(Ecns.cn)--Waves of Chinese immigration have taken place throughout history. Starting in the 19th century, some were driven to move abroad because of wars, starvation and problems resulting from political corruption. Some were shipped abroad as laborers, while others chose to live in foreign countries on their own initiative.
After many years of practice, so much immigration has directly led to the emergence and development of a new business called immigration intermediary services. Meanwhile, the motivations behind Chinese immigration keep changing.
Poor ancestors
"The story of my family is like a miniature illustration of the immigration history of modern China," said Li Huaxue, an Australian Chinese who jointly created an immigration intermediary agency with a Shanghai company.
"During the late Qing Dynasty, my wife's ancestors left their home in Fujian Province and were shipped to the United States as manual laborers, historically called 'coolies,' to build railways there," said Li.
The workload for these Chinese in the United States was very heavy, which often resulted in premature death, according to Li's wife Chen Mei, but Chen's ancestors survived the harsh environment and finally settled in Canada.
During the late Qing Dynasty, the immigrant population reached the highest level in history. Most of them were illiterates, poorly educated peasants or manual laborers who did not enjoy a very prosperous life overseas and were often threatened by poor working and living conditions.
But over the generations the composition of immigrants has changed; besides laborers and their relatives, Chinese students and scholars have also joined. In order to attend more advanced foreign education and research institutions, many have applied to study abroad at their own expense.
In 1987, Li's father applied to study in Australia, and "with a suitcase, several clothes and US$1,000, my father left home for further studies," said Li.
"My father had to do part-time jobs to make a living and earn tuition fees for the following semesters," he added. For most students abroad during the 1980s and the 1990s, life was not as glamorous as people in mainland China believed. Discrimination from foreign residents, hard work and homesickness led to the ruin of many during that time.
Li's father was a lucky one. After years of hard work he got an immigration permit from the Australian government and opened a company, which helped the family finally settle down there.
