Sons of the Yellow Emperor: A History of the Chinese Diaspora

by Lynn Pan

THE FIRST COMPREHENSIVE ACCOUNT OF THE WORLD'S GREATIEST CONTINUING MIGRATION

The Chinese Diaspora stretches all over the world. It represents the most widespread and prolonged series of migrations by one nation ever. Chinese emigrants have been tycoons in Hong Kong and America, coolies in Peru and South Africa, underworld gangsters in San Francisco and Bangkok. Today,
whether as near-slave laborers on illicit planes and freighters, or as bankers and traders from a world network of high finance, the Chinese are on the move as much as ever.

In this rich blend of history, biography, and travel, noted author Lynn Pan recounts why emigrants have left China; how their dispersal has been shaped and stimulated by imperialist Western powers; and how the all-male frontier groups were transformed into complex communities organized by clan,
dialect, and secret society. In the process, she takes us inside the supposedly closed world of the overseas Chinese and shows how, in a curious boomerang effect, these expatriates are currently changing the supposedly eternal face of China-perhaps forever. A new afterword by the author comments on
the ironies that result when multiculturalism and emigrant culture meet head-on.

Genres: History, China, Nonfiction, Asia

432 pages, Paperback

First published September 3, 1990

Reviews

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another book that I had from college (a seminar on the Chinese diaspora), which I decided to re-read because it looked interesting and I think I just skimmed it in school. Pretty good, but I think I remember why I skimmed it: the author spends way too much time on Malaysia and Indonesia and hardly any time at all on North and South America or Europe or Africa or Australia. She mentions all these places, mind you, she just kinda gives them short shrift. She'll whiz by something about chinese in Sydney or Vancouver, and then spend another ten pages on traders from Java or Singapore. I realize that a huge number of Chinese immigrants ended up in Southeast Asia, but really, I think there was a little more to say about some other parts of the world. Especially when she gets into lengthy bios of successful immigrants, we get almost nothing about Chinese Americans. Part of this is because the author doesn't seem to really think that Chinese Americans count, because they are too Americanized for her liking and don't speak chinese anymore, but it seems like her diaspora history is sort of incomplete without them.
She's also kinda obvious in her feeling that Chinese culture is superior to Malay or Javanese or Vietnamese or other cultures. She doesn't say it outright but I got that sense. Not that that's so weird, she's Chinese, she should have a certain preference for her own native culture, but the tone of the book does seem to wander a bit from objectivity.
All in all, it has many interesting tidbits, but if you are looking for a book about Chinese people ALL over the world, this doesn't really cut it.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was well researched, though the significance of the diaspora in SE Asia might fall on deaf ears if the audience is not in tune with Chinese subcultures. Having been published nearly 30 years ago, it covered the most relevant topics of its time period. However, the last few decades has yielded no shortage of Chinese success stories in the Americas and in Europe, and it would be interesting to see if the same cultural throughlines have persisted.

Personally, having grown up in Hong Kong and lived in the US for 10+ years, I had a lot of questions answered - like why so many Vietnamese spoke Cantonese, why certain accents are more prevalent among different classes of American Chinese, etc.

[Ashleigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been fascinated by China and its migration history after reading the last book on a Chinese family so this non fiction was super interesting. It was from the 90s so that does lend itself to some outdatedness but overall a solid migration explanation.

Some repetition, things not properly explained and interesting areas not explored so 3/5.

[Jonson Chong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting but some bits were dense.

[Jonson Chong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting but some bits were dense.

[Clive Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lynn Pan's book, "Sons of the Yellow Emperor: A History of the Chinese Diaspora," is a classic history of the Chinese people who moved out of China. Even after more than thirty years, it's still the best single book ever written and published.

The title of this book comes from the legendary Yellow Emperor (Huang Di), who is a mythic ancestor of the Chinese people. The book tracks the Chinese migration (movement) from the 19th century (when Chinese labourers were moved around as "coolies") all the way to the late 20th century ("jet age").

It covers where the migrants went, including places like Southeast Asia, North America, Europe, the Caribbean and South Africa. Pan clearly shows that not all the Chinese migrants were the same. She looks at different groups like Cantonese, Hokkien, Hakka, Teochew, and Hainan people.

She talks about the good parts (how the migrants successfully adapted to new countries) and bad parts (being exploited, violence from gangs, and attacks against Chinese people). It is written clearly and vividly, almost like a novel, but the topics — it’s based on solid research.

The book's best quality is its emotional depth — it feels very human. Pan, who is herself a child of the diaspora, understands the constant struggle of being “huaqiao” (overseas Chinese). These living abroad Chinese felt forever connected to China, which often didn't truly welcome them back, but they also never felt completely at home in their new countries.

The main weakness of the book is time limit. The book was published in 1990, so it doesn't include the huge waves of the later Mandarin-speaking Chinese migration that happened in the 21st century (the "new migrants").

This is still the most elegant, necessary and essential single book that I would recommend for anyone interested in learning about the history of the Chinese diaspora. I reviewed this book on 19/11/2025.

[Seth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read half of this in college and put it aside. I should finish it sometime. It's pretty interesting and definitely worth reading if you are curious about the key time periods and contributions of Asian immigration to the United States.

[Alice Yong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating insights into the Chinese diaspora especially those in Southeast Asia. Many interesting stories about some of the most prominent Chinese families too. Informative and a good source of reference for younger generation of Chinese wanting to know about their roots and lineage.

[Gabriel Joseph · Rating 3 out of 5]

the copyright is from 1990. 1990 to 2008...hmmm??? do you understand? a whole generation of people have already lived and changed its history.

[shirley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book when I was in Singapore. I don't think you can buy this in North America. I really enjoyed reading the book.

This book will be of particular interest to overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia. I loved this book. Very well researched.