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Chinese in Spain
Total population
99,000 (2006, Official INE Padrón data)
Regions with significant populations
Madrid, Barcelona, Canary Islands
Languages
Chinese, Spanish, Catalan
Religions
Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity[citation needed]
Related ethnic groups
Han Chinese

Chinese in Spain form the ninth-largest non-European Union foreign community in Spain.^[1] As of 2006, official figures showed 99,000 Chinese residing in Spain.

Contents 1 History 2 Demographics 3 Interethnic relations 4 Famous Chinese in Spain 5 See also 6 References

The very first Chinese who settled in Spain date from the 16th century;^{[citation needed]} however, the first large wave of Chinese immigrants came to Spain in the 1920s and 1930s, working as itinerant peddlers. After World War II, they branched out into the restaurant industry, and later into textiles and trade.^[2] However, the vast majority of Chinese residents in Spain started arriving in the country around the 1980s. According to Xu Songhua, president of the Association of Chinese in Spain (Asociación de Chinos en España), established in 1985, there are 13,000 Chinese-owned businesses in Spain, including 4,000 restaurants, 3,200 "dollar shops", 1,500 fruit shops, 600 wholesale warehouses, 80 Chinese groceries, 200 textile factories, and 120 photo processing shops.^[3] Nowadays, Madrid, Barcelona, and the Canary Islands are home to the largest Chinese communities of Spain. Their population is growing rapidly; there numbers are estimated to have multiplied tenfold in just 13 years. Unlike earlier waves of Chinese immigrants in other countries, over 80% of the Chinese in Spain come from Zhejiang's Qingtian County, with smaller numbers from Guangdong and Fujian. Others have come from Hong Kong, Macau, and Chinese communities of Southeast Asia (especially Vietnam and Philippines), Latin America, and Europe.^[3]

The age structure of Chinese in Spain is skewed very young; 2003 figures showed only 1.8% aged 65 or older, as compared to 7% of the population of the People's Republic of China and 17.5% of that of Spain,^[4] while over 17% were under the age of 15.^[3] As a result of the small proportion of elderly, combined with long working hours and the illegal status of some, Chinese are reported to use medical services at a far lower rate than other ethnic groups in Spain.^[5]

Despite the long history of Chinese settlement in Spain, they are still viewed as a "closed and mysterious community".^[1] In Elche, protests over cheap imported merchandise from China undercutting local workers resulted in the burning of a Chinese-owned shoe warehouse. The Chinese have also been accused of making little effort to integrate into Spanish society;^[6] one 2002 survey of 267 Chinese immigrants showed that only 27% could read and write Spanish. Even long-term residents often send their children back to China for primary and sometimes secondary education; upon their return to Spain, their Spanish language skills are practically non-existent.^[7] Only 15,000 have taken Spanish nationality.^[3] Crime is also reported to be a problem in the Chinese community, with Triads acting to facilitate people smuggling from China, as well as demanding protection money from Chinese business owners. However, the Triads have not established themselves as drug distributors due to competition from other groups.^[8]

• He Zhi Wen, world-ranked table tennis player

• Overseas Chinese
• Demographics of Spain

1. ^ ^{a b} Nieto, G (September 2003). "The Chinese in Spain". International Migration Volume 41: pp. 215-237(23). DOI:10.1111/1468-2435.00247. 
2. ^ Beltrán Antolín, Joaquín (2003-02-01). "Diáspora y comunidades asiáticas en españa (Asiatic diaspora and communities in Spain)". Revista electrónica de geografía y ciencias sociales 7. Retrieved on 2006-12-08. 
3. ^ ^{a b c d} Gómez, Luis. "El poder chino en España (Chinese power in Spain)", El País, 2005-03-27. Retrieved on 2006-12-08.
4. ^ Aranda, José. "La mortalidad de los inmigrantes chinos en España (Mortality of Chinese immigrants in Spain)", Cinco Días.com, 2005-03-09. Retrieved on 2006-12-07.
5. ^ Ly Pen, D. (July 2001). "Patologías prevalentes en pacientes de etnia china (Prevalent diseases of Chinese people in Spain)". Medifam 11: pp. 34-44. Retrieved on 2006-12-08. 
6. ^ Guo, Xiaohong. "Spanish Arson a Warning to 'Made in China'", China.org.cn, 2004-10-27. Retrieved on 2006-12-07.
7. ^ Clements, J. Clancy (2002). "On Classifying Language Contact Varieties". Indiana University. Retrieved on 2006-12-07.
8. ^ Resa Nestares, Carlos (2001-12-07). "Transnational organised crime in Spain: Structural factors explaining its penetration". Autonomous University of Madrid. Retrieved on 2006-12-07.