{{For|the metro station on Line 2 of the Shenzhen Metro|Qiaoxiang station}} {{Infobox Chinese | t = 僑鄉 | s = 侨乡 | j = kiu4 hoeng1 | mi = tɕʰjɑʊ35 ɕjɑŋ55 | pic = Zili Village Yunhuan Lou 0005.jpg | piccap = The Diaolou in Kaiping, built by Chinese returning from overseas | title = Qiao'xiang | wuu = Jiuao2 shie1 | bp = Kiâu-hiong | teo = Kiao5 hion1 | h = Kiau Hiông | bpmf = ㄑㄧㄠˊ ㄒㄧㄤˊ | pic2 = 青田县方山乡吴乾奎故居.jpg | piccap2 = European-style villa of Wu Qiankui, a Belgian overseas Chinese, in Longxian village, Qingtian | wuu2 = Jiae2 shi1 | hhbuc = Gieu2-hieu1 | w = Ch'iao hsiang | buc = Kiè-siòng | l = Hometown of Overseas Chinese }} '''''Qiaoxiang''''' (''侨乡'', literally 'hometown of overseas Chinese'), is a Chinese ceremonial title that refers to regions (mostly categorized at county-level) in China with significant overseas communities, or have a long history and tradition of emigration abroad.

The classification of a qiaoxiang is generally irrespective of provincial provenance, however, Guangdong and Fujian in particular have some of the most well-established overseas Chinese communities both in their size and influence, whereas many counties in provinces like Zhejiang, Guangxi, Hainan, and Northern province of Shandong are also renowned for being homes to various Chinese diasporic groups across the world.

== Etymology == The term '''''<nowiki/>'qiáoxiāng'''''' (Chinese characters: ''侨乡'') is composed of two characters: "侨" and "乡". The character '''"侨"''' originally means "sojourning", "guest dwelling", "living temporarily away from one's native place"; ancient texts such as ''Han Feizi'' (韩非子) already use "'''侨居'''" (qiáojū) to denote "residing abroad or in a place away from home". Whereas the character "'''乡'''" means "hometown", "home village", or more broadly "the local place of one's roots or original residence".<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=地域视野下的侨乡文化 |url=http://qwgzyj.gqb.gov.cn/yjytt/215/3343.shtml |access-date=2025-11-05 |website=qwgzyj.gqb.gov.cn}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title="侨"和"华侨"-泉州文史资料全文库-数字资源-闽南文化生态保护区 |url=http://www.mnwhstq.com/szzy/qzwszlqwk/201608/t20160816_106488.htm |access-date=2025-11-05 |website=www.mnwhstq.com}}</ref>

Combined, "'''侨乡'''" means a locality that serves as the hometown or place of ancestry for many overseas Chinese and their extended family members, where significant numbers of people have migrated abroad and maintained enduring ties to their place of origin, and where the cultural heritage of diaspora and economic network of remittance are historically strong.<ref name=":1" />

Various academic research attests that the term "侨乡" came into use in its present meaning at least by the 1940s in China.<ref name=":1" />

== List of Qiaoxiang == [[File:中国大陆侨乡地图.jpg|thumb|Map of major ''qiaoxiangs'' in China at the county level. Dark red areas represent core ''qiaoxiang'' counties with historically significant emigration to overseas Chinese communities, while light red areas indicate the prefecture-level jurisdictions in which these counties are located.]]

=== Guangdong === {{Further|Cantonese people|Teochew people|Hakka people}} Guangdong has historically been the province in China with the earliest and largest number of overseas immigrants and maritime trade activities. By the end of 2021, Guangdong had more than 30 million overseas Chinese, accounting for more than half of the total number of overseas Chinese in China.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=侨乡侨情_广东概况_中共广东省委港澳工作办公室 |url=https://www.gdhmo.gov.cn/gaikuang/content/post_70416.html |access-date=2025-11-05 |website=www.gdhmo.gov.cn}}</ref>

They are scattered in more than 160 countries and regions around the world, mainly in Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, and Vietnam), Europe (United Kingdom, France, and Germany), North America (United States, Canada, and Mexico), South America (Peru, Brazil, and Venezuela), Central America (Panama), Oceania (Australia and New Zealand), and Africa (Mauritius, Madagascar, and South Africa).<ref name=":0" />[[File:侨批2.jpg|thumb|A Qiaopi (''侨批'': overseas Chinese remittance) of 50 Hong Kong Dollars sent by a Teochew diaspora to his wife Liu Nuang-Zing in Chao'an.]]

