Transnationalism

Abstract

This chapter looks at the British Chinese community’s ties to people and institutions beyond Britain, in the light of theories of transnationalism. It examines three main sorts of tie: with community members’ hometowns or ancestral places; with homeland states (chiefly mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong) or homeland political parties; and with diasporic Chinese communities in other countries. Some ties remain informal, others are formally incorporated into associations. A further distinction is between initiatives by ordinary immigrants and hometowners and those that are the top-down product of actions by states, big business, and other institutions.¹ Official bodies in the host society also sometimes play a role in creating and sustaining transnational ties.