Chinese of Romania
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| (2,243 (2002 census)) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Bucharest | |
| Languages | |
| Chinese, Romanian | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Overseas Chinese |
| Chinese of Romania | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simplified Chinese | |||||||||||
|
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| Alternative Chinese name | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | |||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | |||||||||||
|
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| Transcriptions | |
|---|---|
| Standard Mandarin | |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Luómǎníyà Huárén |
| Yue: Cantonese | |
| Yale Romanization | Lòmáhnèia Wàyàn |
| Transcriptions | |
|---|---|
| Standard Mandarin | |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Luómǎníyà Huáqiáo |
| Yue: Cantonese | |
| Yale Romanization | Lòmáhnèia Wàkìu |
The Chinese of Romania are one of the smaller minorities of Romania.
China and Romania have a history of several decades of economic and cultural exchanges as part of the Communist bloc. Former Chinese president Jiang Zemin lived in Romania for some time and speaks the language. However, mass Chinese migration to the country only began in the 1980s and 1990s, consisting mostly of independent traders. Later, in the early 2000s, as Romania began to suffer labour shortages due to out-migration of its people to western Europe, they imported migrant workers from China as a result.
According to the 2002 census, there were only 2,249 Chinese in Romania. However, popular media give much higher estimates. An International Herald Tribune report in 1998 stated that there were between 10,000 and 40,000 Chinese in the country. A later estimate published by China's official Xinhua News Agency in 2004 also claimed there were as many as 10,000. Romanian newspaper Adevărul stated in 2005 that there were around 4,000 or 5,000, which it also claims is a decrease from the 1990s when there might have been 20,000. Most are men originating from Wenzhou and Henan. Some migrant workers have also come from Jilin and Shandong. They are concentrated in Bucharest, especially in the Colentina area of Sector 2. Most are already married at the time of their arrival, and have children while in Romania, which contributes to the expansion of their population as well.
The China Daily estimated in 2009 that 3,000 of the Chinese in Romania consisted of migrant workers, in the textile, shipbuilding, construction, and agriculture sectors. Due to the global economic downturn, many have lost their jobs and sought the assistance of the Chinese embassy in returning home. As of February 2009, 209 Chinese workers had repatriated, with another 150 to follow. Romania also has some small traders from China, who began flowing into the country as early as 1989. They purchase commodities on credit from state-owned factories in their home provinces and resell them in Romania.
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Wikipedia