CONTEMPORARY PATTERNS OF CHINESE MIGRANTS
TO THAILAND
Watcharapon Sirisuwilai

Eastern Language Department (Chinese), Faculty of Humanities and Social Science,
Khon Kaen University
Abstract
After China‟s major economic reform in 1978, there was a large number of Chinese
people migrated abroad. Thailand is one of their most popular destination in Southeast
Asia alongside Myanmar, Singapore, Vietnam and Malaysia. At the present, the number of
“New” Chinese migrants is still increasing, and expected to be more in the future. This fact
draws the attention of this paper to discuss the differences of Chinese migration pattern to
Thailand between the previous generation and the present one. This differentiation indicates
that the present migration brings about changes to the representation of Chinese settlement
in Thailand in both social cultural and economic meaning.
Keyword: Chinese migration Migration pattern Thailand
1. Introduction
It is believed that the earliest Chinese migration to thailand dates back to the 13 th
century during the Sukhothai kingdom (Skinner, 2003). According to Chansiri (2008),
there have been five major migrations of Chinese to Thailand. The first migration began
during the first Thai Kingdom (Sukhothai) in 1253, Thailand established relation with
Chinese emperor and the Chinese began to arrive in Thailand to trade. The second
migration began during the 14th century (1318, at the start of the Ayutthaya till 1766). The
Chinese arrived in Thailand during this period to fill a labor shortage. The third migration
spanned 40 years between 1767 and 1807, before and after Rattanakosin (Bangkok) was
established (in 1782). The fourth migration took place over the course of 130 years, from
1807-1937, its make Chinese population in Thailand grew rapidly in this period, 230,000
in 1825 (4.75 percent of the total Thai population), grew to 337,000 in 1860 (6 percent of
the total thai population) and 792,000 in 1910 (9.4 percent). The fifth migration began in
1938 and extending until the 1980s.
Sakkarin (2015) wrote on his study (the fourth wave: Southeast Asia and Chinese

migrant), Chinese began to migrate oversea in large number since the mid-17th century, three
waves of Chinese out-migration had contributed to the emergence of Chinese communities
and networks of Chinese diasporas around the globe, especially Southeast Asia.
Since China‘s major economic reform in 1978, when the People‘s Republic of china
(PRC) re- opened the door to the world from which its people had been hermetically sealed
for almost half century, there was the large number of Chinese have ventured out in what

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has been termed the ―New Chinese Migration‖. According to Zhuang and Wang (2010),
some two and a half million Chinese have made their way to southeast Asia, with the large
numbers in Myanmar(over million), Thailand and Singapore(just short of half a million),
and smaller number in Vietnam and Malaysia. By 1990, there were already estimated 20
million ethnic Chinese settle in Southeast Asia.
In Thailand, the new pattern of migration make this contemporary Chinese
migration are different from the previous generation: Their place of origin is more diverse;
they have higher education levels; they migrate to Thailand for different reasons - business,
investment, study and for job opportunities.
2. Diversity of places of origin
The previous group of the Chinese migrant in Thailand, classified by their dialect,
can be identified by the following 5 group. The first group is Teachiu, the largest Chinese
dialect group in Thailand, they come from the northern part of Guangdong province,
Chaozhou and Shantou area. The second group is Hakka, the second largest group in Thai
kingdom, they come from the southern east coach of china stretching from Fujian to
Guangxi and Guangzhou. The third group is Hainanese, the group of migrant from Hainan
Island a part of Guangdong province. The fourth group is Cantonese, the largest group in
South China, they mainly come from the center city of Guangdong, Guangzhou. The fifth
group is Hokkien, the dialect group from city in Fujian province southern china. The last
group is Yunnanese, the group of migrant from Yunnan Province, normally settle in the

