rural areas were accused of misbehaviour such as spitting on streets and littering . More recently, they have also been targets of hate speech for their association with violent crime, despite
10260-414: The settlement became known as Tang People Town ( 唐人埠 ) or Chinatown. The term shǎoshù mínzú ( 少数民族 ; 少數民族 ) is added to the various terms for the overseas Chinese to indicate those who would be considered ethnic minorities in China . The terms shǎoshù mínzú huáqiáo huárén and shǎoshù mínzú hǎiwài qiáobāo ( 少数民族海外侨胞 ; 少數民族海外僑胞 ) are all in usage. The Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of
10368-529: The strongest state on the southern periphery of the Han, with many neighboring kingdoms declaring their allegiance to Nanyue rule. Zhao Tuo took the Han territory of Hunan and defeated the Han dynasty's first attack on Nanyue, later annexing the kingdom of Minyue in the east and conquering Âu Lạc , Northern Vietnam, in the west in 179 BC. The greatly expanded Nanyue kingdom included the territories of modern-day Guangdong, Guangxi and Northern Vietnam (Tonkin), with
10476-451: The surrounding communities (see Chinatown ), and their relationship with China. Thailand has the largest overseas Chinese community and is also the most successful case of assimilation , with many claiming Thai identity . For over 400 years, descendants of Thai Chinese have largely intermarried and/or assimilated with their compatriots. The present royal house of Thailand, the Chakri dynasty ,
10584-640: The tropical climate in the south. Buildings are also generally taller than in the north. It also features narrow structures known as "cold alleys" to promote the increase of windspeed, and thus the cooling and ventilation of buildings. Cantopop during its early glory had spread to mainland China, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. Well-known Cantopop singers include Andy Lau , Aaron Kwok , Joey Yung , Alan Tam , Roman Tam , Anita Mui , Danny Chan , Leslie Cheung , Jacky Cheung , Leon Lai , Sammi Cheng and Coco Lee , many of whom are of Cantonese or Taishanese origin. The Hong Kong movie industry
10692-472: The troubled period of Wang Mang 's reign in the Han dynasty (206BC–220AD), there were influxes of Han Chinese migrants into Guangdong and Guangxi, western coast of Hainan, Annam (now Northern Vietnam) and Eastern Yunnan. 4th-12th century AD During the 4th–12th centuries, yet more waves of Han Chinese people from the central plains migrated and settled in the South of China. This gave rise to peoples, including
10800-483: The various Taiwanese indigenous peoples comprise approximately 2% of Taiwan's total population. The various Taiwanese indigenous peoples are believed to have been living in Taiwan for up to 6000 years prior to the colonization of Taiwan by China which began during the 17th century ( CE ). The Han Taiwanese, Native Taiwanese (Benshengren), Hoklo Taiwanese, Hakka Taiwanese, Mainlander Taiwanese (Waishengren), Kinmenese, and Matsunese ethnic groups (all subtypes or branches of
10908-409: The world ethnic enclaves known as Chinatowns are home to populations of overseas Chinese. In Southeast Asia, people of Chinese descent call themselves 華人 ( Huárén ) instead of ( 中國人 Zhōngguórén ) which commonly refers to the citizens of the People's Republic of China or the Republic of China. This is especially so in the Chinese communities of Southeast Asia. The term Zhongguoren has
11016-647: The world. Macau natives are known as the Tanka people . A dialect similar to Shiqi , originating from Zhongshan in Guangdong, is also spoken in the region. Parts of Macau were first loaned to the Portuguese by China as a trading centre in the 16th century, with the Portuguese required to administer the city under Chinese authority. In 1851 and 1864, the Portuguese Empire occupied the two nearest offshore islands Taipa and Coloane respectively and Macau officially became
11124-427: Was during this period that migrants from China entered, mainly speaking Cantonese, the prestige variety of Yue Chinese , as a common language. During the following century of British rule, Hong Kong grew into a hub of Cantonese culture and has remained as such since the handover in 1997 . Today Hong Kong is one of the world's leading financial centres and the Hong Kong dollar is the thirteenth most-traded currency in
11232-461: Was founded by King Rama I who himself was partly of Chinese ancestry. His predecessor, King Taksin of the Thonburi Kingdom , was the son of a Chinese immigrant from Guangdong Province and was born with a Chinese name. His mother, Lady Nok-iang (Thai: นกเอี้ยง), was Thai (and was later awarded the noble title of Somdet Krom Phra Phithak Thephamat). In the Philippines, the Chinese, known as
11340-527: Was only under much later dynasties such as the Jin dynasty , the Tang dynasty , and the Song dynasty , when major waves of Han Chinese began to migrate south into Guangdong and Guangxi, that the region acquired the cultural characteristics that last until the present day. Formation of Nanyue kingdom What is now Guangdong and later Guangxi, was first brought under Qin influence by a general named Zhao Tuo , who conquered
11448-592: Was the source for many of economic migrants. In the provinces of Fujian and Guangdong in China, there was a surge in emigration as a result of the poverty and village ruin. San Francisco and California was an early American destination in the mid-1800s because of the California Gold Rush. Many settled in San Francisco forming one of the earliest Chinatowns. For the countries in North America and Australia saw great numbers of Chinese gold diggers finding gold in
11556-439: Was the third-largest movie industry in the world (after Hollywood and Bollywood ) for decades throughout the 20th century, with Cantonese-language films viewed and acclaimed around the world for its innovative style. Cantonese popular culture through the medium Hong Kong cinema has been responsible for pioneering the development of new genres and styles and paving the path for the rest of Chinese cinema. These innovations include
11664-456: Was used by the Qing government to refer to all traditionally native subjects of the empire, including Han, Manchu, and Mongols. Zhonghua minzu ( simplified Chinese : 中华民族 ; traditional Chinese : 中華民族 ; pinyin : Zhōnghuá Mínzú ), the "Chinese nation", is a supra-ethnic concept which includes all 56 ethnic groups living in China that are officially recognized by the government of
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