Waves of Chinese emigration (also known as the Chinese Diaspora) have happened throughout history. The mass emigration known as the Chinese Diaspora, which occurred from the 19th century to 1949, was mainly caused by wars and starvation in mainland China, as well as the problems resulting from political corruption. Most immigrants were illiterate, or poorly educated peasants and manual labourers, historically called coolies (Chinese: 苦力, translated as "hard labour"), who emigrated to work in countries such as the Americas, Australia, South Africa, Southeast Asia, and Malaya.

According to Lynn Pan's book Sons of the Yellow Emperor, the Chinese coolie emigration began after slavery was abolished throughout the British possessions. Facing a desperate shortage of manpower, European merchants looked to replace African slaves with indentured labourers from China and India. A British Guiana planter found what he was looking for in the Chinese labourers "...their strong physique, their eagerness to make money, their history of toil from infancy..."