ABSTRACT
Chinese have lived and worked in Spain for centuries, but their number never rose above a handful until the twentieth century. Although among the first colonial powers, Spain was also among the first to lose its colonial role and maritime might, so that by the time western ships brought groups of Chinese seafarers to Europe in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, it was not a prime destination for would-be Chinese immigrants. The sources of Spain’s Chinese community were, until recently, quite varied. Instead of forming a relatively homogeneous group, they hailed from many different backgrounds, social and geographical.
