In search of "gold" and "glory".Trajectories of Chinese migrants' mobility Chinese migrants forty years after they arrive in la city of Buenos Aires

Abstract

In recent years, the Chinese state has redefined the role its diasporas are expected to play. The specialized literature in this regard focuses either on the development and implementation by the Chinese government of extraterritorial policies or on the impact of those policies on migrants. However, the ways both processes are linked remain barely explored. This article analyzes the trajectories of migrants with several decades of residence in the City of Buenos Aires. It investigates the strategies they develop to obtain the recognition of the Chinese state, assuming the role of "public diplomats". The methodology used is qualitative, based mainly on ethnographic work in the City of Buenos Aires in 2022. Several recent publications in digital media by the Chinese diaspora are also incorporated into the analysis. The conclusion indicates that the strategies that Chinese migrants in the City of Buenos Aires elaborate are encouraged by the quest for "gold and glory". That is, achieve a sound financial basis as well as obtain the recognition by the Chinese government, the latter especially by following and supporting official discourses and policies. In order to do so, they also use the influence of informal institutions and their hyper-integration into both Chinese and Argentine cultural configurations, in a context marked by China's leading role both globally and locally.