The word
qiaoxiang, which directly translated as “the home of the overseas Chinese”, was created in the 1940s. This term was originally meant to urge Chinese people living abroad to commit themselves to the development of their home country. It became a part of official policy in 1978 when the Chinese Communist Party initiated the Reform and Open-Door Policy. On the assumption that the overseas Chinese longed to restore and strengthen their bonds with their “home” people in China, those who had family and kin networks with the overseas Chinese expected remittance and investment into the local economy from abroad. In the 1980s and 1990s, the cliché, in which “rich overseas Chinese supported the poor
qiaoxiang” typified such special relationships. However, mainly because of generational changes, the relationship weakened at the turn of the century. In addition, those who lived in
qiaoxiang grew richer, and remittance from abroad was not needed as much as before. Instead, mainly on the initiative of the local government,
qiaoxiang was turned into cultural resources and a tourist sites. One typical example is “Kaiping Diaolou and Villages,” which was registered as a World Heritage Site in 2007. Since then, it has become a popular tourist site that has attracted many visitors. Although
qiaoxiang still refers to the home of overseas Chinese, over time it has turned into a tourist attraction.
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