Any Cantonese or Other Mainland Chinese Immigrants In Taipei, Taiwan? (people, move)

[toby2016]

Are there a lot of mainland Chinese immigrants that migrate to Taipei or any parts of Taiwan?

Are there a lot of Cantonese speakers from Guangdong or Hong Kong that live in Taiwan or maybe concentrate mostly in certain section(s) Taipei or any certain regions of Taiwan? Is there enough Cantonese migrant speakers in Taiwan to be able to create an enclave just as big as NYC's or San Francisco's Chinatowns?

Just wanted to see if anyone knows.

[HSrights]

If you mean those Mainland Chinese went to Taiwan in the late 1940s to 1950s, there were many. And they concentrated in Taipei and mainlander villagers set up around Taiwan. They had their own communities in the beginning when they arrived, they spoke different Chinese dialects, too different from the Taiwanese and Hakka dialects. The descendants intermarried with Taiwanese and do not stress their mainland Chinese identity.


There are some recent Mainland Chinese migrants, mostly women married to Taiwanese. Recently moved Mainland Chinese in Taiwan is not as large as the numbers and ratios in HK, Macau, South Korea, Singapore, Vancouver, Toronto, New York City, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth etc.


Cantonese speakers in Taiwan, Japan, South Korea etc are very small. Cities in countries like Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia have more Cantonese speakers. In Taiwan, Cantonese speakers coming when the KMT relocated to Taiwan are scattered all over Taiwan with other Mainland Chinese. HK and Macau people are mostly in Taipei. There are some HK, Macau and Southeast Asian Chinese students in Taiwan and they speak Cantonese.


Cantonese influence in Taiwan is small, unlike Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Chinese communities in the West. Cantonese cuisine is not mainstream in Taiwan. Taiwan's cuisines are more influenced by Fujian, Shanghai and the surrounding areas, Sichuan, Northern China and also Japan.

[Bettafish]

Only about 5% Chinese speak Cantonese. People in the West often assume something close to 50%.

[HSrights]

This is because the earliest Chinese immigrants in the West are from the Cantonese speaking region.


In the UK, Mandarin speakers are not as big as in the US, Canada, Australia and NZ. Cantonese remain the number one Chinese dialect there. Unlike Chinese in other countries, Many British Chinese are directly related to Hong Kong's New Territories, Singapore and Malaysia, not Guangdong Province. This was because it was difficult to move to the UK from Mainland China, but easier from British ruled territories before the 1980s, and most mainland Chinese moving overseas prefer other western countries instead of the UK.


Most Chinese in South Korea are ethnic Koreans or Han Chinese from Shandong, NE China, Shanghai etc. Most Chinese in Japan are not from the Cantonese speaking region.

[Greysholic]

No and no.

[Bettafish]

Originally Posted by HSrights

This is because the earliest Chinese immigrants in the West are from the Cantonese speaking region.


In the UK, Mandarin speakers are not as big as in the US, Canada, Australia and NZ. Cantonese remain the number one Chinese dialect there. Unlike Chinese in other countries, Many British Chinese are directly related to Hong Kong's New Territories, Singapore and Malaysia, not Guangdong Province. This was because it was difficult to move to the UK from Mainland China, but easier from British ruled territories before the 1980s, and most mainland Chinese moving overseas prefer other western countries instead of the UK.


Most Chinese in South Korea are ethnic Koreans or Han Chinese from Shandong, NE China, Shanghai etc. Most Chinese in Japan are not from the Cantonese speaking region.

Yes, but it's changing in recent years.

All young people from Guangdong are now fluent in Mandarin. Older people are typically functional in Mandarin too. Even in Hong Kong, all young people understand Mandarin.