Entangled loyalties : Qiaopi, Chinese community structures, and the state in Southeast Asia

Abstract

Dialect, region, and lineage-these were the markers of belonging around which both Chinese emigrant communities and the qiaopi trade were organized. However, these local bases of identification could exist in tension with nationalist attachments, especially when crisis struck. The conflict between local and national principles of belonging in Chinese communities is reflected in the story of qiaopi, which concerns the local and regional bases of its operation channels, the state's efforts to incorporate these channels into state institutions such as banks and post offices, and the resistance against these efforts. This chapter discusses qiaopi through the lens of the main features of Chinese migration, the structure of Chinese community organizations, and the role of the state in their shaping and reshaping with a focus on Southeast Asia. The "state" in this context does not only include the sending state of China, but also the policies affecting Chinese communities before and under colonial rule and following decolonization in Southeast Asia.