What social problems did China immigrants face in Ming and Qing Dynasties?

Moving overseas to do business is often associated with threatening national security. Yongzheng once said: "I think people who are engaged in foreign trade are restless." From the perspective of the imperial court, living abroad is tantamount to "abandoning the king."

The administrative structure of the empire is relatively rigid, and it is impossible to cover everything in the face of a huge and changeable society. Therefore, imperial rule can only stay on the surface, and it is difficult to really penetrate into every corner of society. The daily management of rural affairs can only be entrusted to those local celebrities in many aspects. In coastal provinces, it is conceivable that these local celebrities have shares in maritime trade. Therefore, the maritime ban of the central dynasty basically existed in name only.

Faced with the shortage of land resources and the pressure of population growth, immigration has become a survival strategy. The introduction of corn, peanuts and sweet potatoes from the New World has enriched the varieties of crops and correspondingly stimulated the land in hilly areas to be fully reclaimed.

If the expansion of western colonialism has formed an external pulling force on China's overseas immigrants, then the social dynamics faced by China itself is another internal pushing force. Under the action of two forces, China immigration tides facing Southeast Asia in the 16 and 17 centuries have been formed.