Emigration Statistics
by Jing Liu ~ March 7th, 2012. Filed under: Libraries in China, Reference Questions.Unlike the common question on Chinese immigrants, I was helping a Ph.D candidate to track down emigration statistics from the People’s Republic of China from 1949 to 1989 and to date. A new government sponsored research report Conducted by Xiamen U happens to be released, but only on 1970 to 2008: “从上世纪７０年代到２００７－２００８年间，从中国前往世界各地的移民超过１０００万人。其中，来自港澳台地区的约１６０－１７０万，来自中国大陆约８００多万。前往发达国家的中国新移民近７００万，前往发展中国家的有３００多万。 “Another study estimates that a total of 45 million Chinese have emigrated in the last 30 years. It’s an estimate probably because it’s more difficult for the government to track emigrants than immigrants.
It’s funny that both studies are sponsored by the same government agency (qiaoban). The new study conducted by Xiamen U. is probably more accurate. I met Dr. Zhang at last fall’s conference in Xiamen, and she is coming to WCILCOS this May. I can learn more details of the survey from her in person. Interesting topic. I imagine the number of emigrants prior to the open door policy is probably very tiny (not to count the millions who went to Taiwan in 1948 and 1949).
This reminds me an earlier reference request on China’s emigration policy in 1956. Quite some people were allowed to leave the country unexpectively then.
March 7th, 2012 at 11:35 am
最近看过的tweets和博克碰巧有议论这个话题的。有关点说现在的中国移民潮和几个世纪前的欧洲移民潮有共同之处也有不同。共同在都是国内或者内部资源紧张，各种关系紧张，导致民众需要一个出口。不过欧洲移民有些是政府督办的，而中国目前的移民浪潮基本都是民办。无论如何，一个人口大国，面对有限的资源和许多无法解决的社会矛盾，移民往往就成了一条捷径。
非洲的一些当地人非常不喜欢中国人，因为觉得中国人素质低，但是他们当地的经济又十分依赖这些中国商人，总之是两难。这个话题又和移民的教育背景及移民目的地相关了。
April 17th, 2012 at 2:10 pm
[…] stats of 56 millions of Chinese residing in 120 countries and regions, which is pretty close to the Chinese official number–45 million in the past 30 years. She explained that the number is more general and diasporas […]