Editors-in-Chief:
Mette Thuno and
Simeng Wang Associate Editors:
Emilie Tran Sautede and
Yu-chin Tseng
The Handbook of Chinese Migration to Europe offers a comprehensive exploration of recent human mobility from China to Europe. Written by leading scholars from various disciplines, its 23 chapters delve into the multifaceted dimensions of Chinese migrants and their descendants across Europe, providing novel explorations into migration motivations and pathways, China’s diaspora engagement, economic entrepreneurship, socialization, and identity constructions. Each chapter presents existing scholarship and contributes with fresh empirical research that challenges conventional assumptions. Whether you are a researcher, policymaker, journalist, commentator, practitioner, or student, this handbook provides invaluable insights, reshaping our understanding of migration and China–Europe dynamics in the 21st century.
Mette Thunø, Ph.D., is Associate Professor in China Studies at the Department of Global Studies, Aarhus University, Denmark. She publishes extensively on Chinese migration and diaspora policies, including
Beyond Chinatown: New Chinese Migration and the Global Expansion of China (NIAS Press, 2007).
Emilie Tran Sautedé, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor in Politics and Public Administration, Hong Kong Metropolitan University. She publishes on China’s global influence, including
China in the Mediterranean: An Arena of Strategic Competition? (Routledge, 2024).
Yu-chin Tseng, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor in Chinese Studies, University of Tübingen. Her research interests include gender, mobility, and intimacy in the context of Asia and Europe.
Acknowledgements
List of Illustrations
Abbreviations
Notes on Contributors
Introduction
Chinese Migration to Europe Mette Thunø and Simeng Wang
PART 1: Statistical Data on Chinese Populations in Europe
1 How Many Chinese are Living in Europe?
A Demographic (De)Construction Joaquín Beltrán Antolín
PART 2: Migration Motivations and Pathways
2 Chinese Academic Mobility to Europe
An Overview and a Plea for a Family Perspective Maggi W.H. Leung 3 Chinese International Students in Europe
Push, Pull, and Mooring Factors Emilie Tran-Sautedé and Fei Vincent Mo 4 From Production to Reproduction
Pursuing a “Better Life” in Hungary Fanni Beck 5 The Rise and the Fall of the Golden Visa
The Case of Chinese Investors in Greece and Portugal Yu-chin Tseng and Sofia Gaspar 6 Temporary Labour Migration and Chinese State-Led Infrastructure Development in Serbia
Imogen T. Liu 7 Understanding the Emotional Dynamics and Aspirations of Statusless Chinese Migrants in the UK
Luo Siyu
PART 3: China as a Diaspora State
8 China’s Diaspora Governance in the Twenty-First Century
Towards an Analytical Framework Mette Thunø 9 Diaspora Politics and a Rising China
Ambivalent Ties Amid Geopolitical Changes Jiaqi M. Liu 10 Local Diaspora Engagement and Emigration as a Cultural Resource
The Case of a Europe-Bound Sending Area in Southeast China Martina Bofulin
PART 4: Economic Opportunities and Ethnic Entrepreneurship
11 Chinese Wholesale Markets in Paris
From Marginal Spaces to Strategic Assets Wuzhi Li, Marie Gibert-Flutre, and Gilles Guiheux 12 Chinese Entrepreneurs in Russia and Their Transnational Embeddedness
Lü Yun-fang and Wang Yi 13 From Ethnic Restaurants to Local Coffee Bars
Chinese Migrant Entrepreneurship in Italy’s Food Services Grazia Ting Deng 14 Migrant Entrepreneurship in the Digital Age
A Case Study of the Chinese Daigou Trade in Western Europe Yong Li and Chenna Wang
PART 5: Socialization and Intersecting Inequalities
15 Leaving China
Gender and Social Class in the New Female Chinese Mobilities to Spain Amelia Sáiz López 16 Anti-Asian Racism in Europe
Focus on Experiences, Narratives, and Struggles Among Chinese Migrants and Descendants Living in France Simeng Wang and Francesco Madrisotti 17 Sexuality, Socialization, and Inequalities on the Move
The Lived Experiences of Young Chinese Gay Migrant Men in France and Belgium Cai Chen and Aaron Raphael Ponce 18 Entrepreneurial and Transnational Socialization among Descendants of Chinese Migrants
A Cross-Country Study on New Transnational Mobilities between Europe and China Irene Masdeu Torruella and Simeng Wang
PART 6: Identity Constructions and Cultural Representations
19 Chinese Weekend Schools in Europe
Developments and Challenges Li Minghuan and Bao Hanli 20 Diversity and Dynamism within the Chinese Church
Contemporary Chinese Migrant Catholic Communities in France and Italy Eva Salerno 21 Post-2019 Hong Kong Migration to the United Kingdom
Drivers, Identity, and Change Yvette To and Yuk Wah Chan 22 Cultural Production and Representations of Identity
Questioning Chineseness in the Sino-Italian Context Valentina Pedone 23 Contemporary Popular Media and Cultural Studies of Chinese Migrations to Italy
Gaoheng Zhang