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

This book is a great introduction to the Chinese diaspora. I found it very well written and insightful.

First of all, let me say that this is not light reading. Lynn Pan was on a mission when she began researching this book and she left no stone unturned. The immeasureable hours that she must have put into the preliminary parts of the actual writing shine through brightly. Miss Pan obviously was or became well traveled in preparation for this book seeing as how it covers the Chinese diaspora all across the globe. Her personal experiences in England and some in the U.S. no doubt were the cornerstones of the inspiration for this monumental work but the immense scope of the finished product is a true gift to the Chinese community. Tracing the immigration patterns of the Chinese focusing mainly on the last two centuries, Sons of the Yellow Emperor is an in depth look at the hot spots across the world where the Chinese have taken up residence. From Thailand, Malaysia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, the U.S., England, Canada, Australia and so on, Miss Pan has outlined the defining characteristics of the places and people dwelling therein down to the very mainland roots of the different Chinese sects, Hokien, Fukien, etc., and their influences in the regions they spread into as well as how they were influenced by those regions. To top it all off, Miss Pan breaks each section down into short biographies of certain influential historical figures, showing their relevence to their time and place and what bearing they had within the history of the Chinese diaspora. I won't pretend to be educated on this topic at all, but I can tell you that Lynn Pan has eked out a summation of a new branch of history, and done so in such a manner as to be exhaustively informative and delightfully entertaining. Recently, I was in a bookstore and saw her newest work. I suppose it is an addendum to Sons of the Yellow Emperor. It is an Encyclopedia of the Chinese Diaspora huge and filled to the brim with captioned photographs and more insight into this branch of historical writing. Well done; and both works certainly fill a void and bring something of great interest to light for anyone curious.

A well informed book about the subject. The author gave a very interesting and in depth view of the history of the Chinese and how they strived to survived and survived overseas.Reading the book has insipred me to want to read further about events that has shaped the history of the Chinese ie the Opium War.Definitely a book every Chinese and everyone else should read.

The book gives a well researched and important explanation of the Migration of Chinese people in the 19th Century. It explains many issues that we see every day as we recognize the strength of the Chinese communities in many parts of the world. It may be an important history to tell Chinese youth today about the struggles of their ancestors.

Why did Chinese people, to whom the motherland meant so much, emigrated in such numbers? And where did they ended up? Who are their descendants? Inspite of the often hostile reception of the host countries, they thrived economically, as is usually the case with emigrants of all races. The author also traces some of the more prominent descendants of these emigrants, like the former president of Philippines, Corazon Aquino.The book is a very compelling read and Lynn Pan make you wished your high school history lessons were as entertaining.