Prior to getting to the real nitty gritty of this book, it’s important that we define the concept of “Greater China” and what we mean by “the Chinese diaspora”. These terms will continue to be used throughout the book (and indeed are used in much literature referring to the Chinese people), so it’s important you understand the definitions used here, whether or not you truly agree with them.

Greater China

While the name “Greater China” does vary in which geographic, political or business spheres it specifically covers from person-to-person, in this book, we take Greater China to include Mainland China (The People’s Republic of China), the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau, and Taiwan (Republic of China). This definition is not intended to indicate that I support unification of Mainland China and Taiwan, but rather is a recognition of the fact that the vast majority of Taiwan’s population is “ethnically Chinese” (again this is something we will define later in this book). While some may consider Singapore as part of Greater China (due to it’s majority Chinese population), we won’t be using that definition, instead classing Singapore as part of the Chinese diaspora.

The Chinese diaspora

Mentions of the Chinese diaspora in this book refer to the overseas Chinese people and communities around Asia Pacific and other parts of the world. Particular regions with notably large Chinese communities that will be discussed in this book include Asia Pacific (with a focus on South East Asia), North America and parts of Western Europe. At times this will also include the Chinese people living in Taiwan, due to the fact that they are not the original people to inhabit this archipelago.