A Study On The Overseas Chinese And China's Economic Modernization In The Late Qing Dynasty

Overseas Chinese are a special group of the Chinese nation. The reason why theoverseas Chinese would like and were ready to join the modernization process of theChinese economy were the result of interactions among a series of factors. Their overseasstruggle prepared themselves necessary capitals, technology, manufacturing experience andcreative consciousness. The discrimination and oppression from the emigrating countries,positive attraction from the late Qing Court created the objective conditions, while theirpassion for the motherland and good wishes for developing the Chinese nation providedthemselves with an important spiritual motive.The economic modernization can be divided into triple levels: substance, system,ideology and action. Of the non-investment economic activities, the overseas Chinese inthe late Qing Dynasty put forward their ideas of Chinese economic development,positively took part in the campaign of rejecting American products and calling back thereasonable rights, establishing Chinese Overseas Chamber of Commerce by responding thelate Qing's call, supporting China's first national exposition during the modem history. Allof these non-investment economic activities exerted a certain influence on the late Qing'smodernizations on the levels of system, ideology and action.Of the investment economic activities, the overseas Chinese participated in allindustries like manufacturing, mining, financing, shipping, agriculture, railwaytransportation, etc. in varying degrees. They not only introduced new technologies, newequipments, new products, but also adopted new capitalist mode of production andeffectively advanced the modernization process in these industries and the economicdevelopment in some areas.The history of overseas Chinese participation in China's economic modernizationprocess during the late Qing Dynasty indicated that the overseas Chinese were animportant special force for China's economic modernizations. They not only carriedforward the revolutionary spirits of industry badly needed for the initial process ofeconomic modernization, but also made up the precious capital for invest-insufficienteconomic construction and made a great contribution to the economic development in theirown home towns. Nowadays, while China is endeavoring for realizing overall economicmodernization as earlier as possible, we need to take the overseas Chinese greater role intoaccount under such a new circumstance.