Qiaoxiang


Qiaoxiang, is a Chinese ceremonial title that refers to regions in China with significant overseas communities, or have a long history and tradition of emigration abroad.
The classification of a qiaoxiang is generally irrespective of provincial provenance, however, Guangdong and Fujian in particular have some of the most well-established overseas Chinese communities both in their size and influence, whereas many counties in provinces like Zhejiang, Guangxi, Hainan, and Northern province of Shandong are also renowned for being homes to various Chinese diasporic groups across the world.

Etymology

The term 'qiáoxiāng' is composed of two characters: "侨" and "乡". The character "侨" originally means "sojourning", "guest dwelling", "living temporarily away from one's native place"; ancient texts such as Han Feizi already use "侨居" to denote "residing abroad or in a place away from home". Whereas the character "乡" means "hometown", "home village", or more broadly "the local place of one's roots or original residence".
Combined, "侨乡" means a locality that serves as the hometown or place of ancestry for many overseas Chinese and their extended family members, where significant numbers of people have migrated abroad and maintained enduring ties to their place of origin, and where the cultural heritage of diaspora and economic network of remittance are historically strong.
Various academic research attests that the term "侨乡" came into use in its present meaning at least by the 1940s in China.

List of Qiaoxiang

Guangdong

Guangdong has historically been the province in China with the earliest and largest number of overseas immigrants and maritime trade activities. By the end of 2021, Guangdong had more than 30 million overseas Chinese, accounting for more than half of the total number of overseas Chinese in China.
They are scattered in more than 160 countries and regions around the world, mainly in Southeast Asia, Europe, North America, South America, Central America, Oceania, and Africa.File:侨批2.jpg|thumb|A Qiaopi of 50 Hong Kong Dollars sent by a Teochew diaspora to his wife Liu Nuang-Zing in Chao'an.

Siyi">Sanyi">Siyi (四邑 ''Sei3-yap1'')

  1. Jiangmen
  2. # Kaiping
  3. # Enping
  4. # Heshan
  5. # Xinhui

    [Chaoshan] (潮汕 ''Dio5-suan1'')

  6. Shantou
  7. # Chenghai
  8. # Haojiang
  9. # Nan'ao
  10. # Chaonan
  11. Chaozhou
  12. # Raoping
  13. Jieyang
  14. # Puning
  15. # Huilai
  16. # Jiexi

    [Meizhou] (梅州 ''Mòi-chû'')

  17. Meixian

    Fujian

Fujian has long been one of the most important homelands of overseas Chinese, with a migration history strectching back to the Song and Yuan dynasties. The province's rugged coastline, maritime culture, and historic engagement with overseas trade formed the foundations for large-scale emigration. By the 21st century, people of Fujianese origin were settled across more than 100 countries and regions, particularly in Southeast Asia, as well as in Europe, North America, and Oceania.
Fujian's overseas communities are linguistically and culturally diverse, represented mainly by Hokkien, Mindong, Hinghwa and Hakka speakers. Many counties in the province are recognized as prominent qiaoxiangs due to their high percentage of emigration and strong networks with communities abroad.

Mindong">Eastern Min">Mindong (闽东 ''Mìng-dĕng'')

  1. Fuzhou
  2. # Changle
  3. # Fuqing
  4. # Lianjiang
Hinghwa ''
  1. Putian
  2. # Hanjiang
  3. # Xianyou

    Minnan">Minnan region">Minnan (闽南 ''Bân-lâm'')

  4. Quanzhou
  5. # Jinjiang
  6. # Nan'an
  7. # Shi'shi
  8. # Anxi
  9. # Longhai
  10. # Dongshan
  11. # Zhao'an ''
  12. Xiamen

    Zhejiang

Zhejiang is one of the major sources of overseas Chinese migration in Eastern China. Although smaller in demographic scale than Guangdong or Fujian, its emigration history is deeply rooted in the mountainous southern counties of Wenzhou and Lishui, where limited arable land and strong clan and communal-based mobility encouraged people to seek opportunities abroad.
Since the late-Qing period, large number of emigrants from Zhejiang settled in Europe, especially Italy, Spain, France, Portugal and the Netherlands, whose strong commercial networks and family ties have created highly visible diaspora clusters overseas, earning many counties in southern Zhejiang the title of qiaoxiang.
  1. Wenzhou
  2. # Wencheng
  3. # Rui'an
  4. # Yueqing
  5. Lishui
  6. # Qingtian

    Hainan

  7. Wenchang
  8. Qionghai
  9. Wanning

    Hubei

  10. Tianmen
The county of Tianmen in Hubei stands out as a unique example among all the qiaoxiangs in the country, for the county is located in an inland province with no direct access to sea, yet it is home to more than 280,000 overseas Chinese across around 40 countries and regions in the world.
The people of Tianmen began emigrating in the late 18th century, experiencing several stages including the northward migration to Europe, the southward migration to Southeast Asia, and the renewed immigration worldwide in the recent period.