Abstract
Current migratory flows from China are increasing worldwide, particularly, throughout BRI routes. Migrants from China, south country, to other south countries represent a global transforming political economy in many dimensions. This article aims to illustrate the settlement perspectives on transborder mobility among new Chinese migrants in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The finding draws on research results from mix-method tools; collecting questionnaires, conducting in-depth interviews and observing. The research finds two specific characters of new Chinese in Chiang Mai. The first group immigrates in pursuit of social escalating, both for economic attractive and lifestyle advantages. Most new Chinese sojourners in Chiangmai are categorized in this set such as language teacher, interpreter, semi to high-skilled worker, investor and interestingly parents who accommodate their international school’s students. The second group is to be called geoarbitrage or those who gain advantages from the lower cost of living in a smaller town like Chiang Mai. Their status is retirement, digital workforce and freelancer who earn their income abroad. Both groups of Chinese migrants decide Chiang Mai as their destination from geography proximity, cultural linkage, social perception and low cost of living. These rationales and behaviors affirm the differences of South-North and South-South migration that the latter pattern is more associated with social factors than economic factors.
Author Information
Sivarin Lertpusit, Thammasat University, Thailand
Paper Information
Conference: ACAS2021
Stream: South-East Asian Studies (including Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos)
This paper is part of the ACAS2021 Conference Proceedings (View)
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To cite this article:
Lertpusit S. (2021) Unveiling the landscape of New Chinese migrant in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai ISSN: 2187-4735 The Asian Conference on Asian Studies 2021: Official Conference Proceedings https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2187-4735.2021.5
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2187-4735.2021.5
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