ABSTRACT
Chapter 6 looks into the ethnic Kyrgyz diaspora in Guangzhou, which in comparison to its counterpart in Novosibirsk was significantly smaller in size, and younger in terms of demography and settlement history. It was thus also less institutionalized and offered more ‘freedom’, especially from the traditionalizing social control usually exerted by elder community members. The chapter also points to significant barriers for Kyrgyz nationals who would have wanted to make Guangzhou, or China in general, the future home for themselves and their families. Much of this related to legal constraints that prevented them from obtaining longer-term residency permits or purchase real-estate. But it was also Guangzhou’s high living costs and the nascent competition from Russian middlemen and cargo-operators that made the Kyrgyz actively seek an exit-option for their soon-to-come, post-China livelihood back ‘at home’.
