ABSTRACT
Introduction China has had a long history of sending migrants to other countries. Since the late 1970s, as China began to open to the outside world, more and more Chinese went to other developed countries to study, operate businesses, or join family members. However, it was not until recent years that China began to receive immigrants as well. China has not had extensive experience of making policies and regulations concerning foreigners. Only after the enactment of the Act on Exit & Entry of Aliens in 1986 did China have the first law on the management of foreigners in China. Guangzhou is one of the Chinese cities that have received a large number of international visitors and migrants, especially from Africa. The city of Guangzhou in Guangdong Province for a time was in the forefront of China’s economic reform program and in earlier years its International Trade Fare attracted thousands of visitors and businessmen from all around the world. The flow of African merchants to Guangzhou began in the early 1990s (Li et al. 2012). According to Guangzhou Public Security Bureau, about 16,000 Africans were registered in Guangzhou in 2014, among which 4,000 have resided in Guangzhou for over six months (Luo and Liu 2014). Because of the large amount of Chinese investment in Africa, many Africans expect China to be a country full of opportunities. The first African merchants in China made a fortune through selling Chinese products back to Africa; their success stories encouraged more Africans to go to China. African immigrants have strong ethnic connections and have formed several ethnic enclaves in Guangzhou. They are so visible to local residents that the number of African immigrants is always overestimated. Compared with immigrants from Asian, European, and American countries, the average socioeconomic status of African immigrants is lower. In addition to Guangzhou, other major cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Yiwu, etc. also saw major increases in numbers of foreigners – some for short-term visits and others for long-term stays. To reflect this new reality, China’s 2010 Census for the first time collected information on foreigners in China, the result of which suggests that there are foreigners coming from six continents: Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America.
