Chinese people in Denmark
Chinese diaspora |
Chinese people in Denmark form one of the smaller and less-studied Chinese diaspora communities of Europe. Many chinese do voice work out of Denmark[2]
Migration history
The earliest Chinese migrants in Denmark are believed to have been 34 men from
Up until the 1970s, immigration from China remained almost non-existent, even as growth in the Danish economy created labour shortages and immigrants from other parts of the world flowed into the country. Police statistics showed 113 people from mainland China living in Denmark as of 1969, and one researcher estimates perhaps 60 more from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore.[5] The numbers of migrants did not reach a significant level until the 1980s and 1990s, just as Danish immigration laws were becoming more strict.[6] By 1996, there were 3,467 migrants/descendants of migrants from mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan.[7] These years were also marked by a shift in the gender balance of migrants, with increasing numbers of women.[2]
Asylum seekers from the People's Republic of China are not prevalent among Chinese migrants to Denmark, despite the fact that Denmark has one of Europe's lowest rejection rates for asylum claims; such migrants prefer other countries in Southern, Central, or Eastern Europe, due to the better opportunities for work there. This contradicts claims that Chinese migrants are attracted by Denmark's generous social welfare benefits.[8]
Statistics Denmark showed 9,799 people born in mainland China and 448 born in Taiwan living in Denmark as of October 2009[update].[1]
Statistics Denmark showed in the first quarter of 2018 that 11,710 people with origins in mainland China are living in Denmark legally.
Business and employment
Though early Chinese migrants consisted largely of travelling artists and merchants, after World War II, migrants concentrated increasingly in the
Tourism
In 2004, 60,000 Chinese tourists visited Denmark; this number is at least projected to quadruple by 2020.[12] The 200th anniversary of the birth of Hans Christian Andersen was a major draw for Chinese tourists to come to Denmark, as he is a major icon of Danish culture in China; however, tourists who came at that time were disappointed to find little attention devoted to him in Copenhagen. As a result of feedback from Chinese tourists, a new museum devoted to him was opened at the town hall square.[13]
The desire by tourism authorities to attract Chinese tourists conflicts with the fears from some other government bureaux that tourism from China will become an inlet for increasing numbers of illegal immigrants. But, many Chinese travel agencies require a RMB50,000 deposit from prospective tourists to Denmark, in order to protect themselves against the penalties which may be assessed against them by the Danish government if tourists they bring to the country do not depart on time.[14] The influx of Chinese tourists has also caused some more discussions, especially with regards to sex tourism; many male Chinese tourists seek out strip clubs, but are usually disappointed with the number of Asian women found in these clubs instead of the expected Danish women. [15]
People of Chinese descent in the Danish Royal Family
See also
- China–Denmark relations
- Denmark-Taiwan relations
- Chinese diaspora
- Immigration to Denmark
- Chinese people in Finland
- Chinese people in Sweden
References
Notes
- ^ a b Statistics Denmark 2009
- ^ a b Thunø 1998, p. 154
- ^ Thunø 1998, p. 143
- ^ a b Thunø 1998, p. 144
- ^ a b c Thunø 1998, p. 146
- ^ Thunø 1998, p. 151
- ^ Thunø 1998, p. 152
- ^ Thunø 2003, p. 99
- ^ Thunø 1998, p. 147
- ^ Thunø 1998, p. 148
- ^ Thunø 1998, pp. 156–157
- ^ Ooi 2007, p. 7
- ^ Ooi 2007, p. 8
- ^ Ooi 2007, p. 11
- ^ Ooi 2007, p. 10
Sources
- Thunø, Mette (1998), "Chinese immigrants in Denmark after 1949: immigration patterns and development", in Sinn, Elizabeth (ed.), The last half century of Chinese overseas, Aberdeen, Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, pp. 141–166, ISBN 962-209-446-5
- Thunø, Mette (September 2003), "Channels of Entry and Preferred Destinations: The Circumvention of Denmark by Chinese Immigrants", International Migration, 41 (3): 99–133,
- Ooi, Can-Seng (October 2007), Chinese Tourists in Denmark (PDF), Creative Encounters Working Papers, vol. 5, Copenhagen Business School, retrieved 2009-05-07 (Mirror)
- Population by region, sex, age, marital status, ancestry, country of origin and citizenship, Statistics Denmark, 2009-10-01, retrieved 2010-01-04
Further reading
- Thunø, Mette (1998), "Chinese in Denmark", in Benton, Gregor; Pieke, Frank N. (eds.), The Chinese in Europe, Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Macmillan, pp. 168–196, ISBN 0-312-17526-4)
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: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link - Thunø, Mette (2000), "The Chinese Family and Economic Achievement: the Case of Chinese Migrants in Denmark", in Ang See, Teresita (ed.), Intercultural Relations, Cultural Transformation, and Identity: The Ethnic Chinese, Manila: Kaisa Heritage Center, pp. 67–88, ISBN 971-8857-21-4