ABSTRACT
Up to the middle of the 19th century, the refusal of the Ch'ing government to protect overseas Chinese was essentially an extension of the policy of the Ming dynasty, which was basically against emigration. One of the results of the implementation of the new policy was the rise of overseas Chinese nationalism. The important role of the overseas Chinese in the 1911 Revolution was based on this burgeoning nationalism and conditional loyalty to the Manchu government. The first problem that they encountered was hostility and apathy towards the revolutionary idea. The second problem facing the revolutionaries was the attitude of the host governments of the overseas Chinese communities. The third problem confronting the revolutionaries was the competition of the reformists for overseas Chinese support. Before examining how the revolutionaries successfully gained the support of the overseas Chinese, it is necessary to survey briefly their activities in the overseas Chinese communities in the early stage.
