Reluctant Exiles? Migration from Hong Kong and the New Overseas Chinese (review)

Reviews 267 concern for the intellectual life oftheir field, which faces the declining fortunes of area studies in general. This highly informative volume is recommended for anyone who wants to understand how Americans study China. It is essential reading for graduate students and new sinologists, giving them a map for navigating the field they will enter in the twenty-first century, which will be no less turbulent than the past fiftyyears. Gaye Christoffersen East-West Center, Honolulu Gaye Christoffersen is a visitingfellow in the Program on International Economics and Politics, East-West Center, specializingon Chineseforeign refotions in Central Asia and NortheastAsia. IiE Ronald Skeldon, editor. ReluctantEodlesiMigrationfrom HongKongand the New Overseas Chinese. Armonk, New York: M. E. Sharpe, 1994. xx, 360 pp. Hardcover $65.00, isbn 1-56324-431-4. Paperback $27.50, isbn 1-56324-432-2. As 1997 looms on the horizon, the residents ofHong Kong wonder what will be their fate when the British colony reverts back to Chinese sovereignty. Was Beijing's crackdown on demonstrators at Tiananmen in June 1989 an ominous sign of things to come? Does it bode ill for this busding bastion ofcapitalism? Will China actually honor its agreement for a fifty-year period of autonomy, permitting a "one country, two systems" setup for Hong Kong? This volume, consisting ofeighteen essays by contributors from various disciplines, takes a close look at those who have elected to migrate to other countries. As the title indicates, there is some question as to whether the migrants from Hong Kong should be considered "reluctant exiles." As Ronald Skeldon points out in die opening essay, some of them obviously fit this category, but others do not. Some, in fact, are "bold pioneers," very much in the tradition of earlier Chinese who ventured overseas in search ofeconomic opportunities. On the other hand, unlike those sojourners, current migrants are likely to be educated, urban, middle class, and accompanied by their families. So the situation is quite complex y niversityguj. regarcjless oftheir motives, most Chinese have mixed feelings about leaving their beloved Hong Kong. Once they have secured entry to another country, many find that their employment status and income are not comparable to what they once enjoyed. They therefore choose to return to Hong Kong to assume their ofHawai'i Press 268 China Review International: Vol. 3, No. 1, Spring 1996 former positions. Should the political and economic climate prove onerous in 1997, they have the satisfaction ofknowing that they can retreat to another country under a foreign passport. In the meantime, observers are witnessing the spectacle of families with "astronauts" and "parachute kids." In the former case, the husbands work in Hong Kong and return periodically, while their wives and children live abroad. In some cases, the parents both remain in Hong Kong, while their children attend schools elsewhere under the supervision of guardians or relatives. As might be expected, these "diasporic families" are subject to strains in their family relationships . Couples may divorce, and children are estranged from their parents. According to Josephine Smart, it should not be surprising that Hong Kong migrants have mixed sentiments about their new host countries. Unlike in Hong Kong, in recent years recessions have struck the economies of these destination countries. Moreover, the admission criteria for countries such as Canada require many ofthe migrants to be self-employed persons, entrepreneurs, or investors. The demand that the new Chinese immigrants must purchase businesses or make investments within a brief span oftime often results in poor decisions being made. Very frequently, the new arrivals are deceived or exploited by diose who know how to profit from this "business immigration program." At the same time, Peter Kwong notes that Hong Kong migrants must bear part ofthe responsibility. Some have been aggressive speculators, a few have fleeced fellow migrants, and still others have successfully exploited Chinese who work in garment factories or restaurants. Some are even complicit in promoting illegal immigration, drug trafficking , and other criminal activity. Descriptions of the experiences of Hong Kong migrants are provided for Canada, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and Singapore. The cities ofVancouver, Toronto, San Francisco, New York, Sydney, and Auckland, and the state of Hawai'i...