ABSTRACT
The Chinese in Germany are among the least researched of the Chinese communities in Europe. Germany’s colonial ties to China were weak, and the country was never a major destination for Chinese migrants. Even so, its Chinese settlement is older than those in most other European countries. This is because of Germany’s position relative to Russia, the old Chinese land route to Europe, and because of the activities of its early merchant fleet, which landed Chinese crews in German ports.1 In the early years, itinerant entertainers and circus performers from Shandong travelled west by way of Siberia and eastern Europe, ending up in Germany. Stories about Chinese migrants who walked to Europe along the Trans-Siberian Railway are rife among older overseas Chinese and have assumed the status of legend. Later, migrants from Qingtian 青田 in Zhejiang and from Guangdong and merchants from northern China followed the same route into Germany.2
