Introduction: New Chinese migrations

The Chinese, as a migrant category, has received much attention in the migration studies and migration history literature. Extant scholarship has paid much attention to the study of Chinese migrations and the development of overseas Chinese communities in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries (e.g., Ma & Cartier, 2003; Purcell, 1967; Sinn, 1998, 2013; Tan, 2013a; Wang, 1959; Wilson, 2004a). These earlier movements were largely induced by war, political purging, economic deprivation, colonisation and human trafficking. At their destination countries, these overseas Chinese communities often experienced racism and discrimination (e.g., R. T. Chu, 2010; Hui, 2011; Wilson, 2004b). Over the past centuries, however, they have overcome the initial challenges of settlement, established strong overseas Chinese identities and communities, and developed hybrid Chinese traditions (Charney, Yeoh, & Tong, 2003; Lee & Tan, 1999; Liu, 2005; Tan, 1997, 2004; Tong, 2010; Tong & Chan, 2001). Yet, settling in destination countries does not imply that the Chinese overseas had stopped moving. Instead, many – and especially those from the subsequent generations – continued to search for better livelihood and lifestyle opportunities through onward and transnational migration (Ho, 2011; Koh, 2017).