The History of Chinese Immigration to France: A Three-Hundred-Year Struggle
The history of Chinese immigration to France began during the Second World War. Initially, the presence of Chinese people in France did not attract much attention. Since the mid-1970s, the Chinese population in France has increased rapidly, ranking first in Europe. After Southeast Asian refugees (80% of whom were ethnic Chinese) formed a Chinatown in the 13th arrondissement of Paris in 1975, the autonomous business circles formed by scattered Chinese residents became a symbol of the Chinese community in Paris. With China's economic opening and the reform of state-owned enterprises, more and more mainland Chinese have flocked to France. Today, Chinese immigrants in France have received attention from the French government and even widespread concern from European society.
The History of Chinese Immigration to France: Three Peak Periods of Chinese Immigration
France prohibits the collection of population statistics based on race, so it is difficult to estimate how many Chinese or ethnic Chinese live in France. The newspaper *La Croix* estimates the figure to be between 600,000 and 700,000, with the majority living in the Greater Paris area.
First peak of immigration: During the First World War from 1916 to 1918, Britain and France recruited about 140,000 Chinese laborers. Most of the survivors returned to China, but among the more than 3,000 who remained, some were from Wenzhou. Around the same time, Wenzhou people, hoping to escape war and seek a living abroad, carried famous Qingtian stone carvings and handmade leather goods, left China via Manzhouli in the northeast, and traveled to France by land, selling goods and working along the way.
Second peak of immigration: From 1975 to 1985, France accepted 150,000 refugees from Cambodia and Vietnam, many of whom were ethnic Chinese with ancestral roots in Chaozhou. At the same time, as China began its reform and opening-up, Wenzhou people also stepped out of the country and made contact with the Wenzhou people who had remained in France since the early 20th century.
Third peak of immigration: From 1990 to 2010, exchanges between China and foreign countries became more frequent. During this stage, many mainlanders who came to France were from the three northeastern provinces.
In 2002, China and France signed an administrative agreement on the mutual recognition of higher education degrees and diplomas. Currently, there are approximately 30,000 Chinese students pursuing advanced studies in France.
The History of Chinese Immigration to France: Chinese People as a Unique Landscape in Paris
Currently, Wenzhou-born Chinese are prominent in France. More than twenty years ago, Wenzhou people began to work and do business in France, starting from a place in Paris called "Rue du Temple," engaging in clothing, leather goods, and import/export businesses. Many Wenzhou people worked until midnight every day, often working more than 15 hours a day. This level of hard work made it impossible for the Jewish merchants who originally occupied the area to compete. In less than 10 years, Wenzhou people gradually dominated the Rue du Temple market. In today's Paris, from Rue du Temple eastward to the 93rd department in the Paris suburbs, shops opened by Wenzhou people are scattered everywhere, becoming a new Chinatown in Paris.
The original Chinatown in France was merely an area for Chinese immigrants to survive and multiply. Today, with its exotic atmosphere of signs, languages, food, and culture, Chinatown has instead become a unique landscape in Paris.
The History of Chinese Immigration to France: The Situation of Chinese People in France
It is true that Chinese people in France have experienced discrimination and unfair treatment. Many ethnic Chinese children have been called nicknames like "lemon face," "moon face," or "dog eater" since childhood. Some French people with serious racial prejudices call Chinese people "Chinois" or "slant-eyes." However, there are also many French people who are friendly to the Chinese. For example, former French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin has repeatedly stated that the intelligent, kind, hardworking, numerous, and stably developing overseas Chinese can almost serve as a good "model" for immigrant groups. In street surveys conducted by some media, when asked about their first impression of Chinese people, many ordinary French citizens answered "hardworking."
The reasons for the prejudice some French people hold against the Chinese are complex. The quality of Chinese immigrants varies; there are excellent students, second-generation immigrants who have received a good French education, but there are also illegal laborers and even those who engage in illegal activities in France. Different social classes come into contact with different Chinese immigrants, leading to vastly different impressions. French people who have had their jobs and businesses taken by Chinese people naturally harbor greater hostility, while the academic and artistic communities are relatively friendlier toward the Chinese.
Especially since the 1980s, a large influx of immigrants from Zhejiang has arrived in France. They are particularly capable of enduring hardship and striving for success, taking away many local job opportunities and completely defeating the French in industries such as clothing and leather goods. Coupled with the downturn in traditional French manufacturing and retail, many French people have pointed the finger at the Chinese, believing that the Chinese are responsible for the decline in the situation of the French people.
With the rapid development of China's economic strength, many Chinese tourists have been making large purchases in Paris in recent years. At the same time, the French economy has been in recession. Those who previously had a strong sense of psychological superiority feel sour as they watch the Chinese become increasingly wealthy. This mentality affects the attitude of the French toward Chinese tourists and Chinese immigrants. Some media even published a cartoon titled "The Chinese Occupy Paris," depicting a Chinese man with his arm around a French woman sitting in a rickshaw, while a French man pulls the cart. This cartoon deliberately contrasts with the scenes on the streets of China in the 1930s and 1940s, reflecting to some extent the French people's envy, jealousy, and hatred toward China's rise.
The history of Chinese immigration to France is a history of Chinese people immigrating to France at different times, which is actually a history of China's rise from weakness to strength. From being recruited as laborers initially, to later fleeing to France as refugees, and finally to the proactive pursuit of work and business in France over the last twenty years, Chinese immigrants with different purposes and backgrounds have witnessed China's rapid development.