overseas Chinese
Expatriate Han communities
Overseas Chinese refers to people of Chinese descent living outside China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau.
The term encompasses both recent emigrants and families settled abroad for generations: Overseas Chinese communities in Southeast Asia date back centuries.
The Chinese government sometimes invokes overseas Chinese identity in matters of cultural connection or political influence.
Leaving homeland permanently
- homelandOne's native land
- remittanceFunds sent elsewhere
- enclaveSurrounded distinct territory
- ChinatownAsian immigrant neighborhood
sojourner · returnee · transnational · assimilation · integration · multiculturalism · settlement · ancestry
Inherited cultural legacy
- rootsUnderground nutrient absorbers
- lineageDescent from progenitors
- ancestryFamily line of descent
- genealogyStudy of family descent
birthright · legacy · kinship · bloodline · family tree · ancestral village · motherland · belonging
China's largest ethnicity
- HokkienSouthern Chinese dialect family
- CantoneseSouthern Chinese dialect
- ShanghaineseShanghai's regional language
- HainaneseChinese dialect from southern island
Long-established customs passed down
- festivalsOrganized communal celebrations
- cuisineCharacteristic cooking style
- ConfucianismChinese ethical philosophy
- ancestor worshipReligious honoring of forebears
filial piety · mooncake · dim sum · tea · dragon dance · lion dance · feng shui · zodiac
Leaving homeland permanently
- immigrationRelocating abroad permanently
- visaTravel authorization stamp
- passportGovernment-issued travel credential
- naturalizationLegal path to belonging
citizenship · green card · work permit · settlement · relocation · quota · sponsorship · coolie
emigration
Leaving homeland permanently
- homelandOne's native land
- remittanceFunds sent elsewhere
- enclaveSurrounded distinct territory
Chinatown · sojourner · returnee · transnational · assimilation · integration · multiculturalism · settlement · ancestry · descendants
heritage
Inherited cultural legacy
genealogy · birthright · legacy · kinship · bloodline · family tree · ancestral village · motherland · belonging · hyphenated identity
Han
China's largest ethnicity
- HokkienSouthern Chinese dialect family
- CantoneseSouthern Chinese dialect
- ShanghaineseShanghai's regional language
Hainanese · Mandarin · dialect · mother tongue · bilingual
traditions
Long-established customs passed down
- festivalsOrganized communal celebrations
- cuisineCharacteristic cooking style
- ConfucianismChinese ethical philosophy
ancestor worship · filial piety · mooncake · dim sum · tea · dragon dance · lion dance · feng shui · zodiac · calligraphy
emigration
Leaving homeland permanently
- immigrationRelocating abroad permanently
- visaTravel authorization stamp
- passportGovernment-issued travel credential
naturalization · citizenship · green card · work permit · settlement · relocation · quota · sponsorship · coolie · labor migration
Southeast Asia
Tropical peninsula and islands
- SingaporeSoutheast Asian city-state
- MalaysiaSoutheast Asian federation
- IndonesiaSoutheast Asian archipelago nation
Thailand · Philippines · Vietnam · Taiwan · Hong Kong · Macau · San Francisco · Vancouver · Sydney · London
- ChinaBeijing, Shanghai, Great Wall, Yellow River, Forbidden City
- Southeast AsiaVietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia
- Chinese People
- overseas ChineseChinatown, Chinatowns, benevolent society, benevolent societies, tong
- Chinese peoplesManchu, Uyghurs, Tibetans, Mongols, Li
- migrationmigration, immigrants, refugees, immigration, emigration