==== Siyi (四邑 ''Sei3-yap1'') ====

# Jiangmen (江门, ''Gong1-mun4''） ## Taishan (台山,''Toi4-saan1, Hoisan'') ## Kaiping (开平, ''Hoi1-ping4, Hoi3-pen6'') ## Enping (恩平, ''Jan1-ping4'') ## Heshan (鹤山, ''Hok6-saan1'') ## Xinhui (新会, ''San1-wui6'')

==== Chaoshan (潮汕 ''Dio5-suan1'') ====

# Shantou (汕头, ''Suaⁿ-thâu'') ## Chenghai (澄海, ''Thêng-hái'') ## Haojiang (濠江, ''Hao5-gang1'') ## Nan'ao (南澳, ''Nam5-o3'') ## Chaonan (潮南, ''Dio5-nam5'') # Chaozhou (潮州, ''Dio5-ziu1'') ## Raoping (饶平, ''Bên5-pên5'') # Jieyang (揭阳, ''Gêg4-ion5'') ## Puning (普宁, ''Pou2-lêng5'') ## Huilai (惠来, ''Hui6-lai5'') ## Jiexi (揭西, ''Giah4-sai1'')

==== Meizhou (梅州 ''Mòi-chû'') ====

# Meixian (梅县, ''Mòi-yen'')

=== Fujian === {{Further|Fuzhou people|Hokkien people|Putian people}}Fujian has long been one of the most important homelands of overseas Chinese, with a migration history stretching back to the Song and Yuan dynasties. The province's rugged coastline, maritime culture, and historic engagement with overseas trade formed the foundations for large-scale emigration. By the 21st century, people of Fujianese origin were settled across more than 100 countries and regions, particularly in Southeast Asia, as well as in Europe, North America, and Oceania.

Fujian's overseas communities are linguistically and culturally diverse, represented mainly by Hokkien, Mindong, Hinghwa and Hakka speakers. Many counties in the province are recognized as prominent qiaoxiangs due to their high percentage of emigration and strong networks with communities abroad. [[File:志成兄弟楼 2023 (61).jpg|thumb|Gongchen Villa (拱辰别墅), built by Filipino Chinese Xu Zhibei (许志北) in Wukeng village, Jinjiang, Fujian.]]

==== Mindong (闽东 ''Mìng-dĕng'') ====

# Fuzhou (福州, ''Hók-ciŭ'') ## Changle (长乐, ''Diŏng-lŏk'') ## Fuqing (福清, ''Hók-chĭng'') ## Lianjiang (连江, ''Lièng-gŏng'') '''Hinghwa''' '''(兴化 ''Hing-hua̍'')'''

# Putian (莆田, ''Pó-chéng'') ## Hanjiang (涵江, ''Háng-gang'') ## Xianyou (仙游, ''Sing-iú'')

==== Minnan (闽南 ''Bân-lâm'') ====

# Quanzhou (泉州, ''Choân-chiu'') ## Jinjiang (晋江, ''Chìn-kang'') ## Nan'an (南安, ''Lâm-oaⁿ'') ## Shi'shi (石狮, ''Tsio̍h-sai'') ## Anxi (安溪, ''An-khoe''） # Zhangzhou (漳州, ''Chiang-chiu'') ## Longhai (龙海, ''Liông-hái'') ## Dongshan (东山, ''Tang-soaⁿ'') ## Zhao'an (诏安, ''Tsiàu-an)'' # Xiamen (厦门, ''Ē-mn̂g'')

=== Zhejiang === {{Further|Wuyue people|Wenzhou people|Qingtianese diaspora}}Zhejiang is one of the major sources of overseas Chinese migration in Eastern China. Although smaller in demographic scale than Guangdong or Fujian, its emigration history is deeply rooted in the mountainous southern counties of Wenzhou and Lishui, where limited arable land and strong clan and communal-based mobility encouraged people to seek opportunities abroad.

Since the late-Qing period, large number of emigrants from Zhejiang settled in Europe, especially Italy, Spain, France, Portugal and the Netherlands, whose strong commercial networks and family ties have created highly visible diaspora clusters overseas, earning many counties in southern Zhejiang the title of qiaoxiang. # Wenzhou (温州, ''Iu1-cieu1'') ## Wencheng (文成, ''Van2-zen2'') ## Rui'an (瑞安, ''Zy6-iu1'') ## Yueqing (乐清, ''Ngo8-tshen1'') # Lishui (丽水, ''Li6 syu3'') ## Qingtian (青田, ''Chin1-dia2'')

=== Hainan === {{Further|Hainanese (ethnic group)}}

# Wenchang (文昌, ''Boon-Siou'') # Qionghai (琼海, ''Keng Hai'') # Wanning (万宁, ''Ban Ning'')

=== Hubei ===

# Tianmen (天门)

The county of Tianmen in Hubei stands out as a unique example among all the qiaoxiangs in the country, for the county is located in an inland province with no direct access to sea, yet it is home to more than 280,000 overseas Chinese across around 40 countries and regions in the world.

The people of Tianmen began emigrating in the late 18th century, experiencing several stages including the northward migration to Europe, the southward migration to Southeast Asia, and the renewed immigration worldwide in the recent period.<ref>{{Cite web |title=比较视野下的侨乡研究：李其荣教授"比较中的审视湖北天门与浙江青田侨乡研究"讲座纪要-中国社会科学网 |url=https://www.cssn.cn/gjgc/gjgc_gcld/202305/t20230515_5638046.shtml |access-date=2025-11-23 |website=www.cssn.cn}}</ref>

== See also ==

* Overseas Chinese * List of countries by remittances received * Overseas Chinese Affairs Office * Conference for Friendship of Overseas Chinese Associations

== References == <references></references>{{Overseas Chinese}}

Category:Chinese diaspora