Total population | |
---|---|
c. 600,000 (2017) [1] 1.0% of the French population 105,700 citizens of the People’s Republic of China (2017) [2] | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Paris region (Quartier asiatique) [lower-alpha 1] | |
Languages | |
French, Chinese (Wenzhounese, Teochew, Cantonese, Mandarin), some Vietnamese | |
Religion | |
Irreligion, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Christianity (Catholicism) | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Overseas Chinese |
Chinese French | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Traditional Chinese | 法國 華人 | ||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 法国 华人 | ||||||||||
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Alternative Chinese name | |||||||||||
Traditional Chinese | 法國 華僑 | ||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 法国 华侨 | ||||||||||
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The Chinese diaspora in France consists of people of Chinese origin who were born in or immigrated to France.
Chinese form the second largest Asian group in France after the Turks, with a population of roughly 600,000 as of 2017. [3]
The first record of a Chinese man in France is Shen Fo-tsung in 1684, and soon after Arcade Huang, also known as Huang Jialü (1679-1716). He was brought back by Jesuit missionaries to the Versailles court of Louis XIV, the Sun King in the late 17th century, and oversaw a collection of manuscripts sent as a gift from the Kangxi Emperor of Qing China. [4]
The opening of the Chinese port at Wenzhou in 1876 soon saw a small number of merchants from the region arriving in Paris, being the first wave of Chinese settlement in France. The 1911 census counted 283 Chinese in France. This tiny Chinese population during the Belle Époque period mainly consisted of students, journalists, intellectuals, as well as merchants. Many students of Chinese ethnicity in France were not from China but rather Vietnam, which was a French colony with a significant Chinese population.
In 1902, Li Shizeng and Zhang Jingjiang arrived in Paris as "embassy students" accompanying Ambassador to France Sun Baoqi. Li soon left this official position to study biology at Ecole Pratique d'Agriculture du Chesnoy in Montargis, a town 120 kilometres south of Paris. He founded the first factory which manufactured beancurd for the French market. Zhang established a Paris gallery which sold Chinese art. Together with their friend Wu Zhihui, they formed the French branch of the Chinese anarchist movement which drew inspiration from French anarchists. In 1909, the three arranged for 140 students to come from China to work in the beancurd factory in order to support their study of French language and culture. Over the next two decades, Li, Zhang, and Wu established a number of institutions of Sino-French friendship such as the Diligent Work-Frugal Study Movement. [5] Also arriving in Paris at this time was the art-dealer C.T. Loo, who married a French woman and maintained a business there until the 1950s. [6]
Between 1915 and 1916, with the World War I conflict at its height between the allies and the Central Powers of Germany and Austro-Hungary, the British recruited more than 100,000 Chinese (Chinese Labour Corps) and their French allies some 40,000, and shipped them to the French western front as desperately needed labour to relieve an acute manpower shortage. [7] They cleared mines, repaired roads and unloaded ships, with their contribution going unrecognized for decades. Mainly aged between 20 and 35 and hailing from the northern Chinese provinces of Hebei, Jiangsu and particularly Shandong, as well as Wenzhou, they served as labour in the rear echelons or helped build munitions depots, repair railways and roads, and unloaded ships at Allied ports. Some worked in armaments factories, others in naval shipyards, for a pittance of three to five francs a day. At the time they were seen just as cheap labour, not even allowed out of camp to fraternise locally, dismissed as mere coolies. When the war ended some were used for mine clearance, or to recover the bodies of soldiers and fill in miles of trenches. [7]
After the Armistice, the Chinese, each identified only by an impersonal reference number, were shipped home. Only about 2,000 to 3,000 stayed on, forming the nucleus of the later Chinese community in Paris. Most who survived returned to China in 1918. [8] However, some were trapped in France by the 30 June 1920 collapse of the Banque industrielle de Chine . An estimated ten thousand died in the war effort, victims of either shelling, landmines, poor treatment or the worldwide Spanish flu epidemic of 1918. Their remains still lie in 30 French graveyards, the largest at Noyelles-sur-Mer on the Somme, where some of the fiercest battles occurred. [9] The cemetery contains 842 gravestones each engraved with Chinese characters, guarded by two stone lions, gifts from China. [7] [10]
After decades of neglect, the Chinese World War I labourers were ceremoniously recognized for their effort. An annual ceremony of tribute has taken place since 2002 at the cemetery at Noyelles-sur-Mer each April to coincide with the Chinese Festival of Qingming, attended by representatives of the French veterans' associations, the Chinese ambassador to France and members of Chinese associations in France. A 2004 documentary film, "Journey With no Return," (Voyage sans retour), was shown on French television. [11]
Of the 2,000 to 3,000 Chinese who remained in France after World War I, most became factory workers and settled around the Île-de-France region, especially in Boulogne-Billancourt. The presence of the larger and more established Vietnamese community in France had an effect in helping the Chinese settle down and jointly form the first significant Asian presence in France. [12] The first rooted Chinese community in Paris was based first around the Gare de Lyon in the east of the capital, then near the Arts et Métiers metro station in the 3rd arrondissement. [13]
