ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on Chinese diaspora in Cairo as a whole is transient in that they have moved bodily across national borders while harboring a goal of returning back to China or of going on to Western countries after adequate accumulation, either financially or academically. It examines how Arabic language functions among Chinese Muslims in Cairo, who account for a large portion of the local Chinese population. The chapter focuses on how those coming to Cairo under the capitalist flow, including vendors, peddlers, individual businessmen, and Chinese private and state-owned company staffs use Arabic and English. Then, Chinese publications and civic associations of Chinese concerns in Egypt are discussed, with an exploration of how the transmigrant Chinese employ their mother language, in Egyptian society, and for what purposes. The chapter discusses the multilingual experience of the small, young Egypt-raised generation of Chinese, the majority of whom are of kindergarten or primary school age, living in Cairo with their parents.
