Guangzhou's history of contact with the outside allowed opportunities for local citizens to go abroad. Through connections with foreign traders and Christian missionaries, Cantonese were present in North America decades before the California Gold Rush. However, many more Cantonese did come with the Gold Rush, and they came disproportionately from the coastal counties, where the agricultural sector could not employ all of the workers. Men who came to work in North America sent remittances back to their families, who became wealthy. To avoid resentment in their native villages, these men often relocated their families to Guangzhou, the primate Cantonese city.

After the Communist Revolution, there was a lot of uncertainty concerning the status of overseas Chinese. Because of their foreign connections, overseas Chinese were suspected of disloyalty to the new regime and became afraid to return. After this initial period of uncertainty, the Chinese government encouraged overseas Chinese to come back by providing luxury housing and other privileges. However, many overseas Chinese sought exit visas for their families and failed to return to Guangzhou. Today, overseas Chinese tracing roots back to Guangzhou are living in 116 different countries. More overseas Chinese come from Guangzhou than any other city in China, and 1.35 million people in Guangzhou, over one-sixth of the city's population, have relatives living abroad. Overseas Connections/Home

New York's Chinatown.