Immigration

A collage image of New York's Chinatown by Singaporean photographer and artist John Clang. (Photo: John Clang)

Should overseas Chinese be patriotic to the motherland?

Chinese people migrating overseas is a phenomenon that has occurred throughout the ages, but in history these migrants were treated with disdain and even faced execution. US academic Fei-Ling Wang looks at why one decides to leave their native land and even to become a citizen of a foreign country, and how they navigate between their chosen country and that of their ancestors.
Boats in Cheung Chau, Hong Kong, 2018. (Photo: Candice Chan)

The forgotten memories of those who returned to China after WWII

Post World War II, in the 1950s and 60s, some Chinese returned to China full of hope for new beginnings. When people are young, they are full of dreams, but all too often not all plans and aspirations can be fulfilled in real life, muses Hua Language Centre director Chew Wee Kai. The important thing is to keep moving forward from the struggles of those times, even if it means to erase them from memory.
People participate in the 2023 NYC Pride March in Manhattan, New York, on 25 June 2023. (David Dee/Reuters)

Why first-gen Chinese immigrants in the US detest white progressive ideals

Issues such as gender diversity and environmental protection seem to be too abstract for first-generation Chinese immigrants in the US, who see these problems as having no impact on day-to-day life. US academic Wu Guo mulls over the reasons why this group of new immigrants, for all their desires to be part of the American education system, is a staunch detractor of progressive ideals that are part and parcel of the system itself.
This photo taken on 4 July 2023 shows fruit vendors waiting for customers along a street in the Chinatown area of Bangkok. (Sai Aung Main/AFP)

Tackling the illicit use of Thai business nominees by Chinese networks

Illicit nominations of Thais as shareholders in businesses run by Chinese operators are threatening local concerns. This highlights a dense network of transnational criminal activity that the Thai authorities are up against.
This picture taken on 11 March 2023 shows people riding in a trishaw in George Town, Penang, Malaysia. (Mohd Rasfan/AFP)

From Borneo to Penang: Preserving our culture and language for future generations

If languages and cultural practices are disappearing fast in the indigenous communities of Borneo to the Chinese community in Penang and elsewhere, can digital technology and AI play a bigger role to document pieces of our identity that can be preserved beyond time and space?
People make their way around Times Square amid smoke from Canada wildfires on 7 June 2023 in New York City. (Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images/AFP)

Shedding the passive image: Ethnic Chinese need to step up in US society

Asians are generally known to be humble, tend to keep a low profile, and not strive for leadership positions. However, US academic Wu Guo argues that perhaps it is time for ethnic Chinese to take a leaf from white Americans’ book and learn to be confident enough to step up.
Seatrek Trans founder Asifur Chowdhury (in dark glasses) collecting food to be distributed to vulnerable households, 13 May 2023. (SPH Media)

Wealthy immigrants in Singapore: Contributing back to society is part of the plan

Singapore has become a top choice for high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) to live in because of its pro-business environment, transparent system, as well as a stable and harmonious society. With increasing numbers of HNWIs immigrating here, many people are curious and concerned about who they are and how HNWIs are contributing to local society and communities. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Wang Hwee Wen interviews HNWIs from China and Bangladesh to find out about their new lives in Singapore.
People cross a road in Hong Kong, China, 15 February 2023. (SPH Media)

Hong Kong’s talent attraction strategy facing controversies and challenges

Amid the significant labour shortage Hong Kong is facing due to a massive emigration wave, officials have introduced a number of measures to attract talent back to the city. However, the application loopholes and homogenous background of the applicants leave the locals questioning the measures’ effectiveness in boosting the workforce. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Tai Hing Shing tells us more.
Liu Yuan and her son, Jackson.

China's young families sending kids to international schools in Thailand

Given the intense competition and rigidity in China’s education system, an increasing number of Chinese middle-class families are moving to Thailand and putting their children in international schools there. Zaobao journalist Liu Liu speaks to families and academics to find out more about the factors behind this trend.