Travelling in Fujian is a must on a China backpacking tour. Think rice terraces, tea plantations and distinct minority culture. But behind the rural idyll, there is a long history of Fujianese leaving their home province in droves for foreign shores.

Where the sun does shine

There’s a Chinese saying that sums up the province’s reputation for migration and opportunism: Wherever the sun shines, Fujianese can be found. Whether the sun is literal or a metaphor for brighter prospects, we can’t be sure. But as long as there is opportunity to make a living, the Fujianese have settled – regardless of how tough the climate or alien the host culture. No wonder they have moved to all corners of the globe.

Chinese Americans on the streets of New York

Along with the Cantonese, the Fujianese have created a Chinese presence across the world. China’s soft power cannot yet compete with a country like America, but the Fujianese and Cantonese – with their Chinese markets and restaurants – have helped spread Chinese food and culture around the world. There aren’t many cities in the world where you can’t have a Chinese meal.

Shaped by environment

It’s always interesting to consider how much physical environment shapes a society’s mind set. They say in China that the Fujianese are different because they are encircled by hills and mountains on three sides and by the Strait of Taiwan on the other. They are geographically isolated and there’s little flat terrain for farming. With a coastline and plenty of ports, Fujian has a history of exposure to the outside world through external trade. And perhaps all of these factors contributed to more outmigration.

There have been waves of emigration throughout Chinese history, and much of it from Fujian. The Fujianese settled in large numbers in Vietnam and their descendants rose to form the ruling Ly and Tran dynasties. Even more Fujianese arrived in Vietnam after the Mongols overthrew the Chinese Song dynasty. Some went to Halong in the north and others settled in the south.

Taiwan was another important destination for Fujianese migrants. Given it is only around 100 miles away, this is unsurprising. Many Taiwanese people are descended from the Hakka minority migrants that arrived in the 18^th century. They still speak the Hokkien dialects of their forebears, rather than standardised Mandarin brought to Taiwan after it became the refuge for Chinese Nationalists in 1949.

Global coolies

The largest movement of people took place in the 19^th century when the abolition of the slave trade created a labour shortage across the world. It was a gap that Chinese coolies – many from Fujian and Guangdong – filled. They went to South-East Asia, South Africa, and North and South America in enormous numbers to work on plantations, railroads and other manual labour for a pittance.

San Francisco’s lively China town.

It was this wave of mass migration that gave birth to established Chinese communities in places like San Francisco, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia.

Heading for the US 

More recently the waves of Fujianese migration have focused on the US and Europe. The Fujianese population in and around New York has boomed since the 1990s on the back of illegal and then legal migration. It created a new Fujianese enclave in a city that has had Chinese immigration for over a hundred years.

From New York the Fujianese have settled in far flung corners of the US, setting up restaurants and other small businesses. Fujian restaurant owners are thought to run a large proportion of the 30,000 Chinese restaurants (more than McDonald’s, KFC and Taco Bell combined) in the US.

Riches in Africa

The latest land of milk and honey is Africa. Cheaper costs of living and better opportunities to start businesses straight away are pulling Fujianese migrants to Africa, especially South Africa and Lesotho.

The migration is made possible by networks of family and friends already living in the destination country. That may involved paying smugglers for paperwork or providing a loan to start a business once they arrive. There is little to no involvement from the Chinese government, despite its growing influence in Africa.

A different mind set

Walking around downtown Xiamen, Fujian’s biggest port city and the 8^th richest city in China, it’s hard to imagine why the Fujianese are so keen to leave. When travelling in Fujian on a China tour to the beautiful mountains of the province’s interior, it’s even harder to imagine. But it is long engrained in Fujian’s culture. And behind the idyll of rural life there is often economic hardship, no matter the progress seen in China’s cities.

The skyline of Xiamen – China’s 8th richest city.

Everyone in Fujian knows someone that has moved to another country for better opportunities. In many ways, this makes for an incredibly globalised mindset. It means you understand opportunities that lie beyond your national borders. And it’s certainly a mindset that sets Fujian – and Guangdong – apart from the rest of the China.

Travelling on our 25 day HK-HK China Tour and want to know more about Fujian? Head to our Fujian destination page to discover more about the provinces colourful history and unique cuisine.

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