ABSTRACT
The increasing interest in Chinese migration to Europe among researchers in Europe and China now allows us to transcend national European borders and investigate the history of the population movements from China to Europe. Since the beginning of this century, the Province of Zhejiang, on the Southeast coast of China, has provided a major share of the Chinese migrants living in Europe. It is from the southern, more impoverished part of Zhejiang that migration to Europe originated during the late Imperial and Republican era. Emigration initially began out of Qingtian County, but subsequent migration also took place from neighbouring counties. The most striking aspect of emigration from Qingtian is its increasing institutionalization. The institutionalization of emigration was thus a prime factor in the emigration process from Wencheng. Bordering Qingtian county in the north, Wencheng county geographically shares many features with its neighbour, although Wencheng county is not endowed with any soapstone deposits.
