Chinese people in Belgium

There is an ethnic Chinese community in Belgium.

History

Single male sailors who wished to reestablish their lives in a foreign country made up the first Chinese living in Belgium. Beginning in the 1950s people from the New Territories of Hong Kong began to settle Europe.[1] They moved due to a lack of jobs in Hong Kong and political developments in Mainland China.[2] Chinese people arrived until the end of the 1960s.[3]

As of 1994 Belgium had 3,463 persons with Mainland Chinese citizenship, including 1,788 females and 1,675 males; and 489 persons with Republic of China (Taiwan) citizenship, including (278 females and 115 males).[4] However, as of 1998 most Chinese in Belgium originated in Hong Kong. Prior to 1997 were counted as "British" when they arrived, and by 1998 many had naturalized as Belgian citizens. Therefore, they were not counted as ethnic Chinese people living in Belgium. Pang Ching Lin (彭靜蓮, Pinyin: Péng Jìnglián), author of "Invisible Visibility: Intergenerational Transfer of Identity and Social Position of Chinese Women in Belgium," stated that therefore there is a lack of records specifically tracking Chinese people, and therefore there is an element of invisibility.[3]

Institutions

There are multiple Chinese organisations in Belgium, but they do not regularly cooperate with one another. They sometimes cooperate during some political events supported by the Mainland Chinese government and during the Mid-Autumn Festival and the Chinese New Year.[5]

Transport

As of 2016 the Taiwanese airline EVA Air provides shuttle bus services to and from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol from Saint-Gilles (Sint-Gillis), Brussels (near the Brussels-South (Midi) railway station) and Berchem, Antwerp (near Antwerp-Berchem bus station); that way Belgium-based customers may use its flights to and from Amsterdam. The service is co-operated with Reizen Lauwers NV.[6]

References

Notes

  1. ↑ Pang, p. 438.
  2. ↑ Pang, p. 439.
  3. 1 2 Pang, p. 434.
  4. ↑ Pang, p. 436.
  5. ↑ Liu Huang, p. 219.
  6. ↑ "Between Belgium and Amsterdam Airport." EVA Air. Retrieved on February 29, 2016.


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