International migrant workers

Mao Yiming in Dubai. Photo: Courtesy of Mao Yiming

Chinese laborers are seeking their fortunes in distant lands

When 40-year-old Hong Wei showed up for his first day of training after being hired as a real estate agent in Chile's capital of Santiago early last year, he was greeted by hushed murmurs.

"It seemed that I was the first Chinese real estate agent in Chile," said Hong. Despite their initial surprise, it didn't take long for Hong to ingratiate himself to the other trainees. Curious about the foreigner, they surrounded him during coffee breaks and recesses. He taught them simple Chinese phrases, and in return, they expressed their gratitude and eagerness to work with him.

"They all knew that I would have a lot of clients straightaway, probably more than them, because there are thousands of Chinese people in Santiago," said Hong.

According to a report on chinanews.com published in January, there are an estimated 50 million Chinese people working and living abroad. But as traditionally sought-after destinations like the US, Europe and the Commonwealth countries have tightened their work and immigration policies in recent decades, some Chinese workers are now turning their attention to less well-known places to seek their fortune.

The (South) American dream

In the two years since becoming a real estate agent in Chile, Hong has done brisk business among the Chinese immigrant community.

"Real estate laws in Chile are quite complicated, so for Chinese people who want to invest, especially newcomers who are not familiar with the law or the language, it can be a big challenge to rent or buy a house without a Chinese-speaking agent who understands the local laws," said Hong, who found himself perfectly positioned to fill a gap in the market.

When he initially arrived in Santiago in the middle of 2012, Hong spent eight months at the Universidad del Desarrollo studying Spanish, Chile's national language. Neither did he lack for experience as a real estate agent. Prior to moving abroad, Hong had been employed at a property investment company in Beijing.

"There was a massive gap in the real estate market here, to provide services catering to the Chinese immigrant community," said Hong. "It's been quite profitable for me."

After working for around a year as a real estate agent, Hong had enough money to buy a retail shoe shop in Valparaiso, a seaport town around 110 kilometers to the northwest of Santiago. It has allowed him to exercise his application for permanent residency in the country.

"To stay in Chile is not too difficult, because the country itself is built on immigrants," said Hong. "If you can either find a job or establish a business, no matter how small your business is, you can stay," said Hong. According to Chile's immigration policies, foreign nationals can apply for permanent residency permits after holding a working visa for two years, or owning a business for 16 months. After holding permanent residency for five years, foreigners can apply for Chilean citizenship.

"The Chinese community in Chile is quite small, only in the tens of thousands," said Hong. "People from Guangdong Province mostly open restaurants, and people from the Yangtze River Delta often run retail stores selling shoes and bags."

Based on his experiences, Hong sees Chile as a land of opportunity. "I've met Chinese people from other South American countries and they all say that Chile is a rising economy and ripe for foreign investment," said Hong.

Making money in the Middle East

In October, photographs showing abandoned luxury cars on the side of Dubai's desert roads were posted on Chinese social media platform Sina Weibo, quickly going viral. The photographs were accompanied by a comment from the poster: "When their cars are beginning to get old, people in Dubai just toss them away and buy new ones."

However, Mao Yiming, a 29-year-old Chinese laborer who has been working in Dubai for the past six years, ridiculed such claims.

"[Those photographs] were taken a long time ago, during the financial crisis in 2008 and 2009," said Mao. "Many rich Dubai people were fleeing the country in order to escape their debts. They couldn't take their cars with them, so they abandoned them."

Mao, who is the managing editor at a Dubai-based Chinese magazine called Dubairen ("Dubai People"), said that while wages in the city were generally a little higher than in China, the perception in China that it is a paradise for salary workers was overblown.