Since 1919, the number of Chinese in France was slightly bolstered by an influx of students from both French Indochina and China, (including Zhou Enlai, [14] who would later become the Premier of the People's Republic of China and Deng Xiaoping, [14] later de facto leader of China), who would play a crucial leadership role in organising community institutions for the Chinese there. [15]
In the 1930s and 1940s, Chinese from Wenzhou settled in Paris (as well as in many other European cities such as Madrid, Frankfurt, Florence, Milan). They worked as leatherworkers near the Jewish neighborhood in the 3rd arrondissement and setting up sundries and mini-markets. Taking over the wholesale trade lost by the Jews during the German occupation of France during World War II, the Chinese community continues to exist today. [16]
After the Fall of Saigon in 1975, ethnic Chinese from Vietnam were heavily persecuted by the new communist government and faced expulsion from the newly reunified country. [17] This led to a wave of emigration to France, as Vietnamese Chinese joined other ethnic Vietnamese refugees from South Vietnam and largely resettled in Paris and the surrounding Île-de-France region. Ethnic Chinese from Laos and Cambodia, the other two former French Indochina colonies, also arrived in France after this period of conflict for similar reasons.
During the period, the high-rise neighbourhood in the southeast of Paris' 13th arrondissement, where the city's Quartier Asiatique (Asian Quarter) is located, saw significant population growth. [18] The area contains many Chinese inhabitants predominantly living in high-rise apartments, in addition to large Vietnamese and Laotian communities. [19] Similar to the ethnic Vietnamese population, Chinese refugees from Vietnam who migrated to France and French-speaking regions of Canada on average had a higher level of affluence and are better integrated into the host nation than their peers who migrated to North America or Australia. [18]
Since the 1980s, immigration has increased steadily, with the main source countries being mainland China, notably from Wenzhou, in addition to the countries of former French Indochina. More recently, Chinese immigration to France has shifted to migrants from the northeast of the mainland. In Paris, settlement is spread across both urban and suburban districts, notably the 13th arrondissement, and the Templetowns of Lognes, Torcy, Noisy-le-Grand. Lyon and Marseille also have significant Chinese communities.
The Chinese community in France can be categorized into three different groups based on migrant history and varieties of Chinese spoken. [20]
Ethnic Chinese with origins from Wenzhou and the surrounding southern Zhejiang province form the largest and most established Chinese community in France, with a population of about 350,000 as of 2010. [20] The earliest Chinese migrants to France arrived in the late 19th century and consisted of Wenzhounese merchants who produced Chinese ceramics. During World War I, the vast majority of the 100,000 Chinese laborers recruited to work in France originated from the Wenzhou area, with a small number remaining in France after the conflict ended. [7] During the 1970s and 1980s, a large wave of Chinese from Wenzhou arrived in France, with a number brought over by family members already present in France. [20]
Following the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, a large number of ethnic Chinese from the former French colonies in Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia) emigrated to France to escape the communist takeover of their countries and persecution by the new governments. The population of this community was about 150,000 as of 2010. [20] Their origins from former French colonies resulted in a strong background of French language and culture upon their arrival and their level of assimilation into French society has been largely quick and successful, being the most integrated Chinese community in France. [21] As in their former countries, ethnic Chinese from Indochina are heavily involved in commerce, especially among the generation of immigrants, and average income levels are above the national median. [22]
Teochew is the most frequently spoken Chinese variety among this community, with Cantonese also prevalent and used as a common commercial and community language due to its status as a historical lingua franca among Chinese in Indochina. [23] Additionally, knowledge of Vietnamese is common among the generation of refugees, who largely originated from the former South Vietnam, while Lao and Khmer are conversant among the smaller number of refugees originating from Laos and Cambodia respectively.
Over the last decade, newer Chinese immigrants to France have largely originated from Northeast China (Dongbei). Their population as of 2010 was about 15,000. Women largely outnumber men among this Chinese community and often leave China for France in hopes of establishing new lives, largely due to dissatisfaction with life in their homeland. Education levels among the Dongbei vary from secondary level to having degrees in higher education, a rate higher than Wenzhounese immigrants and a little under par with those of Chinese from Indochina. [20] The community has only recently started to become established, with some members opening establishments and becoming economically independent. Nevertheless, the overwhelming majority of ethnic Chinese prostitutes in France have origins in Dongbei, and the group is still looked down upon by their other ethnic Chinese peers in France. [20] Mandarin is the Chinese variety most commonly spoken among members of this community.
Despite being of the same ethnic group, the Chinese community in France is divided between the linguistic and migrant groups mentioned above. Community organizations serve their target migrant group specifically rather than the Chinese population as a whole. While the Dongbei community has recently participated with Wenzhou community groups and many members have settled in Wenzhou Chinese areas, Chinese from Indochina still rarely interact with their peer groups from mainland China. [20]
This division of the Chinese community in France is rooted in history, the level of assimilation among groups, and to a lesser extent, politics. While Chinese from Indochina arrived in France largely as Vietnam War refugees, Wenzhounese and Dongbei migrants came for economic purposes, with some having an initial intent to return to China after a few years. Although the Wenzhounese form the oldest Chinese group in France, they are the least assimilated, largely staying within their communities and interacting with the French populace chiefly through business and among the younger generation, education. [24] Due to their origins from China, as well as language barriers, Dongbei migrants have favored associating with the Wenzhounese community rather than the Indochinese one. [25]
In contrast, the generation of immigrants among Chinese from former French Indochina integrated quickly, establishing itself into French society within a short period of time. Chinese from Indochina often share negative French views of mainland Chinese groups, being critical of their rather closed communities and poor French abilities among established immigrants. In fact, a vast majority of community members usually associate themselves with the Vietnamese, Laotian or Cambodian populations in France (depending on their country of origin) instead. [26]
Regarding politics, Chinese from Indochina are staunchly anti-communist, reflecting the community's mostly refugee origins. While they are critical of the communist parties in their origin countries, criticism is sometimes targeted at the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). [27] Meanwhile, although many Wenzhounese and Dongbei emigrated from China for political purposes, the groups mostly remain indifferent to the CCP. A handful of members of the latter two groups are supportive of the CCP, usually government-sponsored students or businesspeople. [25]
A larger political disagreement between the two groups regards illegal immigration. The majority of illegal Asian immigrants to France are from mainland China, specifically the Wenzhou region, with a smaller number from northern China. While Wenzhounese and Dongbei community groups favor granting residency to illegal Chinese immigrants already in France, Chinese from Indochina are strongly opposed to the idea and support the French government's deportation of illegal immigrants. Indochinese community leaders and French politicians have accused illegal mainland Chinese of money laundering. Legal migrants have also been accused of tax evasion and supporting illegal Chinese migrants. A number of illegal Wenzhounese have fled France to neighboring countries such as Italy through the passport-free Schengen Agreement. [28]
The generally poor integration level of immigrants and cases of illegal immigration among the Wenzhounese and Dongbei have led the Chinese community from Indochina regarding the groups as "backward, country-folk", with refusal of cooperation with their community leaders. [20] For example, a string of robberies on Chinese businesses and assaults on individuals belonging to the former two groups and a consequent march against the crimes in the Belleville neighborhood of Paris drew feelings of indifference among the latter Chinese community. [29]
Mainland Southeast Asia is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the east. It includes the countries of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, and Peninsular Malaysia.
French Indochina, officially known as the Indochinese Union and after 1947 as the Indochinese Federation, was a grouping of French colonial territories in Mainland Southeast Asia until its end in 1954. It comprised Cambodia, Laos, the Chinese territory of Guangzhouwan, and the Vietnamese regions of Tonkin in the north, Annam in the centre, and Cochinchina in the south. The capital for most of its history (1902–1945) was Hanoi; Saigon was the capital from 1887 to 1902 and again from 1945 to 1954.
The Hmong people are an indigenous group in East Asia and Southeast Asia. In China, the Hmong people are classified as a sub-group of the Miao people. The modern Hmong reside mainly in Southwest China and countries in Southeast Asia such as Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar. There is also a large diasporic community in the United States of more than 300,000. The Hmong diaspora has smaller communities in Australia and South America.
The 13th arrondissement of Paris is one of the 20 arrondissements of Paris. In spoken French, the arrondissement is referred to as le treizième.
Urban Chinatowns exist in several major European cities. There is a Chinatown in London, England, as well as major Chinatowns in Manchester, Birmingham, Newcastle and Liverpool. In Paris there are two Chinatowns: one where many Vietnamese – specifically ethnic Chinese refugees from Vietnam – have settled in the Quartier chinois in the 13th arrondissement of Paris which is Europe's largest Chinatown, and the other in Belleville in the northeast of Paris. Berlin, Germany has two Chinatowns, one in the East and one in the West. Antwerp, Belgium also has an upstart Chinese community.
This article discusses Chinatowns in Oceania.
Overseas Vietnamese are Vietnamese people who live outside Vietnam. There are approximately 5 million overseas Vietnamese, the largest community of whom live in the United States.
Chinatown is a neighborhood located in the area of De la Gauchetière Street in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The neighbourhood contains many Asian restaurants, food markets, and convenience stores as well being home to many of Montreal's East Asian community centres, such as the Montreal Chinese Hospital and the Montreal Chinese Community and Cultural Centre.
Cambodians in France consist of ethnic Khmer people who were born in or immigrated to France. The population as of 2020 was estimated to be about 80,000 making the community one of the largest in the Cambodian diaspora. The Cambodian population in France is the most established outside Southeast Asia, with a presence dating to well before the Vietnam War and subsequent Indochina refugee crisis including the horrors of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge who took over in Phnom Penh on 17 April 1975. A few numbers of Cambodian people were able to escape and migrate to France before the Khmer Rouge took power in Cambodia as the Cambodian Civil War came to an end and overthrow U.S.-backed military dictatorship of Lon Nol and the Khmer Republic. His brother Lon Non and the other Khmer officials were arrested and executed by the CPK, the Marxist-Leninist dictatorship that seized power in Phnom Penh. 13 days before the Fall of Saigon and the Second Indochina War ended on 30 April 1975.
Vietnamese people in the United Kingdom or Vietnamese Britons include British citizens and non-citizen immigrants and expatriates of full or partial Vietnamese ancestry living in the United Kingdom. They form a part of the worldwide Vietnamese diaspora.
Vietnamese people in France consist of people of full or partial Vietnamese ancestry who were born in or immigrated to France. Their population was about 400,000 as of 2017, making them one of the largest Asian communities in the country.
Asian diasporas in France or French Asians consist of foreign residents and French citizens originating from Asian countries living in France. French citizens of Asian descent primarily have ancestry from the former French colonies of Indochina, as well as China or Turkey. Other Asian ethnic groups found in France include other West Asians, South Asians, Japanese, and Koreans.
The Laotian diaspora consists of roughly 800,000 people, both descendants of early emigrants from Laos, as well as more recent refugees who escaped the country following its communist takeover as a result of the Laotian Civil War. The overwhelming majority of overseas Laotians live in just three countries: Thailand, the United States, and France.
The Indochina refugee crisis was the large outflow of people from the former French colonies of Indochina, comprising the countries of Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, after communist governments were established in 1975. Over the next 25 years and out of a total Indochinese population in 1975 of 56 million, more than 3 million people would undertake the dangerous journey to become refugees in other countries of Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, or China. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 250,000 Vietnamese refugees had perished at sea by July 1986. More than 2.5 million Indochinese were resettled, mostly in North America, Australia, and Europe. More than 525,000 were repatriated, either voluntarily or involuntarily, mainly from Cambodia.
As of 1990, the majority of Asians living in the Paris area were ethnic Chinese originating from several countries. The largest group includes ethnic Chinese from Indochina, and a smaller group originates from Zhejiang.
The Quartier asiatique, also called Triangle de Choisy or Petite Asie is the largest commercial and cultural center for the population of Asian origin of Paris. It is located in the southeast of the 13th arrondissement in an area that contains many high-rise apartment buildings. Despite its status as a "Chinatown", the neighborhood also contains significant Vietnamese, Laotian and Cambodian populations.
Paris is home to the oldest Overseas Vietnamese community in the Western world and is also one of the largest outside Vietnam. There are an estimated 70,000 people of Vietnamese descent within the city limits of Paris as of 2018, with the greater Île-de-France area home to another estimated 100,000. Both figures make the Paris metropolitan area host to one of the greatest concentrations of Vietnamese outside Vietnam. They contains Vietnamese born- people that living in Paris (France) or French born-citizens of partially or full Vietnamese descent.
Anti-Vietnamese sentiment involves hostility or hatred that is directed towards Vietnamese people, or the state of Vietnam. This may be due to negative perceptions created by historical wars or xenophobic sentiments that emerged from the event of refugee Vietnamese. National or regional discrimination can also occur.
Chinese prostitution in Paris has developed since the late 1990s. Prostitutes of Chinese origin work mainly on the streets of some neighbourhoods, where they are nicknamed les marcheuses, but also in massage parlours or through the internet. In 2016, Médecins du Monde estimated that there were 1,450 Chinese prostitutes in Paris.
Vietnamization or Vietnamisation is the acquisition or imposition of elements of Vietnamese culture, in particular the Vietnamese language and customs. This was experienced in some historic periods by the non-Vietnamese populations of territories controlled or substantially under the influence of Vietnam. As with other examples of cultural assimilation, it could either be voluntary or forced and is most visible in the case of territories where the Vietnamese language or culture were dominant or where their adoption could result in increased prestige or social status, as was the case of the nobility of Champa, or other minorities like Tai, Chinese, and Khmers. To a certain extent Vietnamization was also administratively promoted by the authorities regardless of eras.