Throughout its history, China had always attracted foreigners. Some were there to plunder, others to do business. The 20th century was no different. Though foreigners began to leave in large numbers due to the Second World War and the return of the treaty ports to Chinese sovereignty, later in the century there was a new wave of Non-Chinese in China. They were from a variety of countries with a variety of motives. From businessmen, to travelers, to missionaries, to refugees, China offered them something they desired. By the 1980s, the number of foreigners had greatly increased, and it was estimated that there were over one million foreigners living in China. They would make their impact on the course of Chinese history in the mid to late 20th century.
As the Civil War was winding down, and the remaining battles were being fought far away from Shanghai and Canton, foreign businessmen started making their way back into China. Their numbers would be small until the 1970s. This was because there was a gradual loosening of restrictions on foreign businesses (and there would be more loosening of restrictions in the 1980s). These businessmen were overwhelmingly westerners, Japanese, or Koreans. Increasing business opportunities in China led to higher demand for Chinese language skills in their home countries. By 1990, Chinese classes would be offered at just about every major university in North America and Western Europe. Foreign businessmen would be common in Shanghai, Canton, and Nanking, but much less common further from the coasts.
Other foreigners were less interested in business and more interested in souls. Missionaries were the most common type of foreigners in China before the Chinese economy was strong. The vast majority of them, though not all, practiced some form of Christianity. Catholics and Evangelicals were the largest groups. Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and even some Muslims traveled to China to share their faith. Cao Dai gained a foothold in China from Vietnamese immigrants. Missionaries often had jobs as doctors or sometimes teachers. The government respected the free practice of religion for the most part, and thus they were allowed to spread their religion. Some missionaries were arrested and deported for aiding anti-government people and causes in the country, however.
Other foreigners came to China for China’s religions. There was a new obsession with Eastern religion in general in the 1970s, and this trend extended into the 1980s. Westerners went to see China’s many temples, including Tibetan temples. The Quarrymen, an English band, performed in Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Beiping during their tour of Asia in 1971. While travelling in China, they met with some spiritual figures. John Lennon was particularly intrigued by man going by the name of Chun Kaiming, a Buddhist leader claiming to be the true Dalai Lama. When the Quarrymen broke up in 1974, Lennon went further into his devotion to Buddhism, and even invited Chun Kaiming to England, where he would father a son with an English woman known by the name of Jimmy Chun.
Some came to China to escape a bad situation back home. Very few of these people would ever gain citizenship, as that was difficult for anyone without any Chinese blood. Most of these immigrants were from Southeast Asia. They had fled the violence in places like Vietnam and Laos. Some criminals made it into China among the refugees, and they would fight gang wars with the triads in Southern China during the 50s and 60s. As the war began to wind down, most of them were sent back to their home countries, though some would stay. Defectors from the Soviet Union, North Korea, Mongolia, and East Turkestan lived in China as well. These defectors were used by the government as proof of how free China was.
Foreigners were, for the most part, welcomed in China. Many foreigners would stay in China and raise their families there. Some who learned Chinese became celebrities. There was still anti-foreign sentiment. Many in Southern China resented the Vietnamese and Laotians, as they were often willing to work for lower wages. The China Homeland Party would make opposition to immigration a major part of its platform (though it remained a fringe party). Japanese in China faced prejudice, as the wounds of the Second World War were still relatively recent. In 1981, a barfight between Chinese and Japanese in Wuhan turned into a riot in which buildings belonging to Japanese companies were looted. The police cracked down on the riot and several rioters would receive jail sentences.