northern part of Thailand. In term of number, 56 percent belong to the Taechiu group, 16
percent are the Hakka, 12 percent are Hainanese, 7 percent are Hokkien, 7 percent are
Cantonese and 2 percent from the group such as the Yunnanese (Chansiri, 2008).
Because of the long historical migration of Chinese to Thailand, it is important to
recognize the current ethnic Chinese population of Thailand is not a homogenous group.
The contemporary group of Chinese migrants are different from previous generation. Their
place of origin is more diverse, not just from Guangdong and Fujian province. There are
more and more Chinese new migrant from the different major city of China such as
Beijing, shanghai, Guangxi and rural regions like Shandong, Sichuan, Nanning, Chongqing
and Zhejiang. Reflexing by the number of different style Chinese restaurant appeared in
many new Chinatown in several part of Thailand, that become more diverse than the past,
such as Yunnan cuisine, Sichuan BBQ, Peking roast duck, and Chongqing hotpot.
3. Differentiating contemporary Chinese Migrants
Gungwu Wang (1991) differentiates the Chinese migrant in to several types: the first
type is the trader who went oversea in the 13th century; the second type is the coolie or the
unskilled, landless laborers from the peasant class who move to Thailand during the 19th and
20th centuries; the third group is the sojourner from a more educated and cultured class that
left china after 1949. But nowadays, because of the high level of contemporary economic
cooperation, in the form of bilateral trade, Chinese investment and contracted projects
between Thailand and china have brought the new group of Chinese migrated to Thailand.

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Skilled migrants, the group of contemporary migrants become more educated,
skillful, enterprising, and conversant with English and Thai language skill. They have
allowed to venture into a variety of fields, including Law, Banking, public relation,
Language Teaching (Chinese language) and retail industries. The department of
employment, Thailand, reported that 18,812 Chinese obtained work permit in 2015, almost
double the figure of 9618 Chinese in 2011.

Student, in 2013, the number of Chinese student enrolled in college entrance
examination reached 9.12 million in this number only 87 percent of students can get into
the university (Hongzhi Yin, AtthapatRuangkanjanases, and Chenin Chen, 2015). At the
same period, the number of Thai student has dropped as a result of the low birth rate and
the increasing number of University in Thailand affect Thai University (including private
University and public University) have begun to sign agreement with Chinese institution to
bring in Chinese student. Office of the Higher Education commission statistic show the
number of Chinese student in Thai tertiary institutions has grown rapidly from 4618
student in 2011 to 6157 students in 2015.
4. Different motivation during different periods
The transnational migration of Chinese in contemporary period was more diverse
than in the past. The old immigrant often fled from unstable social conditions in china,
such as War or natural disaster (Sukolartanametee, 2012; Jiang, 1992; Skinner, 2005;
Chantavanich, 1991). But the outcome of China‘s economic reform have made the
contemporary Chinese people different from the past. It affect the transnational migration
pattern of these immigrants were different from those in the previous generation, the new
migrant had more power to make the decision to migrate by themselves in order to seek
areas of opportunity where they could increase their income and improve their quality of
life (Lin, 2017). The new group of Chinese migrated to Thailand for seeking economic
opportunity rather than mere economic survival (Sakkarin, 2012). As a survey by the
institute of Asian Studies Asian research centre for migration at Chulalongkorn University
found many new Chinese migrant bring significant funds to invest in strat-ups in Bangkok,
such as 30 shipping and logistics operator, 14 Chinese Restaurant and 18-20 beauty
product shops which 100 percent owned and operated by Chinese.
5. Conclusion
In conclusion, Change in the social context, economic condition and political
policies of both Thai and China in the globalization era led to the new pattern of migration
among the Chinese Who moving to seek for the new opportunity in Thailand. And this will
change the image of Chinese migrants in the past generation who ―travel with just a mat
and a pot1‖.


1

The Thai expression on the Chinese migrants in the past who travelled with just a few belonging, enduring
many hardships in the hope if they could get to Thailand they would enjoy a prosperous life.

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