Chinese in Dubai: Yuting Wang explores the thriving diaspora and how it was affected by the pandemic

The author's book and online talk aims to provide an informative first look at the diverse growing Chinese community in Dubai

Yuting Wang is an associate professor of sociology at the American University of Sharjah. Yuting Wang

Yuting Wang was preparing to send a finished draft of her book, Chinese in Dubai, to her publisher when the pandemic struck last March.

It had been four years and countless revisions, but as stay-at-home orders were imposed and businesses shut down, the social fabric of the city changed, affecting all corners of society, including the Chinese community.

Many had little choice but to leave. However, a large portion of the population – those who had begun to recognise Dubai as home –remained and chose to weather the storm.

Wanting to reflect on the impact of these changes, Wang set out to add an epilogue to her book, which she will discuss during an online talk hosted by Zayed University's College of Humanities and Social Sciences on Sunday.

Changing perceptions

“The epilogue looks at how the pandemic might affect the Chinese presence [in the UAE],” says Wang, an associate professor of sociology at the American University of Sharjah. “How it could destroy businesses but also open up possible opportunities.”

One opportunity, she says, has allowed for Chinese expatriates to show how they have become an integral part of the larger Dubai community as several Chinese residents began taking part in charity drives during the thick of the pandemic, distributing health kits to the less fortunate.

In June 2020, more than 400 people from the Chinese community collaborated with the Emirates Red Crescent, donating more than Dh150,000 in cash to those affected by the coronavirus, as well as providing essentials including soap and hand sanitisers.

This gesture of goodwill was meant to show that Chinese residents were active members of the Dubai community, but also to try to combat prejudices that arose in the pandemic’s wake.

"Many felt there was a responsibility to reach out and show their good intentions," Wang says. She says that, because some people believed the coronavirus originated in China, many found they were being discriminated against based on their nationality. "They realised that engaging with charities and philanthropies was an effective way of changing the perception of the Chinese."

During Ramadan last summer, Wang explains, there were a lot of activities organised by the Chinese Muslim community and other trade associations, where they donated not only to workers in the UAE, but also to other countries such as Iraq and Jordan.

Wang says she wasn’t able to explore the pandemic's repercussions on the Chinese community in her book as much as she’d like, and the topic might be fodder for a follow-up release.

That was never the book's intention to begin with, however. Instead, Chinese in Dubai was meant to be a first academic look into how the Chinese community in Dubai formed and how it has integrated within the city's multifarious social make-up.

The idea for the book, Wang says, stemmed from her research on Chinese Muslim entrepreneurs in the Gulf region, which offered few academic writings about the Chinese communities in the region. “There are some pieces, but they are very short, very brief, so I wanted to write about them because I believe it’s actually an important topic given the growing presence of Chinese in the region.”

The history of the Chinese community in the UAE

Wang's focus was drawn to Dubai, thanks to the unique way in which the community has established its place in the global city. The story of the Chinese community in Dubai is, in a way, the story of the city itself.

The first wave of Chinese migrants, Wang says, came during the 1980s. They were mostly employees of state-owned enterprises, including Sinopec and China Tobacco.

“They were the ones who first established offices here. Some came from other parts in the region, such as those who relocated from Kuwait in the 1990s.”

Private entrepreneurs soon followed. In the early 2000s – as the Chinese government began promoting the establishment of global connections – small and medium-sized companies began looking for opportunities in Dubai.

“In fact, in Deira there is what’s known as the Eyeglass City,” Wang says. “There are a large number, actually hundreds, of small and medium-sized optical retail and wholesale businesses that have made a presence there.”

Most of the optical business operators in the area, Wang points out, are from the city of Taizhou and established themselves here after receiving support from the city's mayor, who encouraged them to seek opportunities outside China.

As to why they chose Dubai, Wang says it may be because they knew others who had moved to the city with state-owned companies. "These kinds of connections are at the grass roots level, but they help establish these ties and shape the market."

Wang says those who moved to Dubai, as opposed to other cities in the UAE, became much more integrated into the social fabric. "In Dubai so many are actually private business owners, whereas in Abu Dhabi many Chinese work for state-run companies."

In the last 20 years, Wang says many have established themselves in Dubai on a more permanent basis, by putting down roots and raising families. "[There are] children who were born and raised here, children who have spent their entire lives in Dubai."

Moving here may have also triggered a spiritual awakening, she says. "I think religion is an important part of the story. A lot of people believe that the Chinese don't believe in anything and that's not true. There's a lot of studies into how religion has revived in 1980s and 1990s China, and has generated a lot of growth of churches and various kinds of organisations."

In Dubai, a significant segment of the Chinese population has converted to Christianity, congregating at a Jebel Ali church on Fridays. There have also been several conversions to Islam. "There is a physical building now for Chinese Muslims in International City called Dubai Chinese Mosque," Wang says. Others have started to practice their Buddhist faith more.

Wang says she hopes her research in Chinese in Dubai paves the way for more studies into the Chinese diaspora in the city. "I think I wanted to draw people's attention to this growing community, to show this huge diversity."

Yuting Wang will further discuss her book 'Chinese in Dubai' in an online talk on Sunday at 7pm. Visit this link to register for the